Adam Nicolson Popular Books

Adam Nicolson Biography & Facts

Adam Nicolson, (born 12 September 1957) is an English author who has written about history, landscape, great literature and the sea. He is also the 5th Baron Carnock, but does not use the title. He is noted for his books Sea Room (about the Shiant Isles, a group of uninhabited islands in the Hebrides); God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible; The Mighty Dead (US title:Why Homer Matters) exploring the epic Greek poems; The Seabird's Cry about the disaster afflicting the world's seabirds; The Making of Poetry on the Romantic Revolution in England in the 1790s; and Life Between the Tides, a boundary-crossing account of the tides in human and animal life. Biography Adam Nicolson is the son of writer Nigel Nicolson and his wife Philippa Tennyson-d'Eyncourt. He is the grandson of the writers Vita Sackville-West and Sir Harold Nicolson, and great-grandson of Sir Eustace Tennyson d'Eyncourt and Arthur Nicolson, 1st Baron Carnock. He was educated at Eaton House, Summer Fields School, Eton College where he was a King's Scholar, and Magdalene College, Cambridge. He has worked as a journalist and columnist on the Sunday Times, the Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Telegraph, National Geographic Magazine and Granta, where he is a contributing editor. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Society of Antiquaries and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. He has made several television series (with Keo Films) and radio series (with Tim Dee, the writer and radio producer) on a variety of subjects including the King James Bible, 17th-century literacy, Crete, Homer, the idea of Arcadia, the untold story of Britain's 20th-century whalers and the future of Atlantic seabirds. Between 2005 and 2009, in partnership with the National Trust, Nicolson led a project which transformed the 260 acres (110 ha) surrounding the house and garden at Sissinghurst into a productive mixed farm, growing meat, fruit, cereals and vegetables for the National Trust restaurant. And between 2012 and 2017, together with the RSPB, the EU and SNH, Nicolson and his son Tom were partners in a project to eradicate invasive predators from the Shiant Isles, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. In March 2018, the islands were declared rat-free. In December 2008 he succeeded his cousin David Nicolson, 4th Baron Carnock, as 5th Baron Carnock but he does not use the title. Personal life Nicolson met his first wife, the writer Olivia Fane, when he was a student at Cambridge University. They married in 1982, and had sons Thomas (born 1984); William (born 1986); and Ben (born 1988). They were divorced in 1992 and since then he has been married to the writer and gardener Sarah Raven, with whom he has two daughters: Rosie (born 1993); Molly (born 1996). The family live at Perch Hill Farm in Sussex. Awards and recognition 1986 Somerset Maugham Award Frontiers 1987 PBFA Topography Prize (winner) Wetland (with Patrick Sutherland) 1997 British Press Awards Feature Writer of the Year (shortlist) 1998 British Book Awards Illustrated Book of the Year (shortlist) Restoration 2002 Duff Cooper Prize (shortlist) Sea Room 2004 Royal Society of Literature Heinemann Award (winner) Power and Glory 2005 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature 2006 Royal United Services Institute Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature (shortlist) Men of Honour 2009 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize (winner) Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History 2009 Samuel Johnson Prize (longlist) Sissinghurst: an Unfinished History 2010 Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries 2014 Samuel Johnson Prize (longlist) The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters 2014 Scottish BAFTA (winner, Factual Series) Britain's Whale Hunters 2015 London Hellenic Prize (shortlist) The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters 2017 Richard Jefferies Society Award for Nature Writing (winner) The Seabird's Cry 2018 Gomes Lecturer, Emmanuel College, Cambridge 2018 Wainwright Prize (winner) The Seabird's Cry 2019 Costa Biography Award (shortlist) The Making of Poetry 2021 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award (longlist) The Fearful Summer 2022 Richard Jefferies Society Award for Nature Writing (shortlist) the sea is not made of water: Life between the Tides 2022 Wainwright Prize (longlist) the sea is not made of water: Life between the Tides 2024 Runciman Award (shortlist) How to Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks Books The National Trust Book of Long Walks (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1981) Long Walks in France (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1983) Frontiers (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1985) Wetland (Michael Joseph, 1987) Two Roads to Dodge City (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1988) with Nigel Nicolson Prospects of England: Two Thousand Years Seen Through Twelve English Towns (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1989) with Peter Morter On Foot: Guided Walks in England, France, and the United States (Weidenfeld/Harmony, 1990) Restoration: Rebuilding of Windsor Castle (Michael Joseph, 1997) Regeneration: The Story of the Dome (HarperCollins, 1999) Perch Hill: A New Life (Constable, 2000) Mrs Kipling: The Hated Wife (Short Books, 2001) Sea Room (HarperCollins, 2001; Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2002) Power and Glory: The Making of the King James Bible (US title: God's Secretaries) (HarperCollins, 2003) (2011 reissued in UK as When God Spoke English) Seamanship (HarperCollins, 2004) Men of Honour: Trafalgar and the Making of the English Hero (US title: Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and the Battle of Trafalgar) (HarperCollins, 2005) Earls of Paradise (US title: Quarrel with the King) (HarperCollins, 2008) Sissinghurst: An Unfinished History (HarperCollins, 2008; US revised edition Viking, 2010) Arcadia: The Dream of Perfection in Renaissance England (a revised paperback edition of Earls of Paradise) (HarperCollins, 2009) The Smell of Summer Grass (an updated edition of Perch Hill) (HarperCollins, 2011) The Gentry: Stories of the English (HarperCollins, 2011) The Mighty Dead: Why Homer Matters (US title Henry Holt: Why Homer Matters) (HarperCollins, 2014) The Seabird's Cry: The Life and Loves of Puffins, Gannets and Other Ocean Voyagers (HarperCollins, 2017) (US Henry Holt: The Lives and Loves of the Planet's Great Ocean Voyagers (2018)) The Making of Poetry: Coleridge, the Wordsworths and their Year of Marvels (HarperCollins, 2019; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020) The Sea is Not Made of Water: Life Between the Tides (HarperCollins, 2021; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Life Between the Tides 2022) How to Be: Life Lessons From the Early Greeks (HarperCollins 2023; Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Television Atlantic Britain Channel 4, 2004 Sissinghurst BBC 4, 2009 When God Spoke English: The Making of the King James Bible BBC 4, 2011 The Century That Wrote Itself BBC 4, 2013 Britain's Whale Hunters BBC 4, 2014 The Last Seabird Summer? BBC 4, 2016 Radio Homer's Landscapes 3 x 45 mins, BBC Radio 3, 2008 A Cretan Spring 5 x 15 mins, with Sarah Raven, BBC Radio 3, 2009 Dark Arcadias 2 x 45 mins, BBC R.... Discover the Adam Nicolson popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Adam Nicolson books.

