Longlisted for the 2022 Highland Book Prize

From Jim Crumley, the "pre-eminent Scottish nature-writer" (Guardian), this landmark volume documents the extraordinary natural life of the Scottish Highlands and bears witness to the toll climate chaos is already taking on our wildlife, habitats and biodiversity - laying bare what is at stake for future generations.

A display of head-turning autumn finery on Skye provokes Jim Crumley to contemplate both the glories of the season and how far the seasons themselves have shapeshifted since his early days observing his natural surroundings.

After a lifetime immersed in Scotland's landscapes and enriched by occasional forays in other northern lands, Jim has amassed knowledge, insight and a bank of memorable imagery chronicling the wonder, tumult and spectacle of nature's seasonal transformations. He has witnessed not only nature's unparalleled beauty, but also how climate chaos and humankind has brought unwanted drama to wildlife and widespread destruction of ecosystems and habitats.

In this landmark volume, Jim combines lyrical prose and passionate eloquence to lay bare the impact of global warming and urge us all towards a more daring conservation vision that embraces everything from the mountain treeline to a second spring for the wolf.

About the Author
"Scotland's foremost living nature writer" The Courier. Jim Crumley has written forty books, mostly on the wildlife and wild landscape of his native Scotland, the impact of human activity on the natural world, species reintroduction, and climate change. His work has been shortlisted for prestigious awards such as the Wainwright Prize and the Saltire Society Literary Awards. Jim is a widely published journalist and has a monthly column in The Scots Magazine, as well as being a poet and occasional broadcaster on both radio and television.

Reviews

'This is a book from an author that can inspire those with a good knowledge of wildlife but also, I feel, draw in others to that subject through the beauty of the writing and the incisiveness of the observation. A great book, and obviously a book for all seasons.'

-- Mark Avery

'Jim Crumley ... has been our predominant writer on the natural world ... [He] is a naturalist with a great gift for observation ... His work engages us in the best ways - it addresses us as equals. We are drawn alongside him, to appreciate what he appreciates.'

-- Kathleen Jamie



Book Information
ISBN 9781913393533
Author Jim Crumley
Format Hardback
Page Count 448
Imprint Saraband
Publisher Saraband