Britains Habitats coverWhen I first thumbed through the new Britain’s Habitats: A Guide to the Wildlife Habitats of Britain and Ireland, I was not only taken by how helpful it could be to a naturalist seeking to acquire or refine an understanding of those nations’ multifaceted countrysides, I was also struck by how useful the book could be to someone studying English literature – particularly that of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.

Just think; a student studying, for example, Wuthering Heights could quickly gain an understanding of the Yorkshire Moors not only as Emily Brontë depicted them but in an ecological sense as well, thus better coming to understand just why such habitats held such a fascination for the many authors who made them such a large part of their respective works.

It’s certainly a thought I’ll be keeping in mind while reading it. I may just take down my copy of Miss Brontë’s book as well.