Best Seller Adam Nicolson Books of 2024

  • Inheritance and Natural History synopsis, comments

    Inheritance and Natural History

    R. J. Berry

    Ever wondered why primroses have three sorts of flowers; or about pesticide resistance in rats and mice, mosquitoes and greenfly; antibiotic resistance in disease organisms – all a...

  • British Birds of Prey synopsis, comments

    British Birds of Prey

    Leslie. H. Brown

    Leslie Brown's account of our 15 resident, 7 vagrant and 2 migrant species of eagles, falcons, hawks and vultures in Britain presents a great mass of scientific information about o...

  • Uplands and Birds synopsis, comments

    Uplands and Birds

    Ian Newton

    Ian Newton, author of Farming and Birds and Bird Migration returns to the New Naturalist series with a long awaited look at the uplands and its birds.The uplands of Britain are uni...

  • Terns synopsis, comments

    Terns

    David Cabot & Ian Nisbet

    This New Naturalist volume provides a muchanticipated overview of these fascinating birds – the first book on the natural history of British and Irish terns since 1934.Terns are sm...

  • Partridges synopsis, comments

    Partridges

    G R (Dick) Potts

    Globally, there are at least 45 species of game bird that have the word partridge in their name, but in this book G. R. Potts devotes himself to the Grey, Redlegged and Chukar Part...

  • Grasshoppers and Crickets synopsis, comments

    Grasshoppers and Crickets

    Ted Benton

    For the first time ever, a DVD featuring exclusive video and audio material accompanies the latest New Naturalist volume, a multimedia first for the series.Ted Benton offers a comp...

  • Waiting for the Albino Dunnock synopsis, comments

    Waiting for the Albino Dunnock

    Rosamond Richardson

    'A beautiful book' Tim Birkhead, author of Bird Sense'The prose is sublime, and so is the intelligence behind it' Bel Mooney, Daily MailThe extraordinary world of birds has the pow...

  • Butterflies synopsis, comments

    Butterflies

    E. B. Ford

    A scientific study that keeps in mind the needs of butterfly collectors and of all those who love the country in the hope that it may increase their pleasure by widening the scope ...

  • Lichens synopsis, comments

    Lichens

    Oliver Gilbert

    Lichens are fascinating and beautiful organisms able to colonise a vast range of habitats, including seemingly impossible places such as bare icy mountain tops and sunscorched coas...

