In 1781, Gilbert White was a [humble or synonym] country curate. He was also halfway to completing his path-breaking The Natural History of Selborne. No one had written like this before, with such close observation, humour, and sympathy. His spellbinding book has remained in print ever since, treasured by generations of readers. It would lead many to consider him ‘the father of ecology’. Jenny Uglow illuminates this quirky, warm-hearted man. Tracing a single year of his daily fascination with the fauna, flora and people around him, she accompanies Gilbert from frost to summer drought, from the migration of birds to the sex lives of snails and the coming of harvest. Fresh, alive and original A Year with Gilbert White invites us to see the natural world anew, with astonishment and wonder.
