The Wild Isles: An Anthology of the Best of British and Irish Nature Writing

by Patrick Barkham

The landscapes of Britain and Ireland, together with the creatures and plants that inhabit them, have penetrated deep in our collective imagination. From Gilbert White and Dorothy Wordsworth to Laurie Lee and Nan Shepherd, literature inspired by the natural world has become an integral part of our shared identity, and shaped our relationship with the islands we call home.

In The Wild Isles, Patrick Barkham has gathered together a wide array of the very best of British and Irish nature writing, characterized by an arresting diversity of moods and voices. His choices are arranged under themes that range from birds, woods and coastlines to childhood, the seasons and urban nature, and juxtapose extracts from much-loved classics with passages by contemporary writers such as Robert Macfarlane, James Rebanks and Helen Macdonald. Here the reader will find joyful celebrations of landscape and the wildlife it nurtures, probing explorations of the environmental problems facing us today, as well as the fresh and vital perspectives of writers from underrepresented backgrounds. 'If British and Irish nature writing is to grow and endure,' writes Barkham in his introduction, 'it must be diverse, complex, multi-faceted and dynamic, and relevant to everyone who lives on this land.'

Encompassing the bleak heights of the Cairngorms, the ancient woodlands of Essex, the storm-lashed islands of Ireland's west coast and the lush fields of Devon, The Wild Isles highlights nature's capacity to terrify and to delight, to soothe and to heal, to surprise, inspire and bring wonder.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, Essays, Short Stories, Anthologies, Natural History, Ireland

640 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2021

About the author

Patrick Barkham first went butterfly spotting as a child with his father in Norfolk. His book The Butterfly Isles documents his search for as many species as possible as an adult.

Reviews

[Andrew H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasurable anthology that reflects nature writing over two centuries. Prose, not poetry. Many novelists appear, Hines, Lee, Hardy, Grahame, Williamson, Woolf (as novelists), Fowles and Maitland (as essayists). The real stars, however, are the nature writers. Jay Griffith's contributes a beautifully written essay on Clare -- "Kith". Excerpts from Clare's autobiographical writings are deeply moving.
And Cocker's essay on the nature of Green politics and the state of nature is one of the most pertinent essays I have ever read. The only note of irritation came in the editor's introduction to Burnett's The Grassling where Barkham states that she is special in "the deeply white ecosystem of British nature writing." Isn't Shamshad Khan's "Untamed" just as noteworthy for the same reason? But do we really need this sort of wokeness in the anthology? As Cocker aptly points out: man and women are part of nature and thinking otherwise is the root of our planet's problem. The Wild Isles is about nature, not about race, gender, or identity politics. Griffith's illustrates how field enclosure damaged human life and the countryside. Enclosing nature writing into human fields misses the point, in fact, distracts from the main point: mankind has lost connection with nature, an ability to see, hear, and sense. This book does a first rate job in recording what has been lost.

[Delphine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of the finest British and Irish nature writing, organised along 14 themes (birds, four seasons, swimming, islands and coastlines...).

I particularly enjoyed the episodes dedicated to the 19th century poet John Clare (part of his autobiography, as well as the consequences of the Enclosure on his mental health). The chapter about woods proved to be a compelling read, with contributions by Sara Maitland (on how forests have created themes for fairy tales), Robert Macfarlane (the wood wide web, mosses and funghi) and John Fowles (on the spellbounding Wistman's Wood). I also enjoyed the texts gathered in the rather original chapter urban nature (about plants on dumps, urban foxes, the decline of moths and house sparrows).

Unfortunately about half of the texts included proved to be rather dry and descriptive and moreover quite similar, hence the three stars.

