From celebrated writer Robert Macfarlane comes this brilliant, perspective-shifting new book – which answers a resounding yes to the question of its title.At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Is a River Alive? takes the reader on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept.The book flows first to northern Ecuador, where a miraculous cloud-forest and its rivers are threatened by goldmining.Then, to the wounded rivers, creeks and lagoons of southern India, where a desperate battle to save the lives of these waterbodies is under way.And finally, to north-eastern Quebec, where a spectacular wild river – the Mutehekau or Magpie – is being defended from death by damming in a river-rights campaign.At once Macfarlane’s most personal and most political book to date, Is a River Alive? will open hearts, spark debates and lead us to the revelation that our fate flows with that of rivers – and always has Read more

Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth – from tricky stains to descaling kettles. This beautifully illustrated black and white guide with 101 hints and sustainable, natural cleaning tips and hacks will help you take small steps that have a massive positive environmental impact.In Clean & Green, Great British Bake Off winner and Sunday Times bestselling author Nancy Birtwhistle shares the simple recipes and methods she has developed since making a conscious effort to live more sustainably, many of which are faster and easier than the go-to products and methods most of us use now.From everyday cleaning and laundry tips to zero-effort oven cleaner and guidance on removing tricky stains from clothing and furniture, these economical, practical methods are perfect for anyone looking to reduce their use of plastic and throwaway products.Nancy shares her tried-and-tested recipes for all-purpose cleaners, replacements for harmful chemicals that will keep both your home and the planet clean and green for future generations.'The book I’ve waited all my life for' – Kirstie AllsoppThis paperback edition includes ten extra tips. Read more

‘A feast for mind and soul, a treasure trove of insights into the enigmatic and enchanting world of the birds we share our lives with but barely notice. I have learnt so much. Every page is a thrill. Bird School has opened my eyes' Isabella Tree, author of WildingStep into the hide for a glorious new encounter with the British wildClose to Adam Nicolson’s home in Sussex, there is a forgotten field overrun by bracken and thicketed by brambles. It is the haunt of deer and many birds – nightingales, the occasional cuckoo, ravens, robins, owls and in summer the sweet-singing warblers that come north from Africa to breed in English woods.This gorgeous book charts his attempt to encounter birds, to engage with a marvellous layer of life he had previously almost ignored. He wanted to look and listen, to return to ‘bird school’ and see what it might teach him.He built a small shed amongst the trees with nesting boxes and bird feeders. Cocooned inside, season after season, he got to know the birds: where they nest, how they sing, how they mate and fight, what preys on them, what they are like as living things.Beautifully written and woven through with philosophy, literature, science and a sense of wonder, always conscious that that this is an age in which the natural world is under siege, Bird School pulls back the curtain on seemingly ordinary birds, taking a long, careful and concerned look at our relationship with the wild. Read more

'This is the story of our ocean and we must write its next chapter together. For if we save the sea, we save our world. After a lifetime of filming our planet, I'm sure that nothing is more important.'From the icy seas of our poles to remote coral islands, David Attenborough has filmed in every ocean habitat on planet earth. Now, with long-term collaborator Colin Butfield, he shares the story of our last great wilderness - the one which shapes the land we live on, regulates our climate and creates the air we breathe.Dive into eight unique saltwater habitats, swim through kelp forest, mangroves and coral reefs and down almost 11,000 feet to the deepest corners of the most unexplored ecosystem on our planet.Experience a journey of wonder and discovery, populated by green turtles and blue whales; clownfish and bioluminescent jellyfish; the vampire squid and the 'head-less chicken monster' - a strange form of sea cucumber that lives at the very bottom of the ocean.With the warmth, intelligence and awe that characterises all of David Attenborough's landmark series, Ocean shows us a world which is both desperately fragile yet astonishingly resilient, with an extraordinary capacity to repair itself. It's not too late to restore our most vital habitat. If we treat it with respect, our marine world will be even richer and more spectacular than we can imagine.A book almost a century in the making, but one that has never been more urgently needed. Read more

A compact, lightweight and informative guide to 310 of the most common birds found in the UK. RSPB Pocket Guide to British Birds is a compact, lightweight and informative field guide, featuring 310 bird species regularly seen in the UK. Species are illustrated in all distinct plumage forms likely to be observed in the wild by renowned bird artist Stephen Message, and a detailed distribution map for the British Isles is also provided. Concise text covers appearance, behaviour and voice - focusing on key identification points - and also outlines where you will find the species, describes its seasonal movements and includes the latest UK population data. Finally, confusion species are cross-referenced, with their most important and easily noted differences from the subject species described. A comprehensive introduction provides a guide on how and where to find birds, and how to make the most useful and rewarding observations for newcomers to birdwatching. Uniquely, this guide also provides images and descriptions for not only a selection of rarer visitors, but also for a range of domestic species and certain commonly observed aberrant forms of more familiar birds, all of which are omitted from most field guides but can cause great confusion for beginners when encountered in the wild. Read more

