John Lewis-Stempel Knihy

Exploring twelve distinct habitats across England, the author takes readers on a journey through the country's diverse landscapes, from estuaries and woodlands to moors and coastal cliffs. This work highlights the rich variety of flora and fauna that define each environment, showcasing the beauty and ecological significance of England's natural heritage. It stands as a comprehensive celebration of the country's unique ecosystems, reflecting the author's deep appreciation for nature.

The Sunday Times Bestseller - SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2017 Traditional ploughland is disappearing.

My book of the year. Meadowland is a seasonal journey of discovery, a pilgrimage that nurtures the soul and gives meaning to life; all life. Each beautifully crafted sentence provides a stepping-stone to absorb and understand the land, with the writer's lyrical voice acting as guide and trusty staff as well as illuminating the mind's eye with wonderful imagery and perceptive literary devices. Stuart Winter Sunday Express 20140601

'An important book on several levels... Read a few sentences out loud, wherever you are.' Rosamund Young Everybody thinks they know what sheep are like: they're stupid, noisy, cowardly ('lambs to the slaughter'), and they're 'sheepwrecking' the environment. Or maybe not. Contrary to popular prejudice, sheep are among the smartest animals in the farmyard, fiercely loyal, forming long and lasting friendships. Sheep, farmed properly, are boons to biodiversity. They also happen to taste good and their fleeces warm us through the winter - indeed, John Lewis-Stempel's family supplied the wool for Queen Elizabeth's 'hose'. Observing the traditional shepherd's calendar, The Sheep's Tale is a loving biography of ewes, lambs, and rams through the seasons. Lewis-Stempel tends to his flock with deep-rooted wisdom, ethical consideration, affection, and humour. This book is a tribute to all the sheep he has reared and sheared - from gregarious Action Ram to sweet Maid Marion. In his inimitable style, he shares the tales that only a shepherd can tell.

Make your garden a haven for wildlife, and for you and your family.

Fountainhead of democracy, engine of the Industrial Revolution, epicentre of the globe's greatest empire and the first-ditch stand against an expansionist Germany in two world England's history is among the most fascinating and influential the world has ever known.This volume presents that history in unique first-hand, through the words of those who saw it and those who made it. All the great events of the last 2,000 years are the Norman Conquest, Magna Carta, the Peasants' Revolt, Henry VIII's break with Rome, the Great Fire of London, Nelson at Trafalgar, two world wars. Alongside these are the less obvious happenings which together capture the nation's social history, such as the Black Death of 1349 or life as a chimney sweep in 1817. And of couse there are the things that have shaped the nature of 'Englishness', like theatregoing in Elizabethan London, fox hunting in 1898, Oates's self-sacrifice at the South Pole, the Beatles and the 1966 World Cup.Presented chronologically and a joy to read whether cover-to-cover or dipped into as a treasury of sources, The Autobiography offers an intimate, vivid and revealing portrait of England and the English - and the unique place of both in world history.

The natural history of the Western Front during the First World War by the award-winning author of Meadowland.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Lewis-Stempel is one of our finest nature writers ... He writes with delicate observation and authority, giving us in Woodston a book teeming with fascinating details, anecdotes and penetrating insights into the real cost of our denatured countryside.' - Sunday Times 'The English countryside is 'a work of human art, done by the many and the nameless' and John Lewis-Stempel wanted to celebrate it. He has succeeded admirably.' - Daily Mail _________________ In the beginning was the earth... From the Paleozoic volcanoes that stained its soil, to the Saxons who occupied it, to the Tudors who traded its wool, to the Land Girls of wartime, John Lewis-Stempel charts a sweeping, lyrical history of Woodston- the quintessential English farm. With his combined skills of farmer and historian, Lewis-Stempel digs deep into written records, the memories of relatives, and the landscape itself to celebrate the farmland his family have been bound to for millennia. Through Woodston's life, we feel the joyful arrival of oxen ploughing; we see pigs rootling in the medieval apple orchard; and take in the sharp, drowsy fragrance of hops on Edwardian air. He draws upon his wealth of historical knowledge and his innate sense of place to create a passionate, fascinating biography of farming in England. Woodston not only reminds us of the rural riches buried beneath our feet but of our shared roots that tie us to the land.

