James Aldred – författare

An enchanting journey of restoration and rediscovery in the heart of the New Forest . . .‘The perfect tonic for our chaotic times.’ - Sophy Roberts, author of Lost Pianos of Siberia and A Training School for ElephantsSome moments in childhood are frozen in time, vivid and vital, an anchor. When James Aldred tracked down an old horse-drawn wagon he once played in, he found himself inside one such moment again. However broken and rotten, it transported him to a magical summer in the New Forest forty years ago and awakened in him the possibility of reliving it with his young family.In his evocative memoir, Aldred chronicles his return to a cherished landscape. As he painstakingly restores the wagon, learning from local crafts people, he delves into both the New Forest's natural history and storied past, tracing its roots back to the 16th century and even further to the time of William the Conqueror. Camera traps reveal otters hunting in the brook nearby, while the nearby goshawk nest and fox earth speak to the area's thriving wildlife.Masterfully observed, A Wagon in the Woods is a celebration of both people and place, and the timeless bond between land, history and the enduring spirit of adventure.‘Aldred has travelled the world driven by his love for trees. But the forest he loves most is here at home-the New Forest. This wonderful book takes us all into the depth of his special place - reminding us that we all need our own special wild place.’ - Alastair Fothergill, producer of The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet 'An inspirational tale of discovery and a passionate quest to fulfil a life-long dream.' - Ella Al-Shamahi, British explorer, paleoanthropologist, evolutionary biologist, stand-up comic and presenter

WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022James Aldred’s prize-winning lockdown diary of his summer in the New Forest, for fans of Helen MacDonald’s H is for Hawk.’A beautiful inspirational tale set in an extraordinary time.’ Ray Mears‘Wonderful … they don’t come much more expert than James Aldred’ Lauren LaverneWhat happens to nature when we are no longer there?In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of goshawks in the New Forest. Then lockdown. No more cars, no more aeroplanes, no one in the woods – except James – in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life.In these silver nights and golden days, there were tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A goshawk summer unlike any other; an extraordinary season in the forest.‘Magical and transporting… a beautiful and deeply evocative hymn to love, hope and connection.’ HELEN MACDONALD, author of H is for Hawk‘[An] entrancing, acutely observed, beautifully paced diary of the secretive raptor’s breeding season… Fascinating.’ BBC Wildlife

The nature of concrete is rapidly changing, and with it, there are rising concerns. Thoroughly revised and updated, this fourth edition of Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification addresses current industry practices that provide inadequate durability and fail to eliminate problems with underperforming new concrete and defective testing. Many specifications now require additional criteria in an attempt to improve durability or other properties. This book discusses the trend towards adding performance requirements to existing prescriptive specifications. It also explores the matter of prescription versus performance specification and especially the specification of non-strength-related performance such as durability. What’s new in the Fourth Edition: Examines water-to-cement ratio as a declining criterion of quality and durability Discusses the diminishing availability of suitable natural sands and growing industry concerns regarding the environmental impact of their use Considers advances in concrete admixtures and their ever-increasing use Advocates reliability of testing as a vital feature of the shift from prescriptive to performance specifications Addresses cement replacement materials as they relate to greenhouse gas and sustainability Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification explores producing, designing, controlling, or specifying concrete, and addresses issues related with sustainability and the impact of new concrete materials such as ready mixed geopolymers, magnesium oxide, and calcium carbonate. The text is an ideal resource for concrete technologists, producers and specifiers, and contractors on large projects

'A book of heart-stopping bravery and endurance' -- Helen Macdonald'A great read – incredible adventures and a dramatic new perspective' -- Chris Packham'[A] delightful, endlessly fascinating book' -- Daily Mail BOOK OF THE WEEKThis is the story of a professional British tree climber, cameraman and adventurer, who has made a career out of travelling the world, filming wildlife for the BBC and climbing trees with people like David Attenborough, Chris Packham and Helen Macdonald.James's climbs take him to breathtaking locations as he scales the most incredible and majestic trees on the planet. On the way he meets native tribes, gets attacked by African bees, climbs alongside gorillas, chased by elephants, and spends his nights in a hammock pitched high in the branches with only the stars above him.This book blends incredible stories of scrapes and bruises in the branches with a new way of looking at life high above the daily grind, up into the canopy of the forest.

This new edition provides comprehensive, readily understandable assistance to concrete producers in the design and control of their product. It shows how to apply the principles with or without elaborate systems and achieve competitive mix designs and close quality control without either excessive expenditure or extensive theoretical study.

The nature of concrete is rapidly changing, and with it, there are rising concerns. Thoroughly revised and updated, this fourth edition of Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification addresses current industry practices that provide inadequate durability and fail to eliminate problems with underperforming new concrete and defective testing. Many specifications now require additional criteria in an attempt to improve durability or other properties. This book discusses the trend towards adding performance requirements to existing prescriptive specifications. It also explores the matter of prescription versus performance specification and especially the specification of non-strength-related performance such as durability. What’s new in the Fourth Edition: Examines water-to-cement ratio as a declining criterion of quality and durability Discusses the diminishing availability of suitable natural sands and growing industry concerns regarding the environmental impact of their use Considers advances in concrete admixtures and their ever-increasing use Advocates reliability of testing as a vital feature of the shift from prescriptive to performance specifications Addresses cement replacement materials as they relate to greenhouse gas and sustainability Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification explores producing, designing, controlling, or specifying concrete, and addresses issues related with sustainability and the impact of new concrete materials such as ready mixed geopolymers, magnesium oxide, and calcium carbonate. The text is an ideal resource for concrete technologists, producers and specifiers, and contractors on large projects