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022 THE TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER & REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK*****You don't fall in love in Cyprus in the summer of 1974. Not here, not now. In 1974, two teenagers, from opposite sides of a divided Cyprus, meet at a tavern in the city they both call home. The tavern is the only place that Kostas, who is Greek, and Defne who is Turkish, can meet in secret, hidden beneath the leaves of a fig tree growing through the roof of the tavern. This tree will witness their hushed happy meetings, and will be there when the war breaks out and the teenagers vanish.Decades later in north London, sixteen-year-old Ada has never visited the island where her parents were born. She seeks to untangle years of her family's silence, but the only connection she has to the land of her ancestors Is a fig tree growing tin the garden of their home . . .*****'This book moved me to tears . . . in the best way. Powerful and poignant' Reese Witherspoon'A brilliant novel -- one that rings with Shafak's characteristic compassion' Robert Macfarlane'This is an enchanting, compassionate and wise novel and storytelling at its most sublime' Polly Samson*** ELIF SHAFAK'S NEW NOVEL, THERE ARE RIVERS IN THE SKY, IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW *** Read more

Watch a thousand years unfold in the life of one magnificent tree!A thousand years ago, a tiny acorn fell to the ground. As the years pass, it grows . . . and GROWS into an enormous oak tree! As the centuries sweep by, children play games around the tree. Families dance about it. A fleeing king even hides inside its hollow trunk!The tree gives food and shelter to a host of animals, from squirrels and badgers to birds and beetles.After a thousand years, the ancient tree finally falls in a storm - but a new acorn sprouts, and the cycle of life begins all over again.The tree's magical life story is brought to life in Julia Donaldson's rich, dramatic rhyme.Victoria Sandøy's gorgeous, atmospheric illustrations perfectly capture the changing seasons, and the people and wildlife that pass byChildren will love spotting all the creatures in the pictures, and seeing the games children play around the treeThis is a book that encourages us all to look more closely at nature, and to appreciate the wonder of our ancient trees.The final pages of the book contain extra fascinating facts about oak trees and the animals that depend on them.Praise for The Christmas Pine, also by Julia Donaldson and Victoria Sandøy: "Magical . . . as well as paying tribute to tradition, the gentle rhythmic verse and stunning pictures illuminate the two other things close to Julia's heart: the power of children and song"Julia Donaldson is the author of many of the best-loved children's books ever written. She has been awarded a CBE for services to literature, and is the most celebrated children's writer in Britain today.Many of Julia Donaldson's beloved picture books have been made into award-winning animated films which are regularly shown on the BBC at Christmas. Read more

THE MULTIMILLION COPY BESTSELLERTHE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SURVIVING ANYWHEREThe Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide is the pocket companion for adventurers everywhere. From making camp and finding food in the wild to security and self-defence in the streets, be prepared on land or sea. SAS legend John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman’s unrivalled guide will teach you:Preparation – Understanding and assembling latest, most resilient, kit.Navigation – Skills, technologies and techniques to get you through unfamiliar terrain.Food and Health – Finding resources in your environment, feeding yourself, healing yourself and avoiding disease.Safety and Security – Recognising dangerous situations, defending yourself and saving others.Disaster Survival – Dealing with unstable environmental conditions: what to do in the face of flash flooding or fast-spreading fire. Read more

'Life-changing' DAVINA McCALL'A must-read' Dr RUPY AUJLA'Fascinating' NIGELLA LAWSON'Empowering' LIZ EARLE**THE BOOK THAT INSPIRED THE FOOD FOR LIFE COOKBOOK**Food is our greatest ally for good health, but the question of what to eat in the age of ultra-processed food has never seemed so complicated.Drawing on cutting-edge research and personal insights, Professor Tim Spector offers clear answers in this definitive, easy-to-follow guide to the new science of eating well.Empowering and practical, Food for Life is nothing less than a new approach to how to eat - for our health and the health of the planet.‘No fads, no nonsense, just practical, science-based advice on how to eat well’ Daily Mail, Books of the Year'A rigorously academic book that welcomes the layperson with open arms' The Times** A THE TIMES and SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR**** WINNER OF THE FORTNUM & MASON SPECIAL AWARD **Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller, February 2024 Read more

