Book description
In these elegant, short essays, revered nature writer Richard Mabey
attempts to marry a Romantic's view of the natural world with that of
the meticulous observations of the scientist. By Romanticism, he refers
to the view that nature isn't a machine to be dissected, but a community
of which we, the observers, are inextricably part. And that our feelings
about that community are a perfectly proper subject for reflection,
because they shape our relationship with it. Scientists eshew such a
subjective response, wanting to witness the natural world exactly,
whatever feelings subsequently follow. Our feelings are an extension of
our senses - sight, taste, smell, touch and sound - and here, in a
sextet of inspiring meditations, Mabey explores each sensory response in
what it means to interact with nature. From birdsong to poetry, from
Petri-dish to microscope, this is a joyful union of meandering thoughts
and intimate memories. Richard Mabey is Britain's foremost nature
writer. In September 2010 Profile published Weeds; the first cultural
history on the unwanted plants in our gardens, and throughout the world.
He is the author of Flora Britannica, which won a British Book Award,
and Birds Britannica. He has a regular column in BBC Wildlife magazine
and has written extensively on nature for the national broadsheets.
