A poetic and passionate book about the love of a piece of land – 'Sunday Times' Nature Book of the Year 2020. As a boy, James Rebanks learned from his grandfather how to farm the land in the traditional way. The family farm in the Lake District hills was part of an ancient agricultural landscape: a patchwork of fields and meadows, pastures and hedgerows teeming with wildlife. But when James inherited the farm, it was barely recognizable. The old stone barns were crumbling, and the skies were devoid of birds and their wind-borne songs. This book tells of what it means to be truly rooted in a place and to take responsibility for it. It is about centuries-old traditions threatened with extinction, about working in harmony with the seasons and the weather, about living in harmony with nature, and about the community of people in the countryside. It is the hopeful story of a young farmer who decides to counteract the destruction of the landscape and save a tiny corner of England. This book was originally published in hardcover under the title 'My English Farm Life'. Now available in paperback for the first time! New product