#342: New John Lewis Stempel in October

Due out in October is the latest book by John Lewis Stempel.

I have several of his books already, but this looks like it has the potential to be particularly valuable for teachers who want a larger picture drawing together the various elements which comprise England's 'natural history'. 

Here's a description from the publishers which provides a summary of the contents.

Our countryside is iconic: a series of distinctive habitats that unite to create a landscape that is unique for the rich diversity of our flora and fauna. In England, his most magisterial book to date, John Lewis-Stempel explores each in turn, taking us from coast to moor, from downs to field, from the park to the village to create a vivid living portrait of our natural history.

In his trademark lyrical prose, Lewis-Stempel reveals the hidden workings of each habitat: the clear waters and dragonflies; the bluebells, badgers and stag beetles; wild thyme; granite cliffs; rock pools and sandy beaches; red deer standing at ancient oaks; the wayside flowers of the lane; hedgehogs and hares; and snow on the high peak. Each landscape - be it calm green or wild moor, plunging cliff or flatland fen - has shaped our idea of ourselves, our sense of what it is to be in England.

In a stunning package, complete with decorated boards, endpapers, chapterheads and a map, England: A Natural History is the definitive volume on the English landscape and the capstone of John Lewis-Stempel's nature writing.

It has the potential to be an important book alongside others which we have been adding to our reading list. Seach 'Reading List' top left to see the previous books that we have added.

It would be good to have sight of a review copy if one were available. They are already going out.

His recent piece for 'Country Life' bemoaned the simplistic use of some management options, which took land out of food production, and turned areas of countryside into 'eco-Disneyland'.

"Rewilding wants us gone because we have no part in a reconstructed preagricultural, self-regulating ‘wild’ landscape, financed by carbon credits, biodiversity credits, nutrients offsets and other ‘public goods’ subsidies. That is, the taxpayer’s money. Why bother farming, producing food, if there is greater income from taking the wild green pound? Plus, of course, the income from the coach loads of Homo touristicus to your eco-Disneyland."

An advertisement for an Idler event includes the following information:

England’s landscape is iconic, a tapestry of differing environments that together make up a country unique in its rich diversity of flora and fauna. Discussing his new book England: A Natural History, author John Lewis-Stempel will take us through each habitat in turn, leading us from estuary to park, chalk downland to woodland, river to field, village to moor, lake to heath, fen to coastal cliffs.

The draft specification for the GCSE Natural History - which we are still waiting to appear in consultation form - includes reference to a number of habitats which students will need to be familiar with, along some of the flora and fauna that call them home.

#81: Natural History Reading List #6: England in Particular

Common Ground was an organisation which was founded by Sue Clifford, Angela King and Roger Deakin in 1983.

One of their most impressive publications is called 'England in Particular'. It is a hefty tome which I have in my library. I've seen copies in second hand book shops / charity shops several times over the years - check Oxfam in particular for books.

It is subtitled: "A Celebration of the Commonplace, the local, the vernacular and the distinctive".

It is one of the most interesting books to come out of their work, and takes the form of a large A-Z compendium of distinctiveness, very nicely illustrated.

The entries range across landscape elements, myths, folklore, villages, country life, natural history, botany, entomology, riparian ecosystems and everything in between.

In a review by Mark Cocker, he praises the book for its diversity:

"It involves a complex blend of archaeology, anthropology, social and natural history, ecology and simple storytelling. It also incorporates the numerous voices of people who have submitted to the authors their own experience of English landscapes.

Their items resolve into six broad categories: plants, trees and vegetational communities; wild animals; various forms of rustic food, often fruits and vegetables; architectural structures and styles; rural traditions and festivals. The sixth category involves elements so broad in theme one might consider them abstractions, such as their essays on "Facing North" or "The Weather"."

He also reminds us of the importance of this diversity and vernacular landscape elements.

"Once you homogenise a landscape in the way that we see across large parts of central England, you not only lose the wildlife, you rob its inhabitants of the elements that make up their identity. The antiseptic uniformity of many English high streets is part analogue, part consequence of the surrounding countryside's wider sterilisation."

The book is over 500 pages long and features articles of differing length, and lovely illustrations in a range of styles. Some of the entries are for geographical features such as rias.

Here's a sample from the contents pages:

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared under CC license.