At the Water's Edge
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One of the finest nature writers in the language. --Scotsman
This wonderful collection will make anyone want to pull on their boots and re-discover the world on our doorsteps. --Kate Humble
This book will make you want to go there and look around you with fresh, searching eyes. --Times Literary Supplement
A book of land-knowing by someone who has spent a gentle lifetime learning the language of animals. --Jay Griffiths, author of Wild: An Elemental Journey
Utterly charming . . . A captivating insight.
--Observer
This wonderful collection will make anyone want to pull on their boots and re-discover the world on our doorsteps. --Kate Humble
This book will make you want to go there and look around you with fresh, searching eyes. --Times Literary Supplement
A book of land-knowing by someone who has spent a gentle lifetime learning the language of animals. --Jay Griffiths, author of Wild: An Elemental Journey
Utterly charming . . . A captivating insight.
--Observer
Product Description
For the last thirty years John Lister-Kaye, one of Britain's best-known nature writers, has taken the same circular walk from his home deep in a Scottish glen up to a small hill loch. Drawing on this lifetime of close observation, John Lister-Kaye's new book encourages us to look again at the nature around us and to discover its wildness for ourselves. It also forges wonderful connections between the most unlikely subjects, from photosynthesis and the energy cycle to Norse mythology, to weasels and perfume and to the over-population of our planet.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it very thought-provoking.
But I have one criticism, which is that I think that the title doesn't really explain what the book is about and rather "undersells" it as a result.
John Lister-Kaye writes beautifully about his relationship with his surroundings in the Highlands of Scotland and the creatures around him. But he also writes very honestly too, not sparing us the details of the reality of that world. He has the knowledge and the experience to be a very articulate guide for those of us who've lost touch with this reality.
For one reason or another we aren't often reminded of how things are out in the wild. As someone who lives in a city, I admit to enjoying glossy TV programmes about "nature", but I hate watching the bits where some beautiful creature gets hurt or killed, or kills or hurts something else, or (sadly almost inevitably) faces a bleak future with nowhere to go because of mankind's ever expanding impact on our planet.
This book is something of an antidote to that world view. It's about so much more than the title implies: big thoughts, brutally honest reflections, the kind of insights apparent only to someone continually being jolted out of any complacency by a proximity to wild nature and a lifetime's study of it. John Lister-Kaye raises and explores issues that we ALL should be really concerned about: What is a sustainable human population? Why has our view of the natural world morphed into an over-sentimental, sanitised, High Definition, remote "elsewhere"? And what does this mean for the future of the human race and the planet we call home?
21st century human beings (including me!) are generally too far removed from nature to understand and appreciate it for what it is. To me, this is exactly the kind of book we need to read to help us get back in touch.
But I have one criticism, which is that I think that the title doesn't really explain what the book is about and rather "undersells" it as a result.
John Lister-Kaye writes beautifully about his relationship with his surroundings in the Highlands of Scotland and the creatures around him. But he also writes very honestly too, not sparing us the details of the reality of that world. He has the knowledge and the experience to be a very articulate guide for those of us who've lost touch with this reality.
For one reason or another we aren't often reminded of how things are out in the wild. As someone who lives in a city, I admit to enjoying glossy TV programmes about "nature", but I hate watching the bits where some beautiful creature gets hurt or killed, or kills or hurts something else, or (sadly almost inevitably) faces a bleak future with nowhere to go because of mankind's ever expanding impact on our planet.
This book is something of an antidote to that world view. It's about so much more than the title implies: big thoughts, brutally honest reflections, the kind of insights apparent only to someone continually being jolted out of any complacency by a proximity to wild nature and a lifetime's study of it. John Lister-Kaye raises and explores issues that we ALL should be really concerned about: What is a sustainable human population? Why has our view of the natural world morphed into an over-sentimental, sanitised, High Definition, remote "elsewhere"? And what does this mean for the future of the human race and the planet we call home?
21st century human beings (including me!) are generally too far removed from nature to understand and appreciate it for what it is. To me, this is exactly the kind of book we need to read to help us get back in touch.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have been a fan of John Lister-Kaye's writing for many years and have been long awaiting the publication of his new book At the Water's Edge. I had the pleasure of staying with Sir John at his Field Centre back in 2005 and have visited the loch he talks of so fondly in this book.
John so cleverly uses this walk he does everyday for how ever many years to set a kind of foundation on which he can base his thoughts and stories upon. It is a familiar feeling, one so often takes a walk, whether through a city park or up a munro to ponder life and the goings on in the world around you. There is something so calm and reasuring about this, and John Lister-Kaye does just this everyday.
After reading this book i felt greatly inspired to go out and look around. I think we very seldomly take the time to look. On a walk done many times, Lister-kaye knows what is around the corner, he could probably do it blindfolded, but still he sees. He watches the deer, pine martins, squirrels, the sky. Things he has seen many times before but still they captivate and inspire him. He truely is passionate about his subject and this is what makes At The Water's Edge such a gripping read. One simply cannot put it down.
