In Field Notes from the Edge, the acclaimed writer of the Guardian's 'Country Diary', Paul Evans, takes us on a journey through the in-between spaces of Nature – such as strandlines, mudflats, cliff tops and caves – where one wilderness is on the verge of becoming another and all things are possible. Here, Evans searches out wildlife and plants to reveal a Nature that is inspiring yet intimidating; miraculous yet mundane; part sacred space, part wasteland. It is here that we tread the edge between a fear of Nature's dangers and a love of Nature's beauty. Combining a naturalist's eye for observation with a poet's ear for the lyrical, Field Notes from the Edge confirms Paul Evans's place among our leading nature writers today.
Best known as the author of the Guardian's Country Diary, Paul Evans is a naturalist, university lecturer, broadcaster of natural-history documentaries and award-winning dramas for Radio 4, and performance poet. He writes for publications including BBC Wildlife, Geographical, The National Trust Magazine and Country Living; and his work appears in many anthologies. He has had his poetry set to music by an American folk group and even been the subject of an MA at a Belgian university. He lives with his family in Much Wenlock, Shropshire where he was born.
"Field Notes from the Edge's magic lies partly in the sheer quality of the prose, partly in Evans' ability to loop together disparate threads [...] a profoundly satisfying read."
– Melissa Harrison, Financial Times
"A wonderfully original book [...] Evans has a superb eye, a fine ear for all kinds of speech, a love of droll reality and a lyrical sense of all life [...] a joy."
– Richard Kerridge, author of Cold Blood
"The best account I know of how it goes with our wilds [...] [a] deeply loveable book"
– Tim Dee, author of Four Fields
"This lyrical prose makes the reader itch to get out into nature [...] Ultimately, Evans draws on the past to confront our present and ask what kind of future might be possible"
– Independent
"Paul Evans's important new book is the first indisputable classic of twenty-first-century nature writing [...] A masterpiece"
– Jim Perrin, author of West