  • The Sea Coast synopsis, comments

    The Sea Coast

    J. A. Steers

    The Sea Coast shows in a persuasive and compelling way the origin and evolution of cliffs, estuaries, sea marshes, sand dunes and the communities of plants and animals that they su...

  • Climate and the British Scene synopsis, comments

    Climate and the British Scene

    Gordon Manley

    From Chaucer’s sweet April showers to the peasoupers of Sherlock Holmes the British scene cannot be contemplated without climate entering in. This edition is exclusive to newnatura...

  • Mountains and Moorlands synopsis, comments

    Mountains and Moorlands

    W. H. Pearsall

    An invaluable introduction to the upland regions of Britain – their structure, climate, vegetation and animal life, their present and past uses and the problems of their conservati...

  • Life Between the Tides synopsis, comments

    Life Between the Tides

    Adam Nicolson

    Adam Nicolson explores the marine life inhabiting seashore rockpools with a scientist’s curiosity and a poet’s wonder in this beautifully illustrated book.The sea is not made of wa...

  • The Broads synopsis, comments

    The Broads

    E. A. Ellis

    The Broads discusses the history of the Broads, the people who come into contact with and influence these waterways, and what the future holds.The unique complex of eastern English...

  • Moths synopsis, comments

    Moths

    Mike Majerus

    Moths provides a comprehensive account of the diverse natural history of these fascinating and popular insects. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comAnother volume in the...

  • British Game synopsis, comments

    British Game

    Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald

    British Game ranges beyond the strict legal interpretation of game and is full of interesting details about the birds and beasts that should interest sportsmen. This edition is exc...

  • Plant Galls synopsis, comments

    Plant Galls

    Margaret Redfern

    A muchneeded study on plant galls – growths on plants formed of plant tissue that are caused by other organisms.Most naturalists have come across oak apples, robin’s pincushions, m...

  • The Folklore of Birds synopsis, comments

    The Folklore of Birds

    Edward A. Armstrong

    Tracing the magicoreligious beliefs surrounding birds as far back in time as is possible, to the cultures in which these beliefs arose. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists....

  • Sea-Birds synopsis, comments

    Sea-Birds

    James Fisher & R. M. Lockley

    SeaBirds introduces us to the seabirds of the North Atlantic, an ocean in which about half the world seabird species have been seen at one time or another. This edition is exclusiv...

  • Ants synopsis, comments

    Ants

    M. V. Brian

    Ants should provide both the amateur naturalist and the professional zoologist with a valuable source of reference, and a fascinating account of the lives of an intriguing group of...

  • Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone synopsis, comments

    Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone

    J. E. Lousley

    Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone will urge many to follow in the author’s footsteps in search of the rich flora which make our chalk downs and limestone cliffs so fascinating to...

  • Ecology and Natural History synopsis, comments

    Ecology and Natural History

    David Wilkinson

    Ecology is the science of ecosystems, of habitats, of our world and its future. In the latest New Naturalist, ecologist David M. Wilkinson explains key ideas of this crucial branch...

  • Natural History in the Highlands and Islands synopsis, comments

    Natural History in the Highlands and Islands

    F. Fraser Darling

    The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are rugged moorland, alpine mountains and jagged coast with remarkable natural history. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comThe Hig...

  • Plant Disease synopsis, comments

    Plant Disease

    David Ingram & Noel Robertson

    Plant Disease covers all aspects of diseases of plants growing in the wild or likely to be encountered on cultivated plants in farm, forest and garden. This edition is exclusive to...

  • Seashore synopsis, comments

    Seashore

    Peter J. Hayward

    A comprehensive, authoritative account of the natural history of the seashore, from earliest times to the present day. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comThe seashore, ...

  • Hedgehog synopsis, comments

    Hedgehog

    Pat Morris

    The hedgehog is regularly voted Britain’s favourite mammal, and yet we know surprisingly little about the life of this spiny mammal. Pat Morris provides an allencompassing new stud...

  • Loch Lomondside synopsis, comments

    Loch Lomondside

    John Mitchell

    Loch Lomondside is celebrated for its outstanding scenery. The area supports a rich tapestry of water and wild land, forest and woodland, farmland and settlement. This edition is e...

  • Wild Orchids of Britain synopsis, comments

    Wild Orchids of Britain

    V. S. Summerhayes

    A treasure for all lovers of wild plants – Wild Orchids of Britain provides a detailed account of all our orchid species, varieties and hybrids, and has a useful key to identificat...