[Francis Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not used to reading anthologies and am unaccustomed to nature writing but this was a marvellous experience. I read it from cover to cover, trying (time permitting) to read three extracts each day, often being surprised by what I had read. Finishing it is like returning refreshed from a holiday having travelled widely through the UK and Ireland, learned a great deal, and enjoyed nature in all its manifestations. The book had a great editor’s introduction and then visited different themes. I enjoyed ‘Mavericks’, ‘Woods’, ‘Swimming’, ‘Islands’ and ‘Future Nature’ particularly. Some of the extracts are scientific and observational, some polemical and didactic, some lyrical and fictional. All are interesting. Among the 70-odd contributions from 18th Century to current writing, I was particularly struck by those of Gilbert White, Kathleen Jamie, Isabella Tree, Anna Adams, Thomas Hardy, Jay Griffiths, Chris Packham, Kenneth Grahame, Sara Maitland, John Fowles, Roger Deakin, Henry Williamson, Gavin Maxwell, Victoria Whitworth, E.L.Turner, John Clare, Peig Sayers, Michael McCarthy, Richard Jefferies, Jacquetta Hawkes, Mark Cocker, and George Monbiot. Each extract came with a fascinating potted biography of the author, inviting further reading. Many were either written by Scots or about Scotland, I noticed.

This is also an important book, it seems to me, given the importance of biodiversity to all our futures. I thoroughly recommend it.

[Rik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable and diverse collection, with many highs and very few lows. Of course there were some excerpts that I did not enjoy, mostly due to the writing style (and the odd one that was too high brow or just not interesting). In the main the majority were good, and some were outstanding. Chris Packham's 'fingers in the sparkle jar' looked like it should be on my want to read shelf, and certainly 'the secret life of flies' by Erica McAlister. I suspect that when I feel the need for some inspiration, this anthology will give me many avenues to pursue.

[Ginna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly very good stories, found some new authors to explore. Did totally skim the death and dystopia section!

[Anne Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Wild Isles' by Patrick Barkham. It must be at least a year and a half since I started reading this and I've only just finished it. This isn't because it's a bit rubbish and a slog, but because it's brilliant and I loved it. Patrick Barkham is a nature writer who writes regularly for the Guardian as well as authoring several of his own books. 'The Wild Isles' isn't a book he's written himself but one where he's collated the works of many other nature writers. Because each chapter is from a different author (and because it's so good and thought-provoking) I found myself not being able to read them right after one another. Instead I dipped in, reading a chapter and then mulling it over for a while before dipping back in for the next chapter.
The book is subtitled 'An Anthology of the Best of British and Irish Nature Writing' and it certainly is. Some of the authors I've read before, some I've heard of and were already on my tbr list. But many others were completely new to me and this was such a great introduction. I'd borrowed this as an ebook from the library and just kept renewing it but this is definitely one I want on my shelves so I can dip back into again.
The book is a hefty 640 pages and includes writers from the past few hundred years as well as those writing today.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for book lovers. It has beautiful wood block prints and a ribbon bookmark. The author defined nature writing to be included in this collection as any writing after 1789 when Gilbert White’s The Natural History of Selborn was published. If you think about though, just about published before we became tied to technology was about nature because the landscape was what influenced our lives the most. What would Wuthering Heights be without the moors? British and Ireland have produced so many talented writers such as Robert McFarland, John Fowles, Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf, and lot of lesser known writers that you given the opportunity to read for the first time.

[Catalina]

DNF

There's nothing wrong with this anthology, but the very genre doesn't suit for continuous reading, but rater for dipping in and out. I have borrowed it from the library and having to read story after story was strenuous and pleasure-less, therefore I've decided to return it. I would happily buy a copy to be able to read/browse at my leisure.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should've been five stars but I've really struggled with this book. I'm not much of an anthology reader, once I feel somewhat immersed in a piece, it's over. But it's a great selection and I wish I had the attention span and discipline to just read one part of the collection and then the next the next day. But oh well. Some great pieces in there, great contextualisation too.

[Joseph Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of nature writing, though Mike tomkies' absence is a sad indication of how out of fashion he appears to be nowadays. I thought a lot of the early examples were pretentious and boring, but this really seemed to warm up the deeper into the book I got.

[NN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overwhelming. I took more than a year to finish it. A very potent collection, to be taken in small quantities. Fills in a lot of blanks in between the writers I already read and the many I had not even heard about.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of books, awe inspiring and captivating.

[Pers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting anthology.

[Winny Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something for everyone and to dip into and read again s book for your bedside

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful collection of nature writing - contemplative.