Volcanic is a vibrant, diverse history of Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples in the age of Romanticism. First published this year, John Brewer charts the changing seismic and social dynamics of the mountain, and the meanings attached by travellers to their sublime confrontation with nature.  In this blogpost, part of the 50 Years in 50 Books series for our 50th Anniversary, John Brewer shares the discovery that led him to write Volcanic and reveals the similarities between the experiences of visitors in the nineteenth century and the guidebooks of today. Article by John Brewer Volcanic is t ..read more

In celebration of Earth Day on 22nd April, Yale University Press London staff choose their favourite books on theme of nature. April’s Staff Pick – Nature Inside Julie Hrischeva, Editor, Art and Architecture, recommends Nature Inside: Plants and Flowers in the Modern Interior by Penny Sparke Renowned design historian Penny Sparke branches out (excuse the pun) with Nature Inside, a richly illustrated history of the introduction of plants and flowers into the modern interior from the Victorian era to the present day. Alongside an examination of the instrumental use of plants in a commercial con ..read more

The theme of Earth Day 2023 is: Invest In Our Planet. We’ve pulled together a reading list of blog posts and extracts engaging with this subject matter and wider conversations about our relationship to our planet. Read below. ‘Earth‘ by Kevin M. Gill, CC BY 2.0. The Rights of Marine Animals Chris Armstrong Chris Armstrong’s book, A Blue New Deal, now in paperback, is an urgent account of the state of our oceans today – and what we must do to protect them. The free chapter extracted on the blog concentrates on the rights of marine animals. Read below. The Rights of Marine Animals – C ..read more

Published for the first time in 2016, The Long, Long Life of Trees explores the intimate way Trees have become entwined with human experience. In the book, Fiona Stafford offers readers detailed explorations of seventeen common trees, from ash and apple to pine, oak, cypress, and willow. In this blogpost, part of the 50 Years in 50 Books series for our 50th Anniversary, Fiona Stafford reflects on the mounting threats to the lives of trees since the book’s initial release. Article by Fiona Stafford It’s always good to start with an acorn. Looking back on The Long, Long Life of Trees makes me ..read more

When recruiting for a Personal Assistant in 2019, Pallant House Gallery director Simon Martin was inspired by one interviewee’s enthusiastic response to a set task of speaking about their favourite work of art. The chosen work was Eric Ravilious’ wood engraving Hoopoes from The Writings of Gilbert White, and it planted the seed of an idea for an exhibition: a display of the modern illustrators of Revd. Gilbert White’s much-loved book, Natural History of Selborne, which would celebrate White’s lasting influence on artists. The exhibition was planned for the following year – 2020 – to coincide ..read more

Access to water has played a pivotal role in the Israel-Palestine dispute. Israel has diverted the River Jordan via pipes and canals to build a successful modern state. But this has been at the expense of the region’s cohabitants. Gaza is now so water-stressed that the United Nations has warned it could soon become uninhabitable; its traditional water source has been ruined by years of over-extraction and mismanagement, the effects exacerbated by years of crippling blockade.   In In Search of the River Jordan, award-winning author and journalist James Fergusson travels to every corner of ..read more

Jo Handelsman, Kayla Cohen, Garth Harmsworth and Shaun Awatere tell us about the importance of soil and why the voices of indigenous people must be heard at the COP26 table. The 2021 United Nations climate change conference, COP26, marks the world’s next big step toward limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. To achieve this ambitious goal and make progress toward climate justice, Indigenous people -must have their voices heard at the COP26 table. Although they are disproportionately affected by the consequences of climate change, Indigenous people are often marginalized at COP conferences an ..read more

Chris Armstrong’s book, A Blue New Deal, now in paperback, is an urgent account of the state of our oceans today – and what we must do to protect them. The free chapter extracted below concentrates on the rights of marine animals. The ocean is first and foremost a home to many other species, and their interests should be at the heart of the struggle for ocean justice. The chapter argues for the protection of an important set of rights for all cetaceans, that is, whales, dolphins and porpoises. This is just an opening salvo in the case for animal rights at sea, though, and the chapter shows ho ..read more

Kent H. Redford and William M. Adams, the authors of Strange Natures: Conservation in the Era of Synthetic Biology, explain why synthetic biology and nature-based solutions are important for the discussions arising around climate change. Biodiversity and Climate Change The effects of climate change impact all aspects of life on Earth, and greater changes are anticipated. The evolution of species is being affected, ecosystems are reordering, and time-lags in biological and social responses mean the future remains clouded.  It is clear that biodiversity has evolved in response to the Earth ..read more

Anyone who has watched one or two documentaries about coral reefs will have heard about cleaning stations.  A number of small fish species and some small crustaceans maintain stations, locations on the reef, where they engage in cleaning of larger fishes, picking ectoparasites off their surfaces and even from within their mouths and gill cavities.  This is one of the best examples of the complex interspecific social interactions that characterize this amazing ecosystem. Explaining the cleaning station phenomenon as instinctive behavior does not begin to explain an incredibly complex ..read more