HarperNorth bags Sophie Yeo's work on the hidden secrets of our landscapes

HarperNorth has acquired Nature’s Ghosts: The World We Lost and How to Bring it Back by environmental journalist Sophie Yeo, who runs Inkcap Journal, a magazine about nature and conservation in Britain. 

Jonathan de Peyer, senior commissioning editor, acquired world English language rights from Tim Bates at PFD. The book will publish in hardback, e-book and audio in May 2024. 

“Nature’s Ghosts examines how the planet would have looked before humans scrubbed away its diversity: from landscapes carved out by megafauna to the primeval forests that emerged following the last Ice Age, and from the eagle-haunted skies of the Dark Ages to the flower-decked farms of more recent centuries,” the publisher said. 

De Peyer said Yeo’s writing "is taut and lucid, she has an excellent command of the subject, and this book is both expansive and accessible". He added: "It is also a wonderful tribute to and evocation of those aspects of the natural world that bring us all so much joy.” 

Yeo commented: “The role of the past in nature conservation has always been a controversial topic. But knowledge of ancient and historic landscapes is one of the most useful tools we have in tackling the ecological crisis. I hope this book will point the way to a more vibrant and enchanting future – for wildlife and people both.”