  • The Open Sea synopsis, comments

    The Open Sea

    Alister Hardy

    The New Naturalist editors believe this to be the greatest general work on the subject ever written. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comProfessor Alistair Hardy is trul...

  • Birds and Men synopsis, comments

    Birds and Men

    E. M. Nicholson

    Revealing the impact of civilisation upon our bird life, with particular reference to the species that have come to rely largely on types of habitat greatly modified or actually fo...

  • British Freshwater Fish synopsis, comments

    British Freshwater Fish

    P. S. Maitland & R. N. Campbell

    An indepth look at the fish that inhabit the fresh waters of Britain and Ireland. These include famous members of the salmon family, such as the Atlantic Salmon and the Brown Trout...

  • Plant Pests synopsis, comments

    Plant Pests

    David V. Alford

    Ever since man first cultivated plants and grew crops, insects, mites and other creatures have risen to prominence as pests, but it is only throughout the last two centuries that w...

  • The Soil synopsis, comments

    The Soil

    B. N. K. Davis, N. Walker, D. F. Ball & Alastair Fitter

    The soil is one of the great unsung disappearing resources, with over 100m tonnes being destroyed every year. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comThe soil is the work pl...

  • Bird Migration synopsis, comments

    Bird Migration

    Ian Newton

    The phenomenon of bird migration has fascinated people from time immemorial. The arrivals and departures of different species marked the seasons, heralding spring and autumn, and p...

  • Finches synopsis, comments

    Finches

    Ian Newton

    This illustrated survey of finch behaviour is a thorough, nontechnical account of the habits of these birds throughout the world.Greenfinches nest in plantations, large shrubby gar...

  • Woodlands synopsis, comments

    Woodlands

    Oliver Rackham

    The 100th volume of the prestigious New Naturalist series, written by one of Britain's bestknown naturalists, explores the significance and history of woodlands on the British land...

  • Bumblebees synopsis, comments

    Bumblebees

    John B. Free & C. G. Butler

    This group of relatively large, colourful and familiar insects are a very popular subject of study because their behaviour can be observed without the use of elaborate equipment. T...

  • Mushrooms and Toadstools synopsis, comments

    Mushrooms and Toadstools

    John Ramsbottom

    Britain's neglect of fungi as table delicacies has perhaps been responsible for our surprising ignorance of the natural history of such fascinating plants. This edition is exclusiv...

  • Ferns synopsis, comments

    Ferns

    Christopher N. Page

    Ferns gives the reader an introduction to the reasons for the variety of ferns in the British Isles, as well as the history of their development within this landscape and their use...

  • Climate and Weather synopsis, comments

    Climate and Weather

    John Kington

    Reviewing the history and causes of climatic change and evaluating regional models, this New Naturalist volume offers an important analysis of climatic variations.Much has happened...

  • Galloway and the Borders synopsis, comments

    Galloway and the Borders

    Derek Ratcliffe

    Another volume in the widelyread New Naturalist series, this book is an indepth study of the natural developments and history of Galloway and surrounding areas.Often overlooked due...

  • Insect Migration synopsis, comments

    Insect Migration

    C. B. Williams

    Highlighting the significance of the widespread distribution of the migratory habit throughout the insect world. This edition is exclusive to newnaturalists.comThis is a pioneer bo...

  • The Natural History of Pollination synopsis, comments

    The Natural History of Pollination

    Michael Proctor, Peter Yeo & Andrew Lack

    This is a brand new, fully updated edition of the natural history classic first published in the New Naturalist series in 1973 as The Pollination of Flowers. This edition is exclus...

  • Grouse synopsis, comments

    Grouse

    Adam Watson & Robert Moss

    With less than twenty species worldwide and only four British and Irish species, the grouse is surprisingly wellknown. Its habitats are diverse and relatively remote – ranging from...

  • The Natural History of Orkney synopsis, comments

    The Natural History of Orkney

    R. J. Berry

    This is the first survey of the islands' natural history, complete in one volume. Because Orkney is exceptional, it is vital reading for the serious naturalist, as well as for bein...

  • Gulls synopsis, comments

    Gulls

    Professor John C. Coulson

    The gull is a familiar sight by the seaside, and one of the most recognisable bird species, but most people know surprisingly little about the lives and habits of these seafaring b...

  • Insect Natural History synopsis, comments

    Insect Natural History

    A. D. Imms

    Insect Natural History introduces the reader to some of the latest discoveries and ideas about British Insects.This volume deals with the natural history of British insects, and in...

  • Dragonflies synopsis, comments

    Dragonflies

    Philip Corbet & Stephen Brooks

    Dