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Recommendations

Short audiobooks you can enjoy in one sitting

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Reading lists

Uplifting climate books to inspire hope about the planet’s future

A collage image of multiple audiobook covers on a bright pink background.

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The best audiobooks of 2021

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The greatest walks in literature

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Which Robert Macfarlane books to read after Underland

Illustration by Jackie Morris from The Book of Birds

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News

Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris to collaborate on major new project: ‘The Book of Birds’

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Features

The stories behind the notebooks that documented Rob MacFarlane’s travels underground

Robert Macfarlane on working with artist Stanley Donwood

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Robert Macfarlane on creating the cover of Underland with artist Stanley Donwood

The Lost Words wins the Beautiful Book Award at this year's Books Are My Bag Reader's Awards  

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The Lost Words wins the Beautiful Book Award at this year’s Books Are My Bag Readers Awards

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The making of a modern ‘spell-book’

30 Reflections from Exploring on Foot

Writers on Walks: A BBC Radio 3 Collection

22 writers talk about their memorable excursions and the act of walking, and share their creative observations 
 
In these six series, taken from BBC Radio 3's The Essay, an array of novelists, poets, journalists and biographers chart the varied and inspiring walks they have taken around Britain and elsewhere. Here are treks taken at daybreak and after dark; in winter and in spring; in the footsteps of the past; and - in the case of Robert Macfarlane - along the ridges of the South Downs. 
 
Dawnwalks and Night Walks find Nicholas Shakespeare, Nicola Barker, Kamila Shamsie, Ian Sansom, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Owen Sheers, Janice Galloway and John Walsh taking early morning and late-night strolls around locations ranging from their back garden and local cemetery to Manhattan, Paris, Tasmania and the Antarctic. 
 
Springwalks and Winterwalks feature Michele Roberts, Ross Raisin, John Walsh, Kirsty Gunn, Philip Hoare, Deborah Levy, Christopher Hope, Scarlett Thomas, Erica Wagner and Owen Sheers, as they sample the transforming qualities of spring and the wonders of winter. From Poland and the Languedoc to Hampstead Heath and the Yorkshire Wolds, they delight in the details of the landscape and reflect on what it means to them. 
 
Strange Strolls sees Jenn Ashworth, Michael Donkor, Stephanie Victoire, Nat Segnit and Sophie Coulombeau embarking on walks of entertaining eccentricity, revisiting favourite places including Wandsworth Bridge, the Blue Ridge mountains of Appalachia and Ibiza. 
 
And in A Five-Day Journey, Robert Macfarlane walks the length of the South Downs in monsoon rain and in sunshine, discovering its chalk trails and its ghosts. He ponders the relationship between paths and stories; explores the poet Edward Thomas' love affair with tracks; considers the concept of the Aboriginal Australian songline; re-imagines the life of artist Eric Ravilious; and contemplates the sometimes eerie relationship between walking, collecting and creation. 
 
Intimate, evocative and immersive, these 30 uplifting programmes transport us to a wealth of wonderful places, and offer fascinating personal insight into the inner worlds of our walker-writers. 
 
Production credits 
Produced by Duncan Minshull, Ciaran Bermingham and Tim Dee 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the following dates: 
 
Dawnwalks 
Nicholas Shakespeare 28 March 2016 
Nicola Barker 29 March 2016 
Kamila Shamsie 30 March 2016 
Ian Sansom 31 March 2016 
Lucy Hughes-Hallett 1 April 2016 
 
Night Walks 
Nicholas Shakespeare 27 October 2008 
Owen Sheers 28 October 2008 
Janice Galloway 29 October 2008 
Kamila Shamsie 30 October 2008 
John Walsh 31 October 2008 
 
Springwalks 
Michele Roberts in Poznan 31 March 2014 
Ross Raisin in the Yorkshire Wolds 1 April 2014 
John Walsh 2 April 2014 
Kirsty Gunn in Sutherland 3 April 2014 
Philip Hoare in Sholing 4 April 2014 
 
Winterwalks 
Deborah Levy on Hampstead Heath 18 February 2013 
Christopher Hope in Languedoc 19 February 2013 
Scarlett Thomas 20 February 2013 
Erica Wagner 21 February 2013 
Owen Sheers in Poland 22 February 2013 
 
Strange Strolls 
Jenn Ashworth - The Abiding Mental Riches of Preston 10 February 2020 
Michael Donkor - On Westminster Bridge 11 February 2020 
Stephanie Victoire - Dark Hollow Falls 12 February 2020 
Nat Segnit - The Other Ibiza 13 February 2020 
Sophie Coulombeau - Walking Matilda 14 February 2020 
 
A Five-Day Journey 
Marking 2 November 2009 
Haunting 3 November 2009 
Singing 4 November 2009 
Flying 5 November 2009 
Collecting 6 November 2009 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

A BBC nature collection

Go Wild

22 BBC radio programmes celebrating the great outdoors, introduced by Harriet Noble 
 
Spending time in nature is good for both our bodies and minds - but with our hectic lives (not to mention the unreliable British weather), it can be hard to get outside as much as we'd like. But fear not: we've selected some of BBC Radio 4's best nature documentaries to transport you to the great outdoors - and encourage you to take your own trip into the wild. 
 
