Jenny Uglow travels back to 1781 to follow ‘the father of ecology’, Gilbert White, across a single year in his Naturalist’s Journal. From frost to summer drought, from the migration of birds to the sex lives of snails and the coming of harvest, Uglow illuminates this quirky, warm-hearted man.
In 1781, Gilbert White was a country curate, living in the Hampshire village he had known all his life. Fascinated by the fauna, flora and people around him, he kept journals for many years, and, at that time, was halfway to completing his path-breaking The Natural History of Selborne. No one had written like this before, with such close observation, humour, and sympathy: his spellbinding book has remained in print ever since, treasured by generations of readers.
Jenny Uglow illuminates this quirky, warm-hearted man, 'the father of ecology', by following a single year in his Naturalist's Journal. As his diary jumps from topic to topic, she accompanies Gilbert from frost to summer drought, from the migration of birds to the sex lives of snails and the coming of harvest.
Jenny Uglow writes on literature, art, and social history. Her books include award-winning biographies on Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot, William Hogarth, Thomas Bewick and Edward Lear, as well as group studies including The Lunar Men and the panoramic In These Times: Living In Britain Through Napolean’s Wars, 1793 – 1815. A retired editorial director of Chattus & Windus, and former Chair of The Council of The Royal Society of Literature, she grew up in Cumbria, and now lives in Borrowdale.
Event information
£2 off all tickets for under 25s
Borderlines offers free tickets for carers, please email borderlinescarlisle@gmail.com to book.
Events last 55 minutes (unless otherwise stated), with additional time for authors to sign books (venues permitting). Seating is unreserved and doors will open 20 minutes before an event.
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