A Life in Nature
Or How to Catch a Mole
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:1st Oct '20
Should be back in stock very soon
A life-affirming book about the British countryside, the cycle of nature, solitude, mortality and contentment, through the prism of a brilliant new nature writer's experience working as a traditional mole-catcher.
A captivating, life-affirming memoir of a life in nature that celebrates finding wonder in our world.
A captivating, life-affirming memoir of a life in nature that celebrates finding wonder in our world.
'A wonderful book... It has taught me a lot. I feel great love for it' MAX PORTER
At the age of sixteen, Marc Hamer left home with only a rucksack and started walking. By day, he observed the animals and birds. By night, he slept under hedges, in woodlands and on riverbanks. It was the beginning of a life in nature.
Years later, now working as a gardener and mole-catcher in the Welsh countryside, Marc tells of the experiences that have shaped him and of the wonders that he encounters each day. He considers, too, the fascinating ways of the mole and the myths that surround this curious creature.
This beautiful, meditative book explores what nature can teach us about ourselves and our search for contentment. It is a celebration of living peacefully and finding joy in the world around us.
'It is rare to encounter such respect and understanding of nature' Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows
** Longlisted for The Wainwright Prize 2019 **
(Published in hardback as How to Catch a Mole)
In lyrical prose, Hamer revealed a curious kinship with moles - creatures who, like him, often work alone. Like Laurie Lee, Hamer is an elegist, attracted to what's beautiful precisely because it's poised to pass away. * Washington Post *
From the first few words I knew I had encountered loving honesty and no one needs more than that. It is rare to encounter such respect and understanding of nature for herself. -- Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows
How To Catch A Mole is a beguiling mixture: part autobiography, part handbook, part travel book, part philosophical treatise. I’m happy to report that it succeeds on each level -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *
Not only a compelling meditation on the 'little gentleman in black velvet'…but also a fascinating, lyrical account of the loneliness and beauty of life on the margins, a memoir of vagrancy * Times Literary Supplement *
This is a wonderful book about our relationship with the earth, with other animals and with our own troubled humanity. It has taught me a lot. I feel great love for it. -- Max Porter
ISBN: 9781784709938
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 16mm
Weight: 207g
256 pages