Discover the tranquility of canoeing down the River Waveney; go rambling in the countryside with Clare Balding; explore al fresco cooking with the Food Programme team and learn the history of Cornwall's colourful flower fields. Or why not go surfing in Scotland, off-grid in Wales or on a journey of a lifetime with Paralympian cyclist Karen Darke? 
 
These captivating programmes will let you experience the sights and sounds of nature - from an oak woodland to a rainforest canopy and a rock pool - and introduce you to some remarkable naturalists, such as filmmaker Roger Deakin, author Robert Macfarlane, pioneering ornithologist Emma Turner, writer and poet Nan Shepherd, and perfumer and mountain photographer Walter Poucher. 
 
Whether you're an intrepid explorer, a weekend micro-adventurer or simply a nature lover, you're sure to be inspired - so step away from your screen, get out into the open air and enjoy the beauty of the natural world. 
 
 
Contents 
 
Cigarette on the Waveney - presented by Roger Deakin 
 
Ramblings: In Search of the Old Ways with Robert Macfarlane - presented by Clare Balding 
 
Open Country: Nan Shepherd's Cairngorms - presented by Helen Mark 
 
The Food Programme: Outdoor Cooking - presented by Sheila Dillon and Simon Parkes 
 
One to One: Isabel Hardman on nature and depression 
 
Ramblings: George Monbiot in search of the wild - presented by Clare Balding 
 
The Life Scientific: Sky at Night with Maggie Aderin-Pocock- presented by Jim Al-Khalili 
 
Open Country: Off Grid in Mid-Wales - presented by Ian Marchant 
 
A Guide to Coastal Wildlife: Rock Pools - presented by Brett Westwood and Phil Gates 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
Soundstage: The Oak Woodland 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
Costing the Earth: Cycle City - presented by Tom Heap 
 
Open Country: Surfing on Scotland's North Coast - presented by Helen Mark 
 
Journey of a Lifetime - Karen Darke: From Source to Sea via Me 
 
Nature: The Rainforest Canopy 
Recorded by wildlife cameraman John Aitchison 
 
Nature: Emma Turner - A Life in the Reeds 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
The Flower Fields - presented by Michael Bird 
 
The Perfumed Mountaineer - presented by Hayden Lorimer 
 
Living World: Winter Seashore - presented by Trai Anfield 
 
Open Country: The Boat Builders of Pin Mill - presented by Helen Mark 
 
Ramblings: Bonding Walks: Stiperstones, Shropshire - presented by Clare Balding 
 
Open Country: Somerset Wassail - presented by Helen Mark 
 
Winter Starlings 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

22 BBC radio programmes celebrating the great outdoors, introduced by Harriet Noble 
 
Spending time in nature is good for both our bodies and minds - but with our hectic lives (not to mention the unreliable British weather), it can be hard to get outside as much as we'd like. But fear not: we've selected some of BBC Radio 4's best nature documentaries to transport you to the great outdoors - and encourage you to take your own trip into the wild. 
 
Discover the tranquility of canoeing down the River Waveney; go rambling in the countryside with Clare Balding; explore al fresco cooking with the Food Programme team and learn the history of Cornwall's colourful flower fields. Or why not go surfing in Scotland, off-grid in Wales or on a journey of a lifetime with Paralympian cyclist Karen Darke? 
 
These captivating programmes will let you experience the sights and sounds of nature - from an oak woodland to a rainforest canopy and a rock pool - and introduce you to some remarkable naturalists, such as filmmaker Roger Deakin, author Robert Macfarlane, pioneering ornithologist Emma Turner, writer and poet Nan Shepherd, and perfumer and mountain photographer Walter Poucher. 
 
Whether you're an intrepid explorer, a weekend micro-adventurer or simply a nature lover, you're sure to be inspired - so step away from your screen, get out into the open air and enjoy the beauty of the natural world. 
 
