This is as much an exploration of how we, people, interact or not with nature as it is about nature. The author talks to people and observes them as he watches nature and visits places associated with former greats such as Peter Scott, Gilbert White, John Clare, Etta Lemon, Thomas Bewick and the tangled bank man, Charles Darwin.
We are taken down the author’s street and further afield to nature reserves, zoos and museums and asked to reflect on how we see or ignore wildlife, and how this has changed over time.
This is a light read, as opposed to a heavy one, but it isn’t lightweight; it is thoughtful and stimulating. The fact that the text skips along with levity and wit doesn’t detract from its value as a sideways look at ourselves through observations of nature.
I enjoyed the author’s previous book (Why do birds suddenly disappear?, reviewed September 2018) and I enjoyed this one even more.
Into the Tangled Bank: in which our author ventures outdoors to consider the British in nature by Lev Parikian is published by Elliot and Thomson on 9 July 2020.
Remarkable Birds by Mark Avery is published by Thames and Hudson – for reviews see here.
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I recall you were a bit snippy about the cover on this author’s last book. How do you rate this one?
(By the way, I think they are both pretty good.)
James – I like this cover, especially the empty crisp packet