Richard Mabey tells the enthralling story of Britain's first ecologist

When the pioneering naturalist Gilbert White (1720-93) wrote The Natural History of Selborne (1789), he created one of the greatest and most influential natural history works of all time, his detailed observations about birds and animals providing the cornerstones of modern ecology. In this award-winning biography, Richard Mabey tells the wonderful story of the clergyman - England's first ecologist - whose inspirational naturalist's handbook has become an English classic.

"His evocation of the landscape is brilliant. We seem to be jogging down those deeply rutted lanes behind the parson looking over his shoulder." - Times Educational Supplement

"Enthralling ... an excellent evocation of White and his times which certainly deserves a place beside the original work" - Sunday Times