 
Contents 
 
Cigarette on the Waveney - presented by Roger Deakin 
 
Ramblings: In Search of the Old Ways with Robert Macfarlane - presented by Clare Balding 
 
Open Country: Nan Shepherd's Cairngorms - presented by Helen Mark 
 
The Food Programme: Outdoor Cooking - presented by Sheila Dillon and Simon Parkes 
 
One to One: Isabel Hardman on nature and depression 
 
Ramblings: George Monbiot in search of the wild - presented by Clare Balding 
 
The Life Scientific: Sky at Night with Maggie Aderin-Pocock- presented by Jim Al-Khalili 
 
Open Country: Off Grid in Mid-Wales - presented by Ian Marchant 
 
A Guide to Coastal Wildlife: Rock Pools - presented by Brett Westwood and Phil Gates 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
Soundstage: The Oak Woodland 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
Costing the Earth: Cycle City - presented by Tom Heap 
 
Open Country: Surfing on Scotland's North Coast - presented by Helen Mark 
 
Journey of a Lifetime - Karen Darke: From Source to Sea via Me 
 
Nature: The Rainforest Canopy 
Recorded by wildlife cameraman John Aitchison 
 
Nature: Emma Turner - A Life in the Reeds 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
The Flower Fields - presented by Michael Bird 
 
The Perfumed Mountaineer - presented by Hayden Lorimer 
 
Living World: Winter Seashore - presented by Trai Anfield 
 
Open Country: The Boat Builders of Pin Mill - presented by Helen Mark 
 
Ramblings: Bonding Walks: Stiperstones, Shropshire - presented by Clare Balding 
 
Open Country: Somerset Wassail - presented by Helen Mark 
 
Winter Starlings 
Sound recordist: Chris Watson 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Lost Sounds

Brought to you by Penguin. 
 
Woodland, moorland, sea... Great Britain is home to vast array of beautiful natural settings, each with its own unique sounds. 
 
The award-winning audiobook for The Lost Words and its sister, The Lost Spells, showcased the immersive power of a natural soundscape. Compiled by renowned wildlife recordist, Chris Watson, these soundscapes acted as the backdrop and setting for beautiful spells, whilst possessing an energy and life of their own. 
 
Now, these aural glimpses into the natural world, be it an adder in grass or an egret submerging into the swell of the ocean, are brought together to star in their own right. Complemented by a foreword from renowned writer Robert Macfarlane, beautiful artwork by Jackie Morris and a fascinating 'making of' interview with sound recordist Chris Watson, The Lost Sounds is an immersive natural listening experience, taking reader across the UK through the sounds of nature. 
 
© Robert Macfarlane, Jackie Morris, Chris Watson 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Woodland, moorland, sea... Great Britain is home to vast array of beautiful natural settings, each with its own unique sounds. 
 
The award-winning audiobook for The Lost Words and its sister, The Lost Spells, showcased the immersive power of a natural soundscape. Compiled by renowned wildlife recordist, Chris Watson, these soundscapes acted as the backdrop and setting for beautiful spells, whilst possessing an energy and life of their own. 
 
Now, these aural glimpses into the natural world, be it an adder in grass or an egret submerging into the swell of the ocean, are brought together to star in their own right. Complemented by a foreword from renowned writer Robert Macfarlane, beautiful artwork by Jackie Morris and a fascinating 'making of' interview with sound recordist Chris Watson, The Lost Sounds is an immersive natural listening experience, taking reader across the UK through the sounds of nature.

Ness

Eerie, unsettling and hauntingly beautiful - a new collaboration from the bestselling creators of Holloway, Robert Macfarlane and Stanley Donwood 
 
 'Ness goes beyond what we expect books to do. Beyond poetry, beyond the word, beyond the bomb -- it is an aftertime song' Max Porter, Booker-longlisted author of Grief is the Thing with Feathers 
 
 Somewhere on a salt-and-shingle island, inside a ruined concrete structure known as The Green Chapel, a figure called The Armourer is leading a ritual with terrible intent. But something is coming to stop him. 
 
 Five more-than-human forms are traversing land, sea and time towards The Green Chapel, moving to the point where they will converge and become Ness. Ness has lichen skin and willow-bones. Ness is made of tidal drift, green moss and deep time. Ness has hagstones for eyes and speaks only in birds. And Ness has come to take this island back. 
 
 What happens when land comes to life? What would it take for land to need to come to life? 
 
Using word and image, the pair have together made a minor modern myth. Part-novella, part-prose-poem, part-mystery play, in Ness their skills combine to dazzling, troubling effect. 
 
 Robert Macfarlane is the author of The Lost Words with Jackie Morris, The Old Ways and Underland. Stanley Donwood is an artist and the author of Slowly Downward, Household Worms and Bad Island.

Ness goes beyond what we expect books to do. Beyond poetry, beyond the word, beyond the bomb - it is an aftertime song. It is dark, ever so dark, nimble and lethal. It is a triumphant libretto of mythic modernism for our poisoned age. Ness is something else, and feels like it always has been.

What happens when the land comes to life? 
 
Somewhere on a salt-and-shingle island, inside a concrete-and-iron structure called The Green Chapel, a figure called The Armourer is leading a black mass. He plans to detonate a thermonuclear missile. But something is coming to stop him. 
 
