The Wainwright Prize: the longlist

    The Wainwright Prize for nature writing is one I'm always interested in looking at; it is awarded annually "to the book which most successfully reflects the ethos of renowned nature writer Alfred Wainwright’s work, to inspire readers to explore the outdoors and to nurture a respect for the natural world".

    The longlist has been announced today, World Environment Day, and is shown above. I've read Kate Humble's Thinking On My Feet (there's a post on it here), and am currently reading Robert Macfarlane's Underland and finding it surprising and fascinating, but I know the others by name only. 

    Nothing to do with the prize, but perhaps worth mentioning that the piece of nature writing which has made the biggest impression on me (as you'll see here) is Rosamond Richardson's Waiting for the Albino Dunnock. 

Comments

[LizF]

I have read and really enjoyed Wilding and am currently reading Timesong, Lanny and The Easternmost House. A lot of the other titles are on my list of books I want to read - you can probably tell it is a genre that I really enjoy and the Wainwright list is always fascinating ( and won quite often by John Lewis Stempel who is one of my favourite writers)
I'm on the (very long) library waiting list for Underland so I'm glad you are liking it.

[Lindsay Bagshaw]

I haven't read many of these, but Wilding is an unusual book, in that it doesn't just celebrate or mourn, but describes something inspiring and practical that is being done about the state of nature in this country - its fascinating, inspiring, and uplifting. And you can go to Knepp in Sussex, as I did last month, and see it working with your own eyes - trees, birds, insects, flowers in a thriving mosaic environment that is beautiful, ecologically rich (and getting richer every year)and productive, too.

[Fran H-B]

Wilding certainly gives one hope that given the right circumstances and direction reversing the decline of our planet can be possible. At present I am reading Landfill, all about gulls and rubbish tips....its different and I shall be looking at the gulls near us a lot more closely. That's why I love this prize list as there are always books which give me a totally new view on life. Underland is no exception, had me on the edge of my seat!