The enchanting second novel from the author of The Last Bear: the bestselling debut hardback of 2021 and The Times Children’s Book of the Week, winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Blue Peter Book Award‘An irresistible ocean-loving yarn’ The TimesWinner of the Edward Stanford Children’s Travel Book of the Year 2023Shortlisted for BAMB Indie Book Awards for Children's Fiction 2023THEIR BOND COULD SET THEM FREE …Rio has been sent to live with a grandmother he barely knows in California, while his mum is in hospital. All Rio wants is for Mum to get better so he can return home. But everything changes when he joins a whale-watching trip and meets White Beak, a gentle giant of the sea. Rio forms an instant bond with the whale, and for the first time in ages he feels a spark of hope. Then White Beak goes missing and Rio may be the only person who can help.Can Rio draw on their special connection to somehow find and save his whale … ?Perfect for readers of 8+, beautifully illustrated throughout by Levi PinfoldHannah Gold's book 'The Last Bear' was a No.2 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 18-04-2022. Read more

‘A curious-minded and subtle intervention in the politics of the countryside’ Sunday Times'Galbraith spent three years investigating the truth about rural Britain and how we treat it. Uncommon Ground is the brilliant result' Daily Telegraph'Very funny. Acutely observed. An attempt to look beyond the usual clichés of country life' Observer“Brilliant. This book is a sort of necessary clever trespass itself, on everyone’s notions about ‘our land’.”Country Life"Filled with voices from people who don’t always make the headlines in the UK land access debate."ScotsmanThe countryside is under increasing pressure and people, the science shows, need nature. Access to the countryside is essential for our health, our happiness and our future. But does nature need us?In January 2023, the largest land access demonstration since the 1930s took place on a bright wintery morning on Dartmoor. The access movement demands that the countryside be thrown open. This, they argue, would help nature by giving the public the opportunity to hold farmers and wealthy landowners to account.But would it really work for Britain’s growing population to spill out across the countryside, and is access quite as restricted as we are led to believe?In Uncommon Ground, Patrick Galbraith takes us on an extraordinary tour of rural Britain, from the Hebrides to Devon, and from Anglo-Saxon England to the present day. To uncover the truth and fully understand our deep connection with the land, he meets farmers, Irish Travellers, politicians, salmon poachers, and the nation's most-hated landowners, as well as activists calling for a total abolition of the right to own land.In his much-celebrated style, Galbraith works hard to listen to those who often don’t get listened to. This raking survey of our fast-changing country, reveals the essence of rural Britain's soul. Uncommon Ground argues that what matters is not greater access but how we engage with the land and demands that landowners give us more opportunities to do so, while also giving endangered wildlife the right to tranquility. Read more

A #4 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From the twelve-million copy bestselling author of the Lewis trilogy comes a chilling new mystery set in the isolated Scottish Highlands.A TOMB OF ICEA young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station in Kinlochleven discovers the body of a missing man entombed in ice.A DYING DETECTIVECameron Brodie, a Glasgow detective, sets out on a hazardous journey to the isolated and ice-bound village. He has his own reasons for wanting to investigate a murder case so far from his beat.AN AGONIZING RECKONINGBrodie must face up to the ghosts of his past and to a killer determined to bury forever the chilling secret that his investigation threatens to expose.Set against a backdrop of a frighteningly plausible near-future, A WINTER GRAVE is Peter May at his page-turning, passionate and provocative best. Read more

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER, WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE A Pulitzer Prize FinalistA National Book Award FinalistA Writers' Trust Award FinalistShortlisted for the Wainwright Conservation PrizeA Guardian Book of the YearA New York Times Book of the Year 'No book feels timelier . . . an adrenaline-soaked nightmare that is impossible to put down'Cal Flyn, The Times'Superb and terrifying'Katherine Rundell, Guardian'It reads like a thriller . . . utterly compelling'Andrea Wulf, author of The Invention of Nature'Astounding on every page'David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable Earth'A towering achievement . . . extraordinary'Robert Macfarlane, author of UnderlandIn May 2016, a Canadian oil town was overrun by wildfire, turning entire neighbourhoods into firebombs and driving 90,000 people from their homes.Through the gripping story of this apocalyptic conflagration, John Vaillant explores our relationship with fire, an energy source that has been our partner in evolution for hundreds of millennia, shaping our culture and civilization. Now, in our age of intensifying climate change, its destructive power has been unleashed in ways previously unimaginable.Fire Weather is an astounding account of this century's most intense urban fire, and an urgent examination of humanity's future in an ever-hotter, more flammable world. Read more

