*** THE INSTANT TOP TEN BESTSELLER ***

HIGHLY COMMENDED FOR THE 2025 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 

SHORTLISTED FOR THE RICHARD JEFFERIES AWARD

Paul Lamb is a hedgelayer. He lives in his wagon and works to the rhythm of the seasons, a way of life that has almost vanished. From the end of summer until the birds nest in the spring, he travels the south-west corner of England, maintaining the ancient boundaries of our nation.

As traditional management techniques are lost to modernisation, hedgerows and the wildlife they support have declined dramatically. Paul has devoted decades to saving and rejuvenating this important but often forgotten part of Britian’s countryside.

Of Thorn & Briar is Paul’s spellbinding account of living in partnership with the land, practising his craft with skill and preserving our heritage for future generations. Once you’ve read it, you will never look at the humble hedgerow in the same way again.

‘[A] beguiling book . . . this spare but elegant account is an unexpected delight, and as soothing as a walk down a tree-dappled lane at sunset’ Daily Mail 

‘Gentle, evocative and compelling’ Patrick Barkham, The Oldie 

‘This is a delightful book and one that deserves to enter the pantheon of distinguished Nature writing’ Country Life 
 

"‘Paul Lamb’s Of Thorn & Briar is that rare variety of nature book: a compendium of accurate, useful information which expects the reader to be more interested in outdoor realities than in the author’s state of health . . . Lamb grippingly evokes the fascination of expert physical labour and its rewards’ " - Spectator Books of the Year 2025

"‘[A] beguiling book about a year in the life of a 21st-century hedgelayer . . . Written without a hint of the pretentiousness that sometimes mars nature books, this spare but elegant account is an unexpected delight, and as soothing as a walk down a tree-dappled lane at sunset.’" - Daily Mail

"‘At times it reads like a travelogue of another place, if not another time, before remembering that it is the southwest of our own country . . . it is impossible not to like Lamb, or this book, which is already a bestseller. He is self-made, and he speaks of his trade and his associates with charm, veneration and conviction.’ " - Sunday Times 

"‘This evocative and quietly enthralling account of [Lamb’s] working year transports you to a gentler way of life’ " - Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year 

"‘This is a delightful book and one that deserves to enter the pantheon of distinguished Nature writing’ " - Country Life

"‘A gentle, evocative and compelling account . . . I’m sure his book will be a big success’" - The Oldie