Five more-than-human figures - or forms, or forces - are traversing the landscape, moving steadily towards a point where they will converge and become Ness. Ness is the land awakened. Ness is lichen skin and willow-bones, condensing mist and tidal drift. Ness has hagstones for eyes and Ness speaks only in birds. And Ness has come to take this island back.

A 100 Postcard Box Set

The Wild Cards

A beautiful companion set to the award-winning and internationally beloved phenomena, The Lost Words and The Lost Spells, adults and children alike will love receiving, sending and displaying The Wild Cards 
 
'Breathtaking and magical. Jackie Morris has created something that you could spend all day looking at' New Statesman 
 
'Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris have made a thing of astonishing beauty' Observer 
 
Discover and share the wonders of the wild world as seen in The Lost Words and The Lost Spells... 
 
This collection of 100 postcards features artwork and words from two beloved modern classics, in which Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane celebrate the creatures, trees and plants of nearby nature, from Acorn to Wren, by way of Curlew and Kingfisher, Silver Birch and Snow Hare, Goldfinch and Gorse. 
 
The front of each card bears one of Morris's Greenaway Medal-winning paintings; on the reverse, you will find an accompanying quotation from one of the spell-poems in the Lost books, as well as an identification of the species shown on the card. The remaining space is left blank for you to fill in these wild cards with pen, pencil or paint - and then send them out into the world to make and renew connections.

In 2017 Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris broke the mould with The Lost Words, a book of paintings in watercolour and gold leaf accompanied by acrostic spell-poems, capturing the unique essence of common but underappreciated species like Otter, Acorn, Ivy and Heron, Willow and Kingfisher. The response from readers was truly extraordinary: an instant bestseller, it inspired people of all ages all over the world, prompting mass fundraising campaigns to donate copies, and adaptations into folksong, symphony, theatre, puppetry, dance and mural. Three years later the creative duo delighted fans with a second title, The Lost Spells, celebrating the spirit of Red Fox, Silver Birch, Swallow, Jackdaw, and more. 
 
The Wild Cards draws together 100 pieces of artwork from The Lost Words and The Lost Spells. Every named species from the books is pictured at least once; many appear several times, though each postcard image is unique. The series also depicts many plants and animals not named in the original books - hidden details for the keen-eyed aficionado to discover - such as Blackbird, Stag and Rowan. On the reverse of the cards is an accompanying line of spell-text along with an identification of the depicted species. They have been otherwise left blank, their space waiting to be filled in by pen, pencil or paint and sent out into the world to make and renew connections.

An enchanting, beautiful book for lovers of the natural world

The Lost Spells

Beautiful books make unforgettable gifts. This pocket-sized treasure is the perfect present for fans of nature, language and rich artwork, adult and child alike! 
 
Kindred in spirit to The Lost Words but fresh in its form, The Lost Spells introduces a beautiful new set of natural spell-poems and artwork by beloved creative duo Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. 
 
Each "spell" conjures an animal, bird, tree or flower -- from Barn Owl to Red Fox, Grey Seal to Silver Birch, Jay to Jackdaw -- with which we share our lives and landscapes. Moving, joyful and funny, The Lost Spells above all celebrates a sense of wonder, bearing witness to nature's power to amaze, console and bring joy. 
 
Written to be read aloud, painted in brushstrokes that call to the forest, field, riverbank and also to the heart, The Lost Spells summons back what is often lost from sight and care, teaching the names of everyday species, and inspiring its readers to attention, love and care. 
 
'Luminously beautiful. An amulet in dark times, to be carried like a talisman out into the world, where it is very much needed' Dara McAnulty 
 
'A book about spells that succeeds in being spell-binding in its own right . . . It already feels like a true classic. Buy one copy for yourself and any others for as many children as you can afford' Books for Keeps

The poems are beautiful, insightful and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny; and together with the vivid artwork, wild creatures are brought to life. A beautiful volume sure to be treasured by nature lovers of all ages.

The most beautiful and thought-provoking book I've read this year

Gorgeous to look at and to read. Give it to a child to bring back the magic and scope of language

A breathtaking book. Jackie Morris has created something that you could spend all day looking at... Accessible and magical

Gilded and glorious, one of the year's loveliest books for all ages over 10

Kindred in spirit to The Lost Words but new in form, The Lost Spells is a pocket-sized treasure, a new collection of 'spells' - acrostic poetry and artwork - by beloved creative duo Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. 
 
Written to be read aloud, calling to forest, field, riverbank, ocean, and also to the heart, these 'spells' summon back what is often lost from sight and care, and inspire protection and action on behalf of the natural world. From Jay to Jackdaw, Oak to Barn Owl, Silver Birch to Grey Seal, they capture the special, individual spirit of each plant and creature. Above all, they celebrate a sense of wonder, bearing witness to nature's power to amaze, console and bring joy.

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