The first-ever collection of contemporary Scottish writing on nature and landscape, Antlers of Water showcases the diversity and radicalism of new Scottish nature writing today.
Edited, curated and introduced by the award-winning Kathleen Jamie, and featuring prose, poetry and photography, this inspiring collection takes us from walking to wild swimming, from red deer to pigeons and wasps, from remote islands to back gardens.
With contributions from Amy Liptrot, Malachy Tallack, Chitra Ramaswamy, Jim Crumley, Amanda Thomson, Karine Polwart and many more, Antlers of Water urges us to renegotiate our relationship with the more-than-human world, in writing which is by turns celebratory, radical and political.
"Splendid [...] Read, and treasure what we have while we have it"
– The Times
"A selection of luminous essays, poems and visual art [...] The most intuitive pieces reflect that nature is not something to be explored on weekends and in nice weather but through everyday rituals [...] [written with a] a gallows humour and deftness of touch"
– The Times
"Varied and unexpected [...] The Scotland we find here is a bracingly complex place [...] Yields some very fine writing"
– TLS
"Essential [...] With fine contributions from a variety of diverse writers and artists, this is more than a celebration of the natural world; it is a call to action. From placenames to field notes, creatures to flora; bodies of water to stretches of land – this is a raw, exquisite reckoning, free from blinkers, full of love and loss. To protect something, we must see it. These contributors show us our world, one still so full of hope"
– Kerri ní Dochartaigh – Irish Times
"Beautiful [...] A series of authentic experiences, each individual immersing themselves in nature [...] Antlers of Water is a warm invitation to reimagine your intimacy to nature, whether that's within the confinements of a communal city garden or on an island surrounded by the vast ocean. But whilst we should enjoy it, in whatever manner we please, we must not forget we must also take care of it"
– Caught by the River, Book of the Month
"Features some fine writing on Scotland's environment"
– Independent
"Rich and intriguing [...] Illuminating, insightful and – even more important – necessary, there's something for everyone here, whether you're a devoted Munro bagger and birdwatcher or an occasional countryside visitor"
– Herald
"Provides relief and inspiration [...] Open-hearted [...] The knowledge that there is something bigger than ourselves, is a relief. How deep the water is, how old the mountains. Scotland is wild. I'm going out to look again"
– Scotsman
"Reveals why fresh awareness of wildlife and landscape should be cherished"
– Sunday Post
"A bravura collection of essays on the splendour and wildness of the Scottish landscape, Antlers of Water is edited by the acclaimed Kathleen Jamie and draws together a stellar list of contributors"
– Waterstones, Best Books of the Year