Author:W. N. P. Barbellion
The young naturalist W. N. P. Barbellion described this remarkably candid record of living with multiple sclerosis as 'a study in the nude'. It begins as an ambitious teenager's notes on the natural world, and then, following his diagnosis at the age of twenty-six, transforms into a deeply moving account of battling the disease. His prose is full of humour and fierce intelligence, and combines a passion for life with clear-sighted reflections on the nature of death.
Barbellion selected and edited this manuscript himself in 1917, adding a fictional editor's note announcing his own demise. This Penguin Classics edition includes 'The Last Diary', which covers the period between submission of the manuscript and Barbellion's actual death in 1919.
A fascinating tribute to the life of the land ... Berry's writings are timelier than ever
—— Laura Garmeson , Financial TimesThe poet laureate of America's farmland
—— ObserverMaybe you don't care much about farming, but these essays, which move from food culture to feminism to literacy to global economics, confront the idea that the rotten ways we treat one another are rooted in the rotten ways we treat the land. [...] Berry draws endlessly and non-repetitively on the deep well of the lived truth of farm life, which delivers up sweet, clear lines of poetry and local lore and a kind of immediate authenticity. [...] I believe in the project laid out in The World-Ending Fire, the project of finding our humanity in humility, in living as described in the essay "The Agrarian Standard" as "local adaptation, which requires bringing local nature, local people, local economy, and local culture into a practical and enduring harmony." This is something you can do, something that no government, corporation, church, or law enforcement body can stop you from doing, an action in which you can find some measure of empowerment and freedom for you and your neighbors. It's as easy as planting a tree.
—— Dean Kuiper , Los Angeles Review of BooksWith a precise pen, Berry clears any thicket of cosy consensus with a clear eye and cutting hand
—— Irish TimesEvery page is full of wit, surprise and delight
—— Dluxe MagazineSuperb: fascinating, intimate biographies of the species that have shared our white-knuckle ride to the present and have helped to make us what we are. Read if you want to know what and why you are.’
—— Charles Foster, author of Being a BeastThe sort of deep-dive history that will appeal to fans of Jared Diamond and Yuval Noah Harari.
—— Mail on SundayThere are plenty of facts in Tamed that make the familiar well worth exploring afresh. But it's the fascinating stories that explain how these were unearthed that make this book such a joy to read.
—— Tristan GooleyAn engrossing and highly readable account of where man is now and how we have reached this point
—— Parents in TouchThis book is an utter delight…. I loved the stories, the information. But what I loved most was the message of the book: how to preserve what we have before we lose it forever. Humans have a massive impact on the plant, both locally and globally
—— Twilight BeastsThe eclectic stories come thick and fast, with an equally varied human cast dedicated to uncovering the truth, scientifically or otherwise. Cooke illuminates and mickey-takes in equal measure, and the truth as she tells it is not only unexpected but often bizarre, bawdy and very, very funny.
—— Amy-Jane Beer , BBC WildlifeBOOK OF THE WEEK: Highly amusing and enlightening new book [from] brilliant zoologist Lucy Cooke.
—— The IdlerThe rising star of natural history ... is she the new David Attenborough?
—— Sam Machell , The TimesFantastic. The new Origin of Species. A proper page turner.
—— Vic ReevesThis 21st century bestiary is as surprising as it is diverse. Consummate natural history writing: illuminating, remarkable - and very, very funny.
—— Professor Alice RobertsFascinating facts combined with hilarious ridiculousness.
—— Tony RobinsonBeautifully written, funny and jam-packed with astonishing information.
—— John LloydA compendium of intriguing and revelatory animal information - you may find dolphins go down in your estimation, while hyenas go up ...
—— Robin InceAn eye opening , informative and hysterical history of our ideas about animals - very funny !
—— Chris PackhamClever, thoughtful, accessible and, above all, so SO funny.
—— Henry NichollsEndlessly fascinating.
—— Bill BrysonLucy Cooke’s modern bestiary is as well-informed as you’d expect from an Oxford zoologist. It’s also downright funny ...
—— Richard DawkinsBrilliantly researched and hilariously informative
—— William Hartson , Daily Express