An illuminating exploration of the remarkable and often surprising relationship between the natural world, human life and our long-standing obsession with twilight, that most otherworldly time of day.

Every day, just before sunrise and straight after sunset, magic happens. Dawn and dusk – those fleeting, half-lit hours – are when the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Skies flare with colour, landscapes shift in mood and an unseen cast of creatures emerges from the shadows. Welcome to twilight.

In THE SECRET WORLD OF TWILIGHT, author and smallholder Sally Coulthard invites us into this magical in-between realm, where seductive night-blooming flowers open, secretive mammals stir, giant moths reign and fantastical sea creatures ride the tide. Twilight profoundly affects human life too – but in our age of electric light and closed doors, we’ve almost forgotten how to see it.

Blending natural history, folklore and memoir, Coulthard reveals twilight as a vital, liminal force: one that has inspired awe for millennia and still has the power to illuminate our daily lives.

"From bats and sunstones to Krakatoa twilights, star jelly and so much inbetween the in-between, Sally Coulthard’s atmospheric hymnal to the waking world, and the dusky one that wakes when we retire, is arresting and joyful. Beautifully written, it’s a revelation that invites us to see the half-light anew and fall back in love with the world, and the everyday alchemy of its dimmed, glowing edges. I loved it. Give it to everyone you know!" - Nicola Chester, award-winning author of ON GALLOWS DOWN and GHOSTS OF THE FARM

"Sally Coulthard argues in this charming book that we should eschew artificial lighting and learn once again how to slow down and rejoice in this magical interlude" - Country Life

"Coulthard's evocative nature writing is interspersed with well-researched science and historical anecdotes … [she] is a keen and talented observer of the twilight hours" - The TLS

"The evocative nature writing is interspersed with well-researched science and historical snippets ... Together they help remind us of the physical and cultural importance of these fleeting but richly detailed times of day" - Scottish Wildlife

"A poetic study of half light" - HortWeek

"Sally’s personal journey into the magical spaces of dusk and dawn is magical and we’re lucky to be invited in" - Scarborough News

"Charming" - Nature

"THE SECRET WORLD OF TWILIGHT is a fascinating journey into a twilit world, increasingly destroyed by streetlights and 24-hour supermarkets. This eloquent, compelling book had me standing outside in wonder at both dusk and dawn, relishing the wealth of science, nature and history that combine during these precious, mysterious moments of our day. An enchanting inducement to turn off your living room lights, and go outside into the gloaming" - author of WHAT SHEEP THINK ABOUT THE WEATHER