John Lister-Kaye also has such a talent for description. There is a beautiful poetic flow. One could call him as much a poet as an author of nature books.
He also touches on the subject of Environmental Change. I have read so many books recently in which this topic is so forced upon the reader, it makes it hard to take in. John Lister-Kaye does not approach it in this manner. The way he argues about global warming and nature conservation makes one want to leap out of their chair and do something. I think this must have been very hard to achieve as it is obviously a subject John feels strongly about. It is easy to rant, but not very effective.
I think this book can appeal to such a wide range of readers. Anyone interested in nature. The skilled writing is enough to captivate whether one is interested in the subject or not. Or anyone who is in search of this 'wildness' within themselves.
John so cleverly uses this walk he does everyday for how ever many years to set a kind of foundation on which he can base his thoughts and stories upon. It is a familiar feeling, one so often takes a walk, whether through a city park or up a munro to ponder life and the goings on in the world around you. There is something so calm and reasuring about this, and John Lister-Kaye does just this everyday.
After reading this book i felt greatly inspired to go out and look around. I think we very seldomly take the time to look. On a walk done many times, Lister-kaye knows what is around the corner, he could probably do it blindfolded, but still he sees. He watches the deer, pine martins, squirrels, the sky. Things he has seen many times before but still they captivate and inspire him. He truely is passionate about his subject and this is what makes At The Water's Edge such a gripping read. One simply cannot put it down.
John Lister-Kaye also has such a talent for description. There is a beautiful poetic flow. One could call him as much a poet as an author of nature books.
He also touches on the subject of Environmental Change. I have read so many books recently in which this topic is so forced upon the reader, it makes it hard to take in. John Lister-Kaye does not approach it in this manner. The way he argues about global warming and nature conservation makes one want to leap out of their chair and do something. I think this must have been very hard to achieve as it is obviously a subject John feels strongly about. It is easy to rant, but not very effective.
I think this book can appeal to such a wide range of readers. Anyone interested in nature. The skilled writing is enough to captivate whether one is interested in the subject or not. Or anyone who is in search of this 'wildness' within themselves.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This immensely enjoyable and thought provoking book, the latest in a series dealing with John Lister-Kaye's personal Highland odyssey, tackles a local subject, his daily walk around a small loch, less than 5 acres in area, both as an exercise in skilful nature writing and as a microcosm for what is going on, both positively and negatively, in the wider natural world. Like his late friend and mentor, Gavin Maxwell, of Ring of Bright Water fame, JLK has a skilled naturalist's eye, honed over thirty years of familiarity with the same small fragment of Highland landscape, coupled with a poet's talent for penetrating description and deep engagement with his reader's psyche. But this is no cosy exercise in romantic self indulgence so be prepared to be led out of your comfort zone, at times, into a world of globally important topics such as the energy cycle and overpopulation. However, if there is one lasting message to come out of this book it is that only through such intimate and protracted involvement with nature, on a local scale, does one stand any chance of discovering one's true self. An excellent read, very highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Classic Nature Observer
I first came to Lister-Kaye's writing via his connections with Gavin Maxwell, and then the publication of his own book, the magical The White Island I'm relieved to find that, many... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Sentinel
Moving
I have read both Song of the Rolling Earth and At the Water's Edge, and have really shown me to become much more observant and just how fascinating nature is.
Published 17 months ago by Mstr J. Kleinschmidt
Maybe his best book yet
I bought this book for my husband who watches out for any new books by John Lister Kaye.
He thought this one was excellent with personal anecdotes and a real feel for the area... Read more
He thought this one was excellent with personal anecdotes and a real feel for the area... Read more
Published 21 months ago by B. Gilbey
Thirty Years of Walking
For the last 30 years John Lister-Kaye has walked the paths through his local patch of Scotland, taking in planted Avenues of trees, patches of native forests, birch regrowth and... Read more
Published 22 months ago by SCM
Over rated
Ok, it is a good book, and I understand the ecological/environmental messages but it just did not float my boat. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. A. Fenn
My latest great read.
I had long been awaiting the publication of John Lister Kaye's new book. I have read all of his others and am pleased to say this one, like his other work, does not disappoint. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2010 by Oxford Reader
escapism for nature lovers
I just LOVED this book. Every time I opened the book I was transported from rainy Norfolk to the wildness of the highlands. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2010 by Tweedie
At the water's edge
I really like the balance of this book. It reminds us how to appreciate nature. On the one hand, as my infant son does, it reminds us of paying attention to the littlest detail,... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2010 by Mr. K. Taylor
An excellent read - thoroughly recommended
This is a must read. It brilliantly connects the personal experiences of the author with environmental and sustainable issues on a more global scale. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2010 by J. E. Baillie
A must read for anyone who loves the countryside and cares for the...
This is not another depressing environmental armageddon rant. It is skillfully written and both informative and stimulating. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2010 by BMH
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