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Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize, a pilgrimage through the shapes and shades of autumn.
In autumn nature stages some of its most enchantingly beautiful displays; yet it's also a period for reflection, melancholy even, as the days shorten and winter's chill approaches. Taking in September to November, Jim Crumley tells the story of how unfolding autumn affects the wildlife and landscapes of his beloved countryside. Along the way, Jim experiences the deer rut, finds phenomenal redwood trees in the most unexpected of places, and contemplates climate change, the death of his father, and his own love of nature; thus painting an intimate – and deeply personal – portrait of a moody and majestic British autumn.
A nature writer, journalist and poet with 25 books to his name, Jim Crumley is also in high demand as a contributor for both broadcast and print media. Jim's 2014 book, The Eagle's Way, was shortlisted for a Saltire Society award; his Nature's Architect (2015) studies the beaver reintroductions, and his Encounters in the Wild series – which sees Jim get up close and personal with Britain's favourite animals – has found him many new readers.
"A delightful meditation."
– The Guardian
"A cornucopia of autumnal delight."
– The Scots Magazine
"A love song to 'earth's reviver and replenisher'."
– Dundee Courier
"Breathtaking [...] this magical pilgrimage visits enchanting and hidden places [...] with characteristic moments of close observation, immersion and poetry Crumley witnesses the melancholic textures and haunting transformations of this most beautiful season. This nature book is a delight."
– Miriam Darlington, BBC Wildlife
"Crumley always manages to combine an extraordinary depth of [...] knowledge with vivid warm writing and a clear love of what he is writing about. [...] çrumley is one of an endangered species – the real naturalists. Enchanting."
– Sara Maitland, BBC Countryfile
"Nature writing [with] a higher tensile strength than most."
– The Herald