'Britain's finest living nature writer' THE TIMES 'Lewis-Stempel's greatest gift remains his prose, with all its vividness and energy' THE DAILY MAIL 'The hottest nature writer around' THE SPECTATOR At night, the normal rules of Nature do not apply. In the night-wood I have met a badger coming the other way, tipped my cap, said hello. The animals do not expect us humans to be abroad in the dark, which is their time, when the world still belongs to them. That was in winter. The screaming of a tawny owl echoed off the bare trees. For all of our street-lamp civilization, you can still hear the call of the wild. If, if, you go out after the decline of the day... As the human world settles down each evening, nocturnal animals prepare to take back the countryside. Taking readers on four walks through the four seasons, acclaimed nature writer and farmer John Lewis-Stempel reveals a world bursting with life and normally hidden from view. Out beyond the cities, it is still possible to see the night sky full of stars, or witness a moonbow, an arch of white light in the heavens. It is time for us to leave our lairs and go tramping. To join our fellow creatures of the night.

The Charente- roofs of red terracotta tiles, bleached-white walls, windows shuttered against the blaring sun. The baker does his rounds in his battered little white van with a hundred warm baguettes in the back, while a cat picks its way past a Romanesque church, the sound of bells skipping across miles of rolling, glorious countryside. For many years a farmer in England, John Lewis-Stempel yearned once again to live in a landscape where turtle doves purr and nightingales sing, as they did almost everywhere in his childhood. He wanted to be self-sufficient, to make his own wine and learn the secrets of truffle farming. And so, buying an old honey-coloured limestone house with bright blue shutters, the Lewis-Stempels began their new life as peasant farmers. Over that first year, Lewis-Stempel fell in love with the French countryside, from the wild boar that trot past the kitchen window to the glow-worms and citronella candles that flicker in the evening garden. Although it began as a practical enterprise, it quickly became an affair of the heart- of learning to bite the end off the morning baguette; taking two hours for lunch; in short, living the good life - or as the French say, La Vie.

"Skylarks are the heralds of our countryside. Their music is the quintessential sound of spring. The spirit of English pastoralism, they inspire poets, composers and farmers alike. In the trenches of World War I they were a reminder of the chattering meadows of home. Perhaps you were up with the lark, or as happy as one. History has seen us poeticise and musicise the bird, but also capture and eat them. We watch as they climb the sky, delight in their joyful singing, and yet we harm them too. The Soaring life of the Lark explores the music and poetry; the breath-taking heights and struggle to survive of one of Britain's most iconic songbirds"--Publisher's description

The Times and Irish Independent: BEST NATURE BOOKS OF THE YEARGreat nature writing needs to be informative, detailed, accurate, lyrical, and, above all, to instil a sense of gratitude and wonder.

Eulen haben etwas Besonderes an sich. Sie tauchen in jeder Kultur seit der Steinzeit auf. Sie sind Geschöpfe der Nacht und stehen für Magie. Sie sind die Vögel der Unheilverkündigung, die Boten der anderen Seite. Aber Eulen – mit ihren flachen, intelligenten Gesichtern, ihren großen, runden Augen, ihrem väterlichen Blick – sind auch sympathisch und uns vertraut. Wir halten sie für weise, wie die Eule der Athene, und treu, wie Hedwig aus ›Harry Potter‹. Mit anderen Worten: Sie erscheinen uns menschenähnlich. Vielleicht zieht uns deshalb kaum eine andere Tierart so in ihren Bann.In ›Das geheime Leben der Eule‹ erzählt John Lewis-Stempel von den Legenden, der Historie und der Lebensweise der Eule. In lebendiger, lyrischer Prosa zelebriert er alle Realitäten dieser großartigen Kreatur, deren natürliche Kräfte so fantastisch sind wie jeder Mythos.

