“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” The words attributed to Jesus of Nazareth in The Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter five, verse five, are pretty clear about that. But, as my history of religion professor was fond of asking “Who are the meek?”
From a biological perspective, the vast majority of the plants and animals that are slowly, quietly, and efficiently taking advantage of the changes humans are making to the planet are decidedly “meek.”
As publisher of The Well-read Naturalist, I take great pride in my ability to locate and secure interesting books for review. However I doff my well-worn fedora to Mark Avery in his uncanny ability to find books that are well off my proverbial radar.
In this week’s review, for example, Mark takes up the privately published “A Wild Life” by the late Sir Anthony Milbank and David Williams. A coffee-table sized collection of photographs and commentary about the decades-long work that Sir Anthony undertook to make his Barningham Estate on the North Yorkshire – Durham border a haven for wildlife.
This week, Mark looks back on a number of the books he’s reviewed over the past year that in one way or another have Hen Harriers or grouse shooting as at least part of their subject. Beginning with Gill Lewis’ Sky Dancer from Oxford University Press (a book with which seems particularly impressed), he moves through some others you might have already read as well as others of which you might not yet even have heard. Pop over to his blog to see the entire list, titled “Some Books,” with links to the individual review for each.
This week, Mark takes up Anna Pavord’s reflections upon the British landscape, and its changing social and artistic representations, as collected in her 2016 book “Landskipping; Painters, Ploughmen and Places” from Bloomsbury.