From Thomas Hardy's idyllic 'Wessex' to Nan Shepherd's fiercely beautiful Cairngorm mountains, the British landscape has been imagined and reimagined through our literature for as long as we can remember. Literature of the land has become part of our collective identity, seeped into our stories, and shaped the way we think about a place.

Chosen by Patrick Barkham, this anthology collects wild writing from all corners and all eras of Britain and Ireland, from a diverse range of authors, both familiar and unexpected. The writing is arranged in themes — from woods to birds to childhood to future nature. Extracts from much-loved classics feature alongside passages by some of our greatest nature writers such as Robert Macfarlane and Kathleen Jamie. This collection of voices from the past and present will delight and bring wonder as they journey around the mountains, coastlines and countryside, exploring our diverse landscape in rich detail.

Patrick Barkham

Books