The Circling Sky

On Nature and Belonging in an Ancient Forest

The Circling Sky
Neil Ansell
RRP:
NZ$ 29.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 23.99
Paperback
h198 x 129mm - 352pg
14 Apr 2022 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781472272379
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
From a 2018 Wainwright Prize shortlisted author, THE CIRCLING SKY is part childhood memoir, blended with exquisite nature observation, and the story of one man' s journey over a year to one of the UK' s key natural habitats, the New Forest of HampshireIn the form of several journeys, beginning in January 2019, Neil Ansell returns for solitary walks to the New Forest in Hampshire, close to where he was born. With beautiful sightings and observations of birds, trees, butterflies, insects and landscape, this is also a reflective memoir on childhood, on the history of one of the most ancient and important natural habitats in the United Kingdom, and on the Gypsies who lived there for centuries - and were subsequently expelled to neighbouring cities. It is also part polemic on our collective and individual responsibility for the land and world in which we live, and how we care for it. As Neil Ansell concludes so eloquently, ' Evolution has no choice in what it does, but we do, as a species, if not always as individuals' .
A beautiful evocation of life in a forest and a powerful reminder of the interconnected fate of all wild things, including ourselves * Raynor Winn * Like taking a refreshing and eye-opening walk in the open air with the most interesting, observant and companionable of guides. In The Circling Sky Neil Ansell reveals the remarkableness of the relatively unexotic New Forest, moving deftly from personal reflection to beautiful nature writing, to a crucial, timely argument about the history and importance of common land. * Naomi Ishiguro * Neil Ansell' s series of walks in the New Forest through the course of a year coalesce into a skilful exploration of memory, childhood, and how certain landscapes can become an integral part of your life. Ansell is a gifted naturalist, sensitive, inquisitive, at times justly enraged, invariably joyful. The Circling Sky is a wonderful tribute to a unique and precious place * James Macdonald Lockhart * The Circling Sky reads like a vivid and subtle nature programme for your mind' s eye. Its New Forest setting is a world within a world; a fragile Eden with an utterly astonishing cast of birds; a unique harbour to an array of species both familiar and unexpected, and a complex, sometimes dark human history. At times it felt like Danny the Champion of the World had grown up, lived an intriguing life, and was now communicating his subtle life philosophy as he walked among the trees. I finished this book sharing its author' s desire to look closer, to "walk in peace", and - as he puts it - to "camp without camping", and simply fall sleep beneath a tree. * Damian Le Bas * Neil Ansell takes us on a thoughtful journey through the fabulous New Forest. He combines evocative description with an accurate naturalist' s eye, in the best tradition of modern British nature writing. * Jeremy Purseglove * His articulate reminiscences and observations on history, wildlife and the changing landscape will make readers reflect on the world around us and our part - individually and collectively - in looking after it * Culturefly * His anecdotes gleam * TLS * Beautifully charts the challenges and solaces of being alone and part of nature * Bookseller * [A] captivating memoir. . . vivid as photographs, yet sketched with something more profound than simple reportage. Beneath the measured, knowledgeable, unfussy voice is a meaningful, and even important record: not just of a changing landscape, but of a man such places have shaped. * The Herald * Ansell' s beautiful memoir of his walks through the Scottish wilderness makes the case for being truly a part of nature rather than outside of it * Observer * Neil Ansell is a genuine creature of the wild. His knowledge of remote places, and his love for them, come from deep and sustained immersion. He writes in prose which is entirely right for its subject - unshowy, level-headed, quietly surprising. The Last Wilderness is a wonderful experience which tingles with all the sensations of being out on the hill, in all weathers, alone * Philip Marsden * Ansell has the rare skill of combining vividly the intimacy of detail and the astonishing grandeur of this North West coastline of Scotland. Through his keen eyes we look again at the familiar with a sense of wondrous revelation * Madeleine Bunting *
Neil Ansell was an award-winning television journalist with the BBC and a long standing newspaper journalist. He is the author of Deep Country,Deer Island and The Last Wilderness which was shortlisted for the 2018 Wainwright Golden Beer and Highland Book Prizes. He has two daughters and lives in Brighton.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781472272379
Published: 14 Apr 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Tinder Press
Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
Format: Paperback
Height: 198mm
Width: 129mm
Pages: 352

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