From piddocks and lynchets to Witch's Broom, this book was voted the Best Nature Book of 2021 by Countryfile. Beautifully illustrated, practical and entertaining, one of Britain's best-known naturalists John Wright introduces us to the natural and unnatural mysteries of the countryside. He gives us the tools to identify Robin's Pincushion, Dew ponds and Hollow Ways, to find a flower with black pollen rather than yellow, stranded ponds on grassy hilltops or even pottering on our own back garden encountering things that make us stop and wonder. John reveals the histories and practicalities of those that are man-made and the astounding and intricate lives of the natural mysteries as he illuminates the oddities that pepper our landscape. Funny whimsical observations and dozens of colour photographs throughout, the book is organised by the field, the wood and the seashore. 240 beautiful pages.

In Animals, we discover a different side to the famed photographer who skillfully explores animals' complex relationship with humans and the environment. Tenderness abounds, particularly in scenes of unkempt street dogs sleeping contentedly next to a human. But there's also a kind of essential solitude, with animals belonging to no one and simply wandering through life with only their survival instincts to guide them. See the goat balanced on his owner's back, a wild horse at dawn beside a lake-filled canyon, family pets and cheeky otters and chimps, a beautiful Arabian woman in Dubai with her hawk, an Ethiopian tribe dancing with the dog and a Tibetan monk holding his goose. We witness camels caught in the crossfire during the first Gulf War, a shepherd from Northern Pakistan tenderly feeding his goats, Beverly Hills designer dogs, racehorses on a Hong Kong rooftop, elephants in Thailand and more images selected by ace photographer Steve McCurry from his vast archives. From an elephant resting with his master to a dog led through the rubbles of Kabul, these images by Steve McCurry tell a thousand stories, each a touching tribute to the creatures who share our planet. The photographer presents his favourite shots of animals in this collection ranging from many images from Afghanistan, Asia to South America, the United States to Europe. This kaleidoscopic collection is at once a beautiful travelogue and a touching tribute to the creatures who share our planet. Compact 14 x 19.5 cm, 192 pages, stunning colour. New from Taschen.

The complete definitive encyclopaedia is now available for the first time in large softback, and Bibliophile is the first to acquire copies. It provides meanings, powers, facts and folklore for over 1,001 flower species organised by both scientific and common names, along with a beautiful colour visual depiction. The characteristics, historic meanings and powers from mythology, medieval legends, folklore and flower poetry, symbolic flower meanings have fascinated readers, writers, poets and romantic couples alike for centuries. Extremely popular during the Victorian era, these floriographies blossomed whether helping create a bespoke wedding bouquet or planning stunning garden planting combinations. The use of one particular plant over any other in any working is dependent on its ability to boost confidence in the possible inherent power of that plant and its potent magical elements such as the dandelion puff. Sunflowers represent ambition, constancy and devotion; the daisy childlike playfulness and beauty; the amaryllis adventurousness, passion and the purple tulip eternal love, the Salix or pussywillow illness recovery or receiving a blessing, the petunia creativity and a settled lifestyle, and the rose of Sharon hibiscus persistent love and protection. Four to six entries per page, each with a beautiful colour artwork, Latin and alternative names, symbolic meanings, folklore and facts. 256 large pages, 15.4 x 19cm approx. Colour throughout.

'50 Signs, Symbols and Practices from the Natural World to Bring Inner Peace, Protection and Good Fortune', from a feather to a fallen leaf or a pebble on the beach, we are all drawn to collect natural charms. It is a living symbol of your wishes and this book is an invitation to collect and create your own natural charms for protection, personal insight, good fortune and healing. From a herb sprig or a fallen twiglet or shell, the book features folklore, symbology and practical rituals, alongside ancient crafts and modern techniques and how to use the gifts to make charms, talismans, amulets, altars and natural mandalas. Work with plants, trees, herbs, feathers, shells and stones, and for each there is a beautiful colour or line artwork and fact boxes for techniques such as making a altar to the sea, pressing seaweed and finding the significance of the crow for wisdom, the shadow self, courage, transformation and magic or the robin, a sign from a loved one in spirit. Exquisitely designed, full of colour and colourful pages, 240 natural pages full of wishes and blessings.

Covering all vertebrate animals apart from birds that live wild on land in Britain, and including all four-legged animals, snakes and a slow-worm as well as seals, the land animals described in this book belong to three major groups: amphibians, reptiles or mammals. The main part of the book features more than 70 wild land animals, species by species, their habitats, lifespan, size, life expectancy and how they are related to their surroundings. To help you understand how an animal's observed behaviour is linked to its body structure and lifestyle, pages 8 to 25 outline some of the reasons why animals feed, breed and behave in different ways, and distribution maps are given for each wild species, coloured maroon on the map. Covers skin whether waterproof, furry, breathable, changing colour, a new summer coat or a specially developed under fur and structure such as four limbs of flippers like the seal or as wings like the bat, long or short necks, feet with two toes or legs that spread sideways like the lizard. From adders and badgers to voles and weasels, you will find fascinating facts on where they breed, feed and how to identify each creature in their natural environment which greatly enhances any outdoor experience. All superbly illustrated and with detailed artworks showing how to distinguish between species and special features covering animal centres and recognising tracks and other signs of animal activity. 256pp, 15 x 14cm, softback packed with colour.