An enchanting journey of restoration and rediscovery in the heart of the New Forest . . .‘The perfect tonic for our chaotic times.’ - Sophy Roberts, author of Lost Pianos of Siberia and A Training School for ElephantsSome moments in childhood are frozen in time, vivid and vital, an anchor. When James Aldred tracked down an old horse-drawn wagon he once played in, he found himself inside one such moment again. However broken and rotten, it transported him to a magical summer in the New Forest forty years ago and awakened in him the possibility of reliving it with his young family.In his evocative memoir, Aldred chronicles his return to a cherished landscape. As he painstakingly restores the wagon, learning from local crafts people, he delves into both the New Forest's natural history and storied past, tracing its roots back to the 16th century and even further to the time of William the Conqueror. Camera traps reveal otters hunting in the brook nearby, while the nearby goshawk nest and fox earth speak to the area's thriving wildlife.Masterfully observed, A Wagon in the Woods is a celebration of both people and place, and the timeless bond between land, history and the enduring spirit of adventure.‘Aldred has travelled the world driven by his love for trees. But the forest he loves most is here at home-the New Forest. This wonderful book takes us all into the depth of his special place - reminding us that we all need our own special wild place.’ - Alastair Fothergill, producer of The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet 'An inspirational tale of discovery and a passionate quest to fulfil a life-long dream.' - Ella Al-Shamahi, British explorer, paleoanthropologist, evolutionary biologist, stand-up comic and presenter

Created in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this exquisite book explores one majestic oak tree in the forest, from roots to canopy.... with a huge fold-out surprise at the end. Under the Starlit Sky takes readers to the heart of the Bialowieza forest in Poland and Belarus, where owls hoot, wolves howl, fireflies glow and dormice scurry. With artwork as rich and dense as the forest itself, there is much to explore at every level, and readers can scour the forest floor, understory and canopy for the world's most secretive woodland creatures. Finally reaching the top of the tree, they are rewarded with the most magical sight - the final page of the book folds out to reveal a huge illustration of the oak tree and its many animal inhabitants, perfect for spreading out on the floor and poring over for hours.

An enchanting journey of restoration and rediscovery in the heart of the New Forest . . .‘The perfect tonic for our chaotic times.’ - Sophy Roberts, author of Lost Pianos of Siberia and A Training School for ElephantsSome moments in childhood are frozen in time, vivid and vital, an anchor. When James Aldred tracked down an old horse-drawn wagon he once played in, he found himself inside one such moment again. However broken and rotten, it transported him to a magical summer in the New Forest forty years ago and awakened in him the possibility of reliving it with his young family.In his evocative memoir, Aldred chronicles his return to a cherished landscape. As he painstakingly restores the wagon, learning from local crafts people, he delves into both the New Forest's natural history and storied past, tracing its roots back to the 16th century and even further to the time of William the Conqueror. Camera traps reveal otters hunting in the brook nearby, while the nearby goshawk nest and fox earth speak to the area's thriving wildlife.Masterfully observed, A Wagon in the Woods is a celebration of both people and place, and the timeless bond between land, history and the enduring spirit of adventure.‘Aldred has travelled the world driven by his love for trees. But the forest he loves most is here at home-the New Forest. This wonderful book takes us all into the depth of his special place - reminding us that we all need our own special wild place.’ - Alastair Fothergill, producer of The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet'An inspirational tale of discovery and a passionate quest to fulfil a life-long dream.' - Ella Al-Shamahi, British explorer, paleoanthropologist, evolutionary biologist, stand-up comic and presenter

This exquisite book explores one huge tree in the jungle, from roots to canopy... with a huge fold-out surprise at the end.Offering a perspective rarely seen, Up in the Canopy explores the rainforest layer by layer, as we climb the incredible Kapok tree - a 100-metre tropical tree in the heart of wildest South America - in search of the elusive harpy eagle which lives almost exclusively at great heights. With artwork as rich and dense as the rainforest itself, there is much to explore at every level, and readers can scour the forest floor, understory and canopy for the world's rarest and most beautiful tropical creatures. Finally reaching the top, they are rewarded with the most magical sight... As told by James Aldred, author of The Man Who Climbed Trees, and published in conjunction with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022James Aldred’s prize-winning lockdown diary of his summer in the New Forest, for fans of Helen MacDonald’s H is for Hawk.’A beautiful inspirational tale set in an extraordinary time.’ Ray Mears‘Wonderful … they don’t come much more expert than James Aldred’ Lauren LaverneWhat happens to nature when we are no longer there?In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of goshawks in the New Forest. Then lockdown. No more cars, no more aeroplanes, no one in the woods – except James – in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life.In these silver nights and golden days, there were tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A goshawk summer unlike any other; an extraordinary season in the forest.‘Magical and transporting… a beautiful and deeply evocative hymn to love, hope and connection.’ HELEN MACDONALD, author of H is for Hawk‘[An] entrancing, acutely observed, beautifully paced diary of the secretive raptor’s breeding season… Fascinating.’ BBC Wildlife