SIMON BARNES

A lavish appreciation of horses and our relationship with them, told through over 100 famous images. Un merecido reconocimiento al caballo y a su relación con el ser humano, contado a través de 100 c

In 1915 the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves (later to become The Wildlife Trusts) published a list of 284 places in Britain and Ireland worthy of preservation as permanent nature reserves. The list was the brainchild of the Societys founder Charles Rothschild. It included shingle beaches, highland mountains, ancient woods, stretches of coastline, unspoilt heaths and marshes where Rothschild and his colleagues would search for rare insects and plants. It was the first list of its kind and it had a formative influence on nature conservation as we know it in the United Kingdom. Although some of the places selected by Rothschild have been lost and destroyed, many are still protected for wildlife. In Prophet and Loss Simon Barnes explores the Rothschild List today. He travels to wild places in Scotland, England and Wales - from seabird islands to the fens. He also examines Charles Rothschild the man and reflects on the story of nature conservation and the fight to protect our last wild places. Profits from sales go to The Wildlife Trusts.

The stunning new book from Professor Alice Roberts acclaimed and bestselling author of Ancestors and Buried

From the author of Rewild Yourself and How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher a light hearted guide to realising you know more about plants than you might think

How to bring nature closer to your home and the key ways you can learn how to see more of it

From the author of Rewild Yourself and How to Be a Bad Birdwatcher a light hearted guide to realising you know more about plants than you might think

From the author of The History of the World in 100 Animals a BBC Radio Four Book of the Week comes an inspirational new book that looks at the 100 plants that have had the greatest impact on humanity stunningly illustrated throughout As humans we hold the planet in the palms of ours hands But we still consume the energy of the sun in the form of food The sun is available for consumption because of plants Plants make food from the sun by the process of photosynthesis nothing else in the world can do this We eat plants or we do so at second hand by eating the eaters of plants Plants give us food Plants take in carbon dioxide and push out oxygen they give us the air we breathe direct the rain that falls and moderate the climate Plants also give us shelter beauty comfort meaning buildings boats containers musical instruments medicines and religious symbols We use flowers for love we use flowers for death The fossils of plants power our industries and our transport Across history we have used plants to store knowledge to kill to fuel wars to change our state of consciousness to indicate our status The first gun was a plant we got fire from plants we have enslaved people for the sake of plants We humans like to see ourselves as a species

Audiolibro.

He does write beautifully especially of his greatest love our wild birds On The Marsh is a delightful read Christopher Hart Daily Mail How the rewilding of eight acres of Norfolk marshland inspired a family and brought nature even closer to home When writer Simon Barnes heard a Cetti s warbler sing out as he turned up to look at a house for sale he knew immediately that he had found his new home The fact that his garden backed onto an area of marshy land only increased the possibilities but there was always the fear that it might end up in the wrong hands and be lost to development or intensive farming His wife saw through the delicate negotiations for the purchase Once they d bought it they began to manage it as a conservation area working with the Wildlife Trust to ensure it became as appealing as possible to all species For their son Eddie who has Down s syndrome it became a place of calm and inspiration In On The Marsh we see how nature can always bring surprises and share in the triumphs as new animals Chinese water deer otters and hedgehogs arrive and watch as the number of species of bird tops 100 and keeps on growing As the seasons go by there are moments of triumph when not one but two marsh harrier families use the marsh as a h

One of our most eloquent nature writers offers a passionate and informative celebration of birds and their ability to help us understand the world we live in As well as exploring how birds achieve the miracle of flight why birds sing what they tell us about the seasons of the year and what their presence tells us about the places they inhabit The Meaning of Birds muses on the uses of feathers the drama of raptors the slaughter of pheasants the infidelities of geese and the strangeness of feeling sentimental about blue tits while enjoying a chicken sandwich From the mocking birds of the Galapagos who guided Charles Darwin toward his evolutionary theory to the changing patterns of migration that alert us to the reality of contemporary climate change Simon Barnes explores both the intrinsic wonder of what it is to be a bird and the myriad ways in which birds can help us understand the meaning of life