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With a number of Scottish publishers issuing and lining up titles about how the natural world can help individuals explore their identity and relationships, the trend is being backed to continue post-coronavirus
Scottish publishers and agents are noting a trend in titles focusing on nature, wildlife and conservation.
Agent Jenny Brown believes that Scotland’s “extraordinary” landscapes and wildlife, and the “ever-present” threat of climate change and its consequences, have encouraged the country’s writers to “pay close attention to the natural world and better understand our responsibility”. She pinpoints a “sense of urgency” in titles such as Esther Woolfson’s Between Light and Storm (coming from Granta on 3rd September), which looks at how humans must renegotiate our relationship with other species, and Antlers of Water, a collection of contemporary Scottish writing on nature and landscape edited by Kathleen Jamie (due from Canongate on 6th August).
Canongate is also publishing The Secret History of Here by Alistair Moffatt (publication of which has been moved to 3rd June 2021), the story of both a farm in the Scottish Borders and how history is carved into the landscape all around us. Last year, the publisher launched the Nan Shepherd Prize for Nature Writing with the Nan Shepherd Estate and the University of Aberdeen, hoping to find the next big voice in nature writing from communities underrepresented in the genre. Nina Mingya Powles was named the inaugural winner last November. Canongate will publish her Small Bodies of Water, which blends personal memories and dreams with nature writing to examine growing up between two cultures, next August.
Birlinn has just published journalist Patrick Laurie’s Native, about farming and facing the reality of life in a rapidly changing landscape. The publisher held an online launch for the book, featuring giveaways and videos from the author’s family farm in Galloway. Another recently published nature memoir inspired by Scotland’s landscape and wildlife is Marram by Leonie Charlton (Sandstone Press, 19th March), which documents the author’s trek through the Outer Hebrides on a Highland Pony, and how that journey saw Charlton assess her complicated relationship with her mother.
Saraband is publishing the final book in nature writer’s Jim Crumley’s Seasons tetralogy on 7th May, The Nature of Summer, which covers topics such as rewilding, climate change and species decline. On 2nd July, it will publish two further titles focusing on nature: naturalist Roy Dennis’ book of essays on good land management and conservation, Cottongrass Summer; and The Garden Cure by début author Jan Cameron, in which she looks at the connection between gardening and mental health. Luath Press also has an upcoming title celebrating gardens, Why Gardens Matter (currently scheduled for June), in which Johanna Geyer-Kordesch shares how she found “reflection, consolation and healing” in green spaces. In July, the publisher will release Hut/hytte, Lesley Riddoch’s exploration of Scots’ relationship with both the country and the countryside through the tradition of hutting: the building of huts and joys of living in one.
Elliott & Thompson(E&T) is this year publishing in paperback several nature-writing titles set in Scotland, including Just Another Mountain by Sarah Jane Douglas (out now; it was issued on 26th March), which sees the author trace her late mother’s footsteps across the mountains of Scotland. E&T will also publish two books about birds from Stephen Rutt: The Seafarers (4th June) and Wintering (15th October).
Kids go wild
Children’s publishers are getting in on the trend too, with Floris Books publishing An Amazing Animal Atlas of Scotland, illustrated by Anders Frang (10th September), about Scotland’s distinct habitats and the creatures that live in them. The book will also offer practical tips on conservation to encourage children to engage with their natural surroundings.
Some publishers are releasing books to tie in with Visit Scotland’s tourism focus on coasts and waterways. Saraband re-published A Handbook of Scotland’s Coasts by Fi Martynoga on 9th April, while Birlinn will release The Coastal Colouring Book by Eilidh Muldoon this summer, and Historic Environment Scotland is working with the Northern Lighthouse Board to publish a photography book telling the story of Scotland’s lighthouses: For the Safety of All, by Donald S Murray, is due for release on 8th October.
Though lockdown restrictions mean most in the UK are currently less able to physically experience nature and landscape, publishers predict that the trend for books in this genre will continue beyond the current pandemic. Suzanne Kennedy, deputy sales and marketing director at Floris Books, says: “I think the upsurge in environmental and nature-related books will grow post-Covid-19, as children and parents who have been forced to stay indoors develop an increased appreciation for the wonder of the outdoors.”
Saraband’s owner, Sara Hunt, agrees: “I think these titles will be even more important. Now that we’re in lockdown we can see what a lot of people have been saying all along: there’s a strong correlation between the economy and the environment. These issues—taken with all the flooding and other environmental chaos— will be discussed at length.”