At the Water's Edge
A Walk in the Wild
Published on 1. February 2010
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-84767-404-3 (ISBN)
Description
For the last thirty years John Lister-Kaye, one of Britain's best-known nature writers, has taken the same circular walk from his home deep in a Scottish glen up to a small hill loch. Each day brings a new observation or an unexpected encounter - a fragile spider's web, an osprey struggling to lift a trout from the water or a woodcock exquisitely camouflaged on her nest - and every day, on his return home, he records his thoughts in a journal.
Drawing on this lifetime of close observation, John Lister-Kaye's new book encourages us to look again at the nature around us and to discover its wildness for ourselves. It also forges wonderful
connections between the most unlikely subjects, from photosynthesis and the energy cycle to Norse mythology, to weasels and perfume and to the over-population of our planet.
At the Water's Edge is a lyrical hymn to the wildlife of Britain, and a powerful warning to respect and protect it.
Drawing on this lifetime of close observation, John Lister-Kaye's new book encourages us to look again at the nature around us and to discover its wildness for ourselves. It also forges wonderful
connections between the most unlikely subjects, from photosynthesis and the energy cycle to Norse mythology, to weasels and perfume and to the over-population of our planet.
At the Water's Edge is a lyrical hymn to the wildlife of Britain, and a powerful warning to respect and protect it.
Reviews / Votes
John Lister-Kaye is one of the most joyful, inspirational naturalists I know. This wonderful collection of wildlife encounters will make anyone want to pull on their boots and re-discover the world on our doorsteps. -- Kate Humble Full of otter-story and heron-meaning, this is a book where sunrise, pine marten, trout and storm are all characters; a book of land-knowing by someone who has spent a gentle lifetime learning the languages of animals. With an untameable enthusiasm and generosity of spirit, Lister-Kaye translates those languages into a kind of inter-species friendship. -- Jay Griffiths, author of WILD: AN ELEMENTAL JOURNEY Dedicated conservationist Lister-Kaye has spent much of his life in solitary contemplation of his environment . . . This is a quiet but rousing call to action for anyone who loves the natural world and wants to help preserve it. * * Sunday Telegraph * * I'd put it in the hands of anyone who ever enjoyed a day out in the fresh air, even those who don't think they like the countryside: they've got to be seduced by this prose. -- Claire English * * BBC Radio Scotland * * Death, migration, the ruthlessness of survival, beauty and tranquility all collide in an intimate book that doubles up as an impassioned plea to acknowledge the essential in the everyday, from the humble caterpillar to the eagle. -- Claire Allfree * * Metro * * Lister-Kaye surveys the land, scents the breeze and, like any canny animal, remembers. Then he writes it all down in spare, poetic prose. -- Iain Finlayson * * The Times * * John Lister-Kaye is one of our more thoughtful and passionate chroniclers of the Scottish Highlands, and this book is a delight. * * Country Life * *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Product notice
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
545 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84767-404-3 (9781847674043)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
01/2020
Canongate Books
€18.18
Available for download
Person
Sir John Lister-Kaye is one of Britain's best-known naturalists and conservationists. He is the author of eight books on wildlife and the environment and has lectured widely on three continents. He has served prominently in the RSPB, the Nature Conservancy Council, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. In 2003 he was awarded an OBE for services to nature conservation. He has a passion for wilderness and deserts and has travelled widely, from the pack-ice of the Barents Sea to the Kalahari and the scorching heat of the Chalbi desert. He lives with his wife and family among the mountains of the Scottish Highlands, where he runs the world-famous Aigas Field Centre.