Basketry is among the most widespread and ancient crafts — one that is highly satisfying to both craftspeople and collectors and appealing in utilitarian as well as esthetic terms. Over the centuries, basket-making techniques have been used to manufacture an amazing assortment of items: crab or lobster pots, eel traps, winnowing fans, horse collars, fish creels, seed-gathering baskets, portable stalls used by street vendors, huge "skeps" for sorting wood — even one-person boats (or coracle...

Packed full of tips for the aspiring watercolourist, its handy format makes it ideal for quick reference either in the studio or out in the field.Contents include:essential tips on all the basic watercolour techniques, plus helpful advice on sketching and drawingguidelines on painting skies, backgrounds, foregrounds, the main subject, trees, details and shadowsclear and straightforward step-by-step instructions for painting a complete landscape in ...

From its earliest origins to the present day, this award-winning, beautifully written book describes the endlessly changing character of Britain's countryside.'A classic' Richard MabeyExploring the natural and man-made features of the land - fields, highways, hedgerows, fens, marshes, rivers, heaths, coasts, woods and wood pastures - he shows conclusively and unforgettably how they have developed over the centuries. In doing so, he covers a...

**LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR ILLUSTRATIVE BOOKSAn illustrated natural history of British native trees, by a celebrated botanical artist and her forester brother-in-law**Our trees are among our greatest national treasures, and yet today many people have forgotten their names, their identifying features and the stories we used to tell about them. In Overleaf, the botanical painter Susan Ogilvy and the forester Richard Ogilvy reacquaint us with the trees ...

A passionate and informative celebration of trees and of man's ingenuity in exploiting their resources: the perfect gift for anyone who cares about the natural world.Trees are marvels of nature, still-standing giants of extraordinary longevity. In a beautifully written sequence of essays, anecdotes and profiles of Britain's best-loved species (from yew to scots pine), Max Adams explores both the amazing biology of trees and humanity's relationship with wood and forest across the ce...

“Hypnotic.… [Langlands] begins to see not just the beauty of an object.… but the deeper purpose for which each has been created.” —New York TimesFaced with an endless supply of mass-manufactured products, we find ourselves nostalgic for goods bearing the mark of authenticity—hand-made tools, local brews, and other objects produced by human hands. Archaeologist and medieval historian Alexander Langlands reaches as far back as the Neolithic period to recover...

The ideal portable companion, the world-renowned Collins Gem series returns with a fresh new look and updated material.This is the perfect pocket guide for nature enthusiasts keen to identify the most commonly seen butterflies and moths in Britain and northern Europe.Authoritative text, beautiful photographs and detailed illustrations show the distinguishing features of each butterfly and moth to aid identification.Features information on size, habitat, geographical...

It is difficult to think of a more quintessential symbol of the British countryside than the British Hedgerow, bursting with blackberries, hazelnuts and sloes, and home to oak and ash, field mice and butterflies. But as much as we might dream about foraging for mushrooms or collecting wayside nettles for soup, most of us are unaware of quite how profoundly hedgerows have shaped the history of our landscape and our fellow species.One of Britain's best known naturalists, John Wright ...

‘Trees are wildlife just as deer or primroses are wildlife. Each species has its own agenda and its own interactions with human activities …’Written by one of Britain’s best-known naturalists, Woodlands offers a fascinating new insight into the trees of the British landscape that have filled us with awe and inspiration throughout the centuries.Looking at such diverse evidence as the woods used in buildings and ships, and how woodland has been portrayed in pictures and photo...

Paint with 3 colours is a great way to learn tonal values, colour mixing and how to use a limited palette. Its not the same 3 colours on each project but you will discover that by using a small number of colours you can create many new colours and tones. A challenging little book that will improve your painting skills and ability.

Ancient trees, some over a thousand years old, are dotted around the British Isles, the last survivors of a lost world. Now, new scientific studies of these trees and of fossilised forests and of our oldest wooden artifacts can help us to understand the many woodlands that have disappeared from our landscapes.Locked in ice for more than twenty thousand years, the lands that now make up Britain and Ireland were some of the last settled by humans. The earliest people...

From one of our greatest science writers, this biography of a beech-and-bluebell wood through diverse moods and changing seasons combines stunning natural history with the ancient history of the countryside to tell the full story of the British landscape.‘The woods are the great beauty of this country… A fine forest-like beech wood far more beautiful than anything else which we have seen in its vicinity’ is how John Stuart Mill described a small patch of beech-and bluebell woodland...