THE TIMES BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023A BOOK OF THE YEAR PICK FOR THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE, GUARDIAN, INDEPENDENT AND FINANCIAL TIMESA BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK | AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Humanity has transformed the Earth: Frankopan transforms our understanding of history' Financial Times'Vast, learned and timely work' Sunday Times------From the international bestselling author of The Silk Roads comes a major history of how a changing climate has dramatically shaped the development-and demise-of civilisations across time.When we think about history, we rarely pay much attention to the most destructive floods, the worst winters, the most devastating droughts or the ways that ecosystems have changed over time. In The Earth Transformed, Peter Frankopan, one of the world's leading historians, shows that the natural environment is a crucial, if not the defining, factor in global history - and not just of humankind. Volcanic eruptions, solar activities, atmospheric, oceanic and other shifts, as well as anthropogenic behaviour, are fundamental parts of the past and the present. In this magnificent and groundbreaking book, we learn about the origins of our species: about the development of religion and language and their relationships with the environment; about how the desire to centralise agricultural surplus formed the origins of the bureaucratic state; about how growing demands for harvests resulted in the increased shipment of enslaved peoples; about how efforts to understand and manipulate the weather have a long and deep history. All provide lessons of profound importance as we face a precarious future of rapid global warming.Taking us from the Big Bang to the present day and beyond, The Earth Transformed forces us to reckon with humankind's continuing efforts to make sense of the natural world.-----'This is epic, gripping, original history that leaps off the page' Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland'All Historians aiming to tell a narrative face the problem of when exactly to start it. Only Peter Frankopan would go back 2.5 billion years to the Great Oxidation Event' Tom HollandA 2023 HIGHLIGHT FOR: BBC NEWS * SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE * FINANCIAL TIMES * NEW EUROPEAN * GUARDIAN * NEW STATESMAN * THE TIMES * THE WEEK * WATERSTONES * BLACKWELL'S Read more

‘A poignant, practical and moving story of how to fix our broken land, this should be conservation's salvation; this should be its future; this is a new hope’ – Chris PackhamWinner of the Richard Jefferies Society / White Horse Book Shop Award for Nature WritingIn Wilding, Isabella Tree tells the story of the ‘Knepp experiment’, a pioneering rewilding project in West Sussex, using free-roaming grazing animals to create new habitats for wildlife.Part gripping memoir, part fascinating account of the ecology of our countryside, Wilding is, above all, an inspiring story of hope.Highly Commended by the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing'One of the landmark ecological books of the decade' – The Sunday Times Read more

The breathtaking historical fantasy set onboard the Great Trans-Siberian Express 'Imagine a crossover between Murder on the Orient Express, Game of Thrones and Paradise Lost . . . Brooks has serious talent' SUNDAY TIMES'I was completely transported by this book . . . I urge everybody to pick up a copy' STUART TURTON'Breathtaking . . . Abounding with mysteries and marvels' SAMANTHA SHANNON'Exceptional. Strange, addictive, immersive, it's a steampunk Piranesi meets His Dark Materials' JENNIE GODFREY'Mysterious and clever and brilliant' NATASHA PULLEYIt is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.It is the end of the nineteenth century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.Nothing touches the Wastelands except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares.Onto the platform steps a curious cast of characters: Marya, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Weiwei, a famous child born on the train; and Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist.But there are whispers that the train isn't safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel, the passengers and crew must survive their journey together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . . Read more

Sunday Times Bestseller‘A paradigm-smashing chronicle of joyous entanglement’ Charles FosterWaterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month (September)Are trees social beings? How do trees live? Do they feel pain or have awareness of their surroundings?In The Hidden Life of Trees Peter Wohlleben makes the case that the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.A walk in the woods will never be the same again. Read more