Vier Jahre lang bewirtschaftet John Lewis-Stempel ein Waldstück im Südwesten Herefordshires nach dem Vorbild unserer Vorfahren – wie es in den Zeiten vor der Industrialisierung üblich war. In dem gerade einmal dreieinhalb Hektar großen Mischwald geht der Autor auf die Jagd, beschneidet Bäume und siedelt Schweine und Kühe an. Dies ist das Tagebuch des letzten Jahres. John Lewis-Stempel ist der Wald vertraut geworden. Er kennt ihn vom Grund der Buchenwurzeln bis zu den Kronen der Eichen und sämtliche Tiere, die dort leben: die Füchsin, die Fasane, die Waldmäuse und Waldkäuze. Für viele der Tier- und Pflanzenarten sind Wälder wie der Cockshutt Wood die letzte Zuflucht. Und auch der Autor findet hier seine Heimat. ›Im Wald‹ zu lesen, bedeutet, ein Jahr inmitten der Bäume und umringt von seinen Bewohnern zu verbringen. Sei es Herbst, Frühling, Sommer oder Winter: Cockshutt Wood ist ein Stück Wald, das man nicht mehr verlassen möchte.

»Sein Ton als Erzähler umfasst das Poetische ebenso wie das Zupackende, und zum Weihevollen kommt der Humor hinzu.« FAZ Als John Lewis-Stempel mit seiner Familie nach Herefordshire am äußersten Rand Englands zieht, ist er überwältigt von der Vielfalt der Flora und Fauna. Er beschließt ein Experiment zu wagen, das ihn verändern wird. Kann er es schaffen, ein Jahr lang nur von dem zu leben, was ihm die Speisekammer der Natur bietet, und nur noch zu essen, was er auf den Wiesen, in den Hecken und Bächen seines sechzehn Hektar großen Anwesens Trelandon fischt, sammelt oder jagt? Der preisgekrönte Autor erzählt spannend und poetisch von den Herausforderungen und Entbehrungen, die Kälte und Schnee mit sich bringen, aber auch vom Glück, sich ohne jede Zutat aus dem Supermarkt zu ernähren. Er berichtet von seinem widerwilligen Jagdhund Edith und den neuen Rezepten, die er kreiert. Am Ende hat sich sein Bewusstsein für die Natur und für seinen Körper ebenso grundlegend gewandelt wie sein Verhältnis zu unserem achtlosen Umgang mit Nahrungsmitteln.

Ta książka to historia naturalna, przekazana z bliska. Jest świadectwem zażyłości ze światem przyrody. Powstała z wnikliwej obserwacji roślin i zwierząt żyjących na ziemi uprawnej i pod nią – od pracowitych bakterii po pustułkę patrolującą z wysoka łany zboża. To opowieść o polnych myszach w gniazdach przyczepionych do łodyg pszenicy i o zającach, które biegną, by chronić swoje życie. Napisana z pasją, pociętymi od słomy palcami i w ubłoconych kaloszach. Jest to opowieść o naszym krajobrazie i o nas samych. I jest to historia pola, które było o krok od śmierci. Miedza, żniwa, orka, sierp... Słowami starymi jak sama ludzkość autor snuje spokojną, a jednocześnie niezwykle wciągającą opowieść o związku człowieka z ziemią, która go żywi, i naturą, która go otacza. Ta książka ma w sobie coś z zapachu świeżo zaoranej gleby po deszczu – oszałamia zwyczajnym, codziennym pięknem przyrody, i przypomina, jak bardzo go potrzebujemy w naszym życiu. Piotr Horzela, popularyzator przyrody