British Nature

Locked in ice for more than twenty thousand years, the lands that now make up Britain and Ireland were some of the last settled by humans. The earliest people, Mesolithic hunter-gatherers like Cheddar Man, arrived around eleven thousand years ago to find dense forests. While they lived lightly, they did introduce fire, which they used to create clearings, and this was the beginning of the reshaping of Britain’s forests.

For years Charlie Burrell and his wife, Isabella Tree, farmed Knepp Castle Estate and struggled to turn a profit. By 2000, with the farm facing bankruptcy, they decided to try something radical. They would restore Knepp’s 3,500 acres to the wild. Using herds of free-roaming animals to mimic the actions of the megafauna of the past, they hoped to bring nature back to their depleted land. But what would the neighbors say, in the manicured countryside of modern England where a blade of grass out of place is considered an affront?

“I killed a man.” This confession, blurted out to Bronwyn Cooper by a neighbor’s teenaged son, launches her husband DCI Will Cooper into an investigation that leads to more puzzles than solutions. The boy has only fragmented, but vivid, memories of what happened. The body he describes in graphic detail cannot be found. The distinctive hammer that is the murder weapon has disappeared. No murder site can be identified, no witnesses step forward, and no CCTV cameras captured the crime. The woman who he insists witnessed the event seems not to exist. Just as charges are dismissed for lack...

Nobody sees and understands woodland better than Ray Mears. With deep natural history knowledge and practical woodcraft skills, gained over a lifetime of learning from the world's last remaining indigenous peoples, Ray offers a different way to experience our wooded landscapes. He challenges the old concepts. He looks to our ancestors and shows how man's hand in shaping woodland is critical. We are not separate from nature, we just need to ensure that our interactions have a positive impact.

In a series of solitary journeys on foot the writer and novelist John Bainbridge explores the ethos of rambling and hiking in rural England and Scotland. On his journeys he seeks out the remaining wild places and ancient trackways, meeting vagabonds and outdoors folk along the way and follows in the footsteps of writers, poets and early travellers. This is a book for everyone who loves the British countryside and walking its long-established footpaths and bridleways. And for the armchair traveller... Wayfarer's Dole takes its title from an ancient tradition - In medieval times pilgrims ...

The height of Mount Everest was first measured in 1850, but the closest any Westerner got to Everest during the next 71 years, until 1921, was 40 miles. The Hunt for Mount Everest tells the story of the 71-year quest to find the world's highest mountain. It's a tale of high drama, of larger-than-life characters - George Everest, Francis Younghusband, George Mallory, Lord Curzon, Edward Whymper - and a few quiet heroes: Alexander Kellas, the 13th Dalai Lama, Charles Bell.

A TALE TO MAKE YOUR HEART SOAR! In this unique and enticing modern fairytale, a lonely young man suffers a massive defeat . When he believes all is lost, he meets with fiery fortune teller Flame. Her plea for help sends Dargo on a crucial mission; but can he re-invent himself as a hero? Light-hearted, but poignant, Dargo is a humorous fairy tale for adults. You can also share it with your children who care about Earth. And if they don't, Dargo will help them do so! This hilarious and heartwarming tale has been likened to the Wizard of Oz, and will appeal to the magic in all of us. Dargo - ...

This download showcases some of the most exquisite sounds that can be heard in the natural world, from the rich, melodious songs of the Blackbird, Pied Butcherbird and Nightingale that are full of complexity, ingenuity and perfectly arranged phrases, to the breathtaking compositions of the Skylark, Albert's Lyrebird and White-rumped Shama, and the rhythmical variations on a theme from the Chiming Wedgebill and White-browed Robin-chat.

What makes a boy tick? Has our view of boys evolved as society has changed? Is boyishness in the genes or learned after birth? John Redwood shares with the reader his experiences as a young boy growing up in post War Britain when boys were told to be boys. With an unusually long memory of childhood stretching for him back into the pram he takes us through what it felt like to be a baby then a boy responding to the adult world around him. Sitting on a chair was an exercise in mountaineering. Trying those first steps instead of crawling fast around the floors were dogged by fears of falling ...

From the award-winning author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line comes a stunning historical novel set in nineteenth-century Tibet that follows two outsiders—an Indian schoolteacher spying for the British Empire and an English “lady” explorer—as they venture into a forbidden kingdom...

Read by the author, Sarah Harkness. From an impoverished childhood in the Scottish highlands to Victorian London, this is the inspiring story of brothers Daniel and Alexander Macmillan who built a publishing empire - and brought Alice in Wonderland to the world. Their remarkable achievements are...

Discover all the wonders of Britain in "1000 Amazing Facts About Britain for Kids!" This intriguing and sometimes bizarre journey takes young listeners on an adventure through all sorts, from gory histories to absolutely mental traditions... Yes, it's normal to burn a man in a hat who is made of old newspapers and jumpers on bonfire night. Totally normal.

A very popular audio guide which helps to identify the birds that come to our gardens. This download features top-quality recordings of the typical songs and calls of the fifty-two species most commonly found in British gardens. The perfect introduction to learning and identifying bird sounds in your garden.

Black Beauty is brought to life in this evenly paced, and easy to listen to audio drama. A subtle blend of music and sound effects immerses you into the atmosphere and many characterizations. Enjoy following the adventures of this noble young horse through a rich mix of 19th-century life in England, to happy endings in his last home.

The blackbird is one of the most familiar of all British birds and its song is a great favourite. Enjoy the beautiful melodies created by this much-loved songbird in the British Library's new collection of recordings, which reveal the extraordinary virtuosity, splendour, and magic of its song. From the poet Edward Thomas to the Beatles, the blackbird has been an inspiration to writers, composers, and the wider public for many centuries.

Finally, a practical, realistic plan to rescue, preserve and enhance nature. This is an economist's approach to environmentalism, including a summary of Britain's green assets, a look towards possible futures and an achievable 25-year plan to a green and prosperous world. News about Britain’s wildlife and ecosystems tends to be grim. In Green and Prosperous Land, Dieter Helm, a member of the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and advisor to the government, shares a radical but tangible plan for positive change.

A total of 175 species are heard on this download, ranging from the familiar tawny owl to the very rare call of the bittern. The authoritative guide to all British birds likely to be encountered by the average birdwatcher and the ideal gift for anyone wishing to learn the sounds of the great variety of birds that can be seen and heard throughout the seasons. A perennial best seller.

The British countryside is renowned for its natural beauty and diverse wildlife and any walk, whether it be in woodland, wetland or open country, is always accompanied by the varied songs and calls of our birdlife.

This hour-long ambient recording captures the magical awakening of bird-life at daybreak in the British countryside. No announcements interrupt the sequence, selected and compiled from the collections of the Sound Archive at the British Library. This is the perfect chance to immerse yourself in the uplifting sounds of a perfect country morning from the comfort of your own home.

A collection of stories of the depraved or disappointed, haunting or haunted, seeking love or redemption. Infused with the dark humor of a twilight zone, these contemporary fairy tales expose the hearts of quirky characters in transition. Serving offbeat narratives, edgy realties, shifting identities, the stories blend the ironic with the erotic, nature and rural environments with the paranormal and surreal. Blending the minimalist aesthetic of Carver with the macabre touch of Saunders, this is “standout fiction... subtle and altogether lovely... impressionistic, quiet and very real” (...