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE LEADING GUT-HEALTH EXPERT, FOUNDER OF ZOE AND AUTHOR OF FOOD FOR LIFE* As seen on ITV's LORRAINE and heard on THE DIARY OF A CEO *This ground-breaking exploration debunks food myths, from what we should be eating for breakfast to whether we should really avoid ultra-processed foods.Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?Is there any point in counting calories?Is there any evidence that coffee is bad for us?Through his pioneering research, Professor Tim Spector busts these and many other myths about food.Spoon-Fed explores the scandalous lack of good science behind many diet plans, official recommendations, miracle cures and ultra-processed foods, and encourages us to rethink our whole relationship with food - not just for our health as individuals, but for the future of the planet.'Hugely enjoyable' Michael Mosley'Illuminating and so incredibly timely' Yotam Ottolenghi'This book should be available on prescription' Felicity Cloake'Will actually help you decide what to add to your next grocery shop' Bee Wilson, GuardianGo with your gut. Join the food revolution.**Tim Spector's number 1 bestselling Food for Life: Your Guide to the New Science of Eating Well is now available in paperback****ORDER THE FOOD FOR LIFE COOKBOOK, OUT NOW** Read more

The incredible story of one man's obsession to find and protect the world's largest flowers As a child, Chris Thorogood dreamed of seeing Rafflesia - the plant with the world's largest flowers. He crafted life-size replicas in an abandoned cemetery, carefully bringing them to life with paper and paint. Today he is a botanist at the University of Oxford's Botanic Garden and has dedicated his life to studying the biology of such extraordinary plants, working alongside botanists and foresters in Southeast Asia to document these huge, mysterious blooms.Pathless Forest is the story of his journey to study and protect this remarkable plant - a biological enigma, still little understood, which invades vines as a leafless parasite and steals its food from them. We join him on a mind-bending adventure, as he faces a seemingly impenetrable barrier of weird, wonderful and sometimes fearsome flora; finds himself smacking off leeches, hanging off vines, wading through rivers; and following indigenous tribes into remote, untrodden rainforests in search of Rafflesia's ghostly, foul-smelling blooms, more than a metre across.We depend on plants for our very existence, but two in five of the world's species are threatened with extinction - nobody knows how many species of Rafflesia might already have disappeared through deforestation. Pathless Forest is part thrilling adventure story and part an inspirational call to action to safeguard a fast-disappearing wilderness. To view plants in a different way, as vital for our own future as for that of the planet we share. And to see if Rafflesia itself can be saved. Read more

Three of the greatest SF novels in the world in one bumper omnibus, and the inspiration for the spectacular cinematic events Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two.'An astonishing science fiction phenomenon' WASHINGTON POST'I know nothing comparable to it except The Lord of the Rings' Arthur C ClarkeHerbert's evocative, epic tales are set on the desert planet Arrakis, the focus for a complex political and military struggle with galaxy-wide repercussions.Arrakis is the source of spice, a mind-enhancing drug which makes interstellar travel possible; it is the most valuable substance in the galaxy. When Duke Atreides and his family take up court there, they fall into a trap set by the Duke's bitter rival, Baron Harkonnen. The Duke is poisoned, but his wife and her son Paul escape to the vast and arid deserts of Arrakis, which have given the planet its nickname of Dune.Paul and his mother join the Fremen, the Arrakis natives, who have learnt to live in this harsh and complex ecosystem. But learning to survive is not enough - Paul's destiny was mapped out long ago and his mother is committed to seeing it fulfilled.Read the books which inspired the Academy Award-winning and jaw-dropping cinematic events Dune: Part One (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024), starring Timothee Chalomet, Florence Pugh, Jessica Ferguson and Austin Butler. A science fiction spectacular like no other, this is a deeply climate conscious novel, and a compelling family saga for the ages.* * * * * * * * * * * * *'This is - quite simply - the most magnificent Sci-Fi epic ever written . . . The scope of Asimov's Foundation, the attention to detail and context of Tolkien's LotR, coupled with an unmatched visionary socio-ecological messianic narrative that is scarily relevant today ' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Frank Herbert's immortal space opera that created many of the tropes we take for granted inside them is a book that doesn't need my endorsement . . . the nobility is some of the most decadent and depraved in fiction . . . It's a fantastic book, amazing story' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The blend of science-aversion, exploitation of the naive by systematic manipulation of religion and witchcraft, and the harsh realities of life in a barren and mineral depleted desert is astounding. I love these books!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Herbert succeeds at juxtaposing so many different elements: ecology, religion, consciousness, feudalism, space travel... gawsh, I could go on! . . . It is a mainly character-driven plot, with the three books in this trilogy focusing on the Atreides family on Dune . . . I think everyone should delve into this world, let themselves be absorbed by it. It makes you question your reality, your choices, your relationships and the impact you have on the world, or the impact the world has on you' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'Dune perhaps epitomises science-fiction. The willingness to embrace big ideas and show them playing out on a broad canvas . . . You have to read it to believe it' Goodreads reviewer Read more