Adam Nicolson Livres

'A feast for mind and soul, a treasure trove of insights into the enigmatic and enchanting world of the birds we share our lives with but barely notice. I have learnt so much. Every page is a thrill. Bird School has opened my eyes' Isabella Tree, author of Wilding Step into the hide for a glorious new encounter with the British wild Close to Adam Nicolson's home in Sussex, there is a forgotten field overrun by bracken and thicketed by brambles. It is the haunt of deer and many birds - nightingales, the occasional cuckoo, ravens, robins, owls and in summer the sweet-singing warblers that come north from Africa to breed in English woods. This gorgeous book charts his attempt to encounter birds, to engage with a marvellous layer of life he had previously almost ignored. He wanted to look and listen, to return to 'bird school' and see what it might teach him. He built a small shed amongst the trees with nesting boxes and bird feeders. Cocooned inside, season after season, he got to know the birds: where they nest, how they sing, how they mate and fight, what preys on them, what they are like as living things. Beautifully written and woven through with philosophy, literature, science and a sense of wonder, always conscious that that this is an age in which the natural world is under siege, Bird School pulls back the curtain on seemingly ordinary birds, taking a long, careful and concerned look at our relationship with the wild.

In almost 150 images Waite illuminates a new way of looking at the landscape in Britain while Nicolson provides perceptive essay on the different ways in which we respond and attempt to understand the landscape.

A photographic tribute to the English landscape, with 70 colour photographs.

Just over five years ago Windsor Castle was devastated by fire. In this book Nicolson charts the years since the fire through to the final rebuilding, including dealing with the fire, the finances of restoring the Castle and the decisions on whether simply to restore or make changes.

The writing is characterized by its complexity and depth, offering a bold exploration of personal themes. It vividly evokes the brutal imagery reminiscent of the Iliad, showcasing the harsh realities of conflict and the emotional turmoil that accompanies it. The piece stands out for its fearless approach, inviting readers to confront the raw and often painful aspects of human experience.

The Battle of Trafalgar can claim to be one of the most known of the great human events. In Men of Honour, Adam Nicolson takes one of the greatest identifiable heroes in British history, Horatio Nelson, and examines the broader themes of heroism, violence and virtue. Trafalgar gripped the nineteenth century imagination like no other battle: it was a moment of both transcendent fulfilment and unmatched despair. It was a drama of such violence and sacrifice that the concept of total war may be argued to start from there. It finished the global ambitions of a European tyrant but culminated in the death of Admiral Horatio Nelson, the greatest hero of the era. This book fuses the immediate intensity of the battle with the deeper currents that were running at the time. It has a three-part framework: the long, slow six hour morning before the battle; the afternoon itself of terror, death and destruction; and the shocked, exultant and sobered aftermath ...

Reveals the contradictions of Tudor life: homes combined luxury and squalor; fashions were exotic but hygiene non-existent: and death and disease struck fear into the hearts of rich and poor alike.

From Land's End to Cape Clear, past Roaringwater Bay and Cod's Head, on past Inishvickillane and Inishtooskert, up through the Hebrides, to Orkney and on to the Faeroes stretches the richest and wildest coastline in Europe. Adam Nicolson decided to sail this coast in the "Auk," a 42-foot wooden ketch, embarking on a 1,500-mile voyage through what he hoped would be a sequence of revelatory landscapes. He was not disappointed."Seamanship" is more than a travel journal. It describes an inner journey as much as an outer one--disasters and discoveries, powerful landscapes and modern visionaries, and encounters with the animals living on the wild edge of the Atlantic. Above all, it is about the gaps that open up between those who go and those who stay at home."Seamanship," in the end, is not about the sea. It's about being alive.

A fascinating, lively account of the making of the King James Bible.

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR What is the nature of things? Must I think my own way through the world? What is justice? How can I be me? How should we treat each other?

Describes architectural points of interest in twelve small English towns and covers both Roman city planning and early twentieth century industrial buildings

Where does Homer come from? And why does Homer matter? His epic poems of war and suffering can still speak to us of the role of destiny in life, of cruelty, of humanity and its frailty, but why they do is a mystery. How can we be so intimate with something so distant?

Experience Wordsworth and Coleridge in a fresh light through Adam Nicolson's vibrant exploration of their lives and works, infused with poetry, art, and nature writing. This period, marked by the creation of iconic poems like "The Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan," showcases Coleridge's heartfelt hymns and Wordsworth's revolutionary contributions in "Lyrical Ballads" and "Tintern Abbey." Nicolson narrates the story of the late 1790s, detailing the time Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Dorothy, along with a dynamic circle of friends and followers, spent in the picturesque Quantock Hills of Somerset. The book delves into how the physical environment influenced their poetry, emphasizing that understanding the genesis of their work requires experiencing the varied seasons and moods of that year. It paints a portrait of these literary giants as young, ambitious, and troubled individuals, each in search of a vision of wholeness. Their poetry emerged not from settled ideas but from a shared adventure, aiming to peel away the layers of consciousness. For them, poetry was more than mere decoration; it was a bold challenge to civilization and a powerful tool for remaking the world.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be given your own remote islands? Thirty years ago it happened to Adam Nicolson. Aged 21, Nicolson inherited the Shiants, three lonely Hebridean islands set in a dangerous sea off the Isle of Lewis. With only a stone bothy for accommodation and half a million puffins for company, he found himself in charge of one of the most beautiful places on earth. The story of the Shiants is a story of birds and boats, hermits and fishermen, witchcraft and catastrophe, and Nicolson expertly weaves these elements into his own tale of seclusion on the Shiants to create a stirring celebration of island life.

'A remarkable and powerful book, the rarest of things ... Nicolson is unique as a writer ... I loved it' EDMUND DE WAAL'Miraculous ... An utterly fascinating glimpse of a watery world we only thought we knew' PHILIP HOAREFew places are as familiar as the shore - and few as full of mystery and surprise.

Set against the backdrop of England's tumultuous history from the 1520s to 1650, this book chronicles the Pembroke family's rise and struggles through three generations. It explores their complex relationship with the English Crown, highlighting themes of ambition, resistance, and the moral ambiguities of power. Acclaimed historian Adam Nicolson presents a vivid narrative filled with rich detail, examining the intricate dynamics of loyalty, corruption, and privilege in a time of significant change and conflict.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2022 'A remarkable and powerful book, the rarest of things ... Nicolson is unique as a writer ... I loved it' EDMUND DE WAAL Few places are as familiar as the shore - and few as full of mystery and surprise.

Embarking on a captivating journey through the British wilderness, this work by acclaimed nature writer Adam Nicolson explores the beauty and intricacies of the natural world. With a blend of personal reflection and rich storytelling, Nicolson invites readers to appreciate the landscapes and wildlife that define Britain, showcasing his deep connection to nature and the environment.

Seit Adam Nicolson als Junge die unbesiedelten Shiant Islands vor der schottischen Küste besuchte, ist er von Seevögeln fasziniert. Die Inselgruppe ist bekannt für ihre markanten Klippen, die große Kolonien von Papageientauchern, Trottellummen und Dreizehenmöwen beherbergen. Viele Seevögel legen zeit ihres Lebens unglaubliche Distanzen zurück, immer einem inneren Kompass folgend, der sich nach Signalen aus der Natur richtet, manche so subtil wie der Geruch von meilenweit entferntem Plankton. Seit jeher haben diese Vögel die Fantasie der Menschen beflügelt. Sie sind die einzige Art der Schöpfung, die auf dem Meer, in der Luft und an Land zu Hause ist. Bisher konnte der Mensch sie immer nur an ihren Brutplätzen beobachten, weshalb sie lange als Botschafter einer mythischen Welt jenseits des Horizonts galten. Erst in jüngster Zeit bekommen wir eine Vorstellung davon, wie es ihnen ergeht, wenn sie draußen auf See sind ... So wie Seevögel Grenzgänger zwischen erlebten und imaginären Welten sind, überwindet Adam Nicolson die Kluft zwischen Wissenschaft und Literatur. In seinem faszinierenden, brillant erzählten Band zeigt er, dass Seevögel unsere Mitspieler im Drama des Lebens sind – und zugleich Metaphern für das, was wir sind und sein können.

An seinem einundzwanzigsten Geburtstag erhält Adam Nicolson von seinem Vater, dem Sohn von Vita Sackville-West und Sir Harold Nicolson, eine kleine schottische Inselgruppe: die Shiants. Gelegen an den äußeren Hebriden fallen ihre steilen schwarzen Klippen fünfhundert Meter tief in den kalten, nach mystischen, halb menschlichen Kreaturen benannten »Strom der Blauen Männer«. Robben tummeln sich an ihren Ufern. Hummer suchen sich ihren Weg durch Steine und Tang. Und am Himmel drehen Tausende von Papageientauchern ihre Runden. Auf diesen Inseln mit ihrer jahrhundertealten Vergangenheit, die von ruhelosen Geistern und Geschichten über alte Schätze heimgesucht werden, bietet sich Nicolson ein Ort der Zuflucht und der Einsamkeit. Sie werden ihm zur Heimat und offenbaren ihm »das Freiheitsgefühl, das einen auf einer wasserumtosten Insel durchflutet«. In leidenschaftlicher, zum Funkeln gebrachter Sprache zelebriert Seeraum die Landschaft dieses windgepeitschten, bezaubernd schönen Anwesens und teilt mit uns die Wunder der natürlichen Welt in all ihren Facetten und Paradoxien.