A charming story, featuring a cast of memorable characters and hilarious anecdotes to be enjoyed by fans of the countryside

A lively story... for those who missed the documentary, the book is even better

A rollicking ride through eccentric Victorian England. Frank Buckland is the most engaging of subjects...Girling's infectious enthusiasm for his subject shines through

Girling brings to rip-roaring life a fascinating Victorian figure of whom few have ever heard; I so wish I could invite Frank Buckland over for dinner.

An irresistibly engaging account of the life of the David Attenborough of the Victorian era.

[A] rousing, brilliantly written book.

This brilliantly entertaining biography argues persuasively why his memory, too, is worthy of conservation.

A rollicking biography.

[An] engaging book… The anecdotes will, of course, keep you turning the pages, but the author never loses sight of Buckland’s importance as a scientific figure.

[A] lively biography.

A long-overdue corrective… Girling is an amiable companion with whom to wander the maze of Buckland’s life.

It was a delight to be introduced to this largely forgotten polymath of that great age of scientific discovery, the 19th century.

After decades of neglect, Richard Girling has brought Buckland out of the shadows with panache. Buckland was clearly a man of parts who exuded bonhomie from every pore… It is impossible not to be left with the impression that Frank Buckland was one of the most remarkable men who ever lived; and Girling does him proud

Richard Girling’s engaging biography chronicles Buckland’s visionary ideas on conservation, as well as his many eccentricities.

We should remind ourselves that a life without solitude is a diminished life. What makes this book so valuable and so timely is that it serves both as a reminder of solitude’s worth and as a spur to resistance.

There are now plenty of self-help books that recommend a balanced media diet, but none articulates than need as simply or profoundly as this exploration of solitude.

Michael Harris’s Solitude is a delightful reminder that, contrary to current wisdom, we cannot be fully human unless our minds are free to wander. An essential and spirited companion as our digital culture accelerates into the unknown.

Reading Harris’s book is like smashing your Google Glasses and looking through your unique lenses for the first time. This enjoyable, quirky probe into current brain science, psychology, and philosophy hugely contributes to the global ‘Great Turning’ toward a more diverse, durable future of freer people enjoying themselves more, both together and alone.

This is an excellent book by a first-rate writer. Michael Harris brings his insight and eloquence to bear on one of the most insidious problems of our time: how to break free from the seductions of technology and reclaim our inner selves.

In a time of unrelenting connection, solitude becomes a radical act. It also becomes an essential one. Michael Harris makes a thoughtful and deeply felt case for why the art of spending quality time with oneself matters now more than ever – and the steps we can take to reclaim it.