Chelsea Green Publishing UK – serie

Longlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2024 for Nature Writing⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Telegraph‘One of the most remarkable figures in British conservation.’ The Observer‘There have been several books on the fate of British wolves, but this is the best.’ The Spectator‘Beautifully crafted, fascinating and unbearably poignant, I totally loved this book.’ Isabella Tree, author of Wilding'A dazzling romp through the turbulent history of wolves in Britain.' Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell'Gow's anecdotes will leave you howling - and his historical detective work to track down the shadow of the wolf is as gripping as any thriller.' Guy Shrubsole, author of The Lost Rainforests of Britain‘Gow reinvents what it means to be a guardian of the countryside.’ GuardianAuthor of Bringing Back the Beaver and Britain’s favourite maverick rewilder Derek Gow embarks on an adventure to uncover the mythology, mystery and history of wolves in Britain.Derek Gow’s dream is that one day we will see the return of the wolf to Britain. Wolf rewilding projects have been successfully implemented across the world – so what is holding us back in the UK?Hunt for the Shadow Wolf is Derek’s quest to uncover the true nature of this magnificent creature. As Derek worked to reintroduce the beaver, he began to hear stories of the wolf, both real and mythical, and his fascination with it grew. He pieced together fragments of information, stories and artefacts to reveal a shadowy creature that first walked proud through these lands and then was hunted to extinction.What Derek came to realise was that the underlying motives behind our hatred were actually rooted in power and profit. We turned the wolf into a savage beast and saw its extirpation as a civilising mission. But the wolf endured and Derek tells of his sightings through folklore and mythology, the records of grand estates and parish churches as well as wolf heads, both real and recreated.With bitingly funny but also tender stories, Hunt for the Shadow Wolf makes clear why we must reconcile our relationship with this majestic animal before we can begin to bring it back to these lands.‘Gow has a fire in his belly. We need more like him.’ BBC Wildlife Magazine

Radio 4's The Food Programme Book of the Year, chosen by Dan SaladinoAn Irish Times Best Gardening Book 2023Shortlisted for the Garden Media Guild’s Garden Book of the Year Award 2023Longlisted for The Art of Eating Prize 2023‘If you’re a vegetable growing addict or just curious about their origins, there’s something for everyone in Adam’s new book.’ Rob Smith, TV presenter'[This book] is a clarion call to think about our food in new ways and carefully consider where it comes from.' New ScientistMeet the Indiana Jones of vegetables on his quest to save our heritage produce.Have you ever wondered how everyday staples such as peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash and sweetcorn ended up on our plates? Well, so did Adam Alexander. Adam’s passion for heritage vegetables was ignited when he tasted an unusual, sweet and fiery pepper while on a filmmaking project in Ukraine. Smitten by its flavour, he began to seek out local growers of old and near-forgotten varieties in a mission to bring home seeds to grow and share – saving them from being lost forever.In The Seed Detective, Adam tells of his far flung (and closer to home) seed-hunting adventures and reveals the stories behind many of our everyday vegetable heroes. How the common garden pea was domesticated from three wild species over 8,500 years ago, that the first carrots originated in Afghanistan (and were actually purple or red in colour), how Egyptian priests considered it a crime to look at a fava bean and that the Romans were fanatical about asparagus.Join The Seed Detective as he takes us on a journey that began when we left the life of hunter-gatherers to become farmers. Sharing storiesof globalisation, political intrigue, colonisation and serendipity, Adam shows us the vital part vegetables have played in our food story – and how they are the key to our future.‘Informative, enlightening and entertaining but also important.’ Mark Diacono‘One of the most inspirational books I have encountered.’ Darina Allen