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.

But owls - with the sapient flatness of their faces, their big, round eyes, their paternal expressions - are also reassuringly familiar. We see them as wise, like Athena's owl, and loyal, like Harry Potter's Hedwig. In The Secret Life of the Owl, John Lewis-Stempel explores the legends and history of the owl.

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.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER by 'Indisputably, one of the best nature-writers of his generation' (Country Life) BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' Written in diary format, The Wood is the story of English woodlands as they change with the seasons.

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.

In the beginning was the soil... From the volcanoes that stained it, to the Romans who occupied it, to Tudors who traded it, to the bombs that fell on it, John Lewis-Stempel charts an affectionate history of Woodston farm; the quintessential English farm. Combining the skill of the farmer and the historian with an instinctive love of the land, Lewis-Stempel mines the memories of his relatives and written records to provide a deep and thoughtful interrogation of the land that his family have been bound to for millennia. He draws upon his wealth of historical knowledge and innate sense of place to chart a fascinating biography of a farm in England. An English Farm not only reminds us of the historical riches that are buried beneath our feet but of our shared roots that tie us to this land.

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 last untold story of the First World War: the fortunes and fates of 170,000 British soldiers captured by the enemy.

It reflects an era before the water was polluted with chemicals and the land built on for housing, a time when ponds shone everywhere like eyes in the land, sustaining life for all, from fish to carthorse. Above all, John Lewis- Stempel takes us on a remarkable journey - deep, deep down into the nature of still water.

In der Nacht gelten die normalen Regeln der Natur nicht. Im Nachtwald habe ich einen Dachs getroffen, meinen Hut gezogen und Hallo gesagt. Die Tiere erwarten nicht, dass wir Menschen im Dunkeln unterwegs sind, das ist ihre Zeit, wenn die Welt noch ihnen gehört. Das war im Winter. Der Schrei einer Waldohreule hallte von den kahlen Bäumen wider. Trotz unserer Straßenlampen-Zivilisation kann man immer noch den Ruf der Wildnis hören. Wenn man nach Einbruch der Dunkelheit hinausgeht... Während sich die menschliche Welt jeden Abend zur Ruhe begibt, bereiten sich die nachtaktiven Tiere darauf vor, das Land zurückzuerobern. Der gefeierte Naturautor und Landwirt John Lewis-Stempel nimmt die Leser mit auf vier Spaziergänge durch die vier Jahreszeiten und enthüllt eine Welt, die voller Leben ist und normalerweise verborgen bleibt. Außerhalb der Städte ist es immer noch möglich, den Nachthimmel voller Sterne zu sehen oder einen Mondbogen, einen Bogen aus weißem Licht im Himmel, zu erleben. Es ist an der Zeit, unsere Höhlen zu verlassen und hinauszuziehen, um uns unseren Mitgeschöpfen der Nacht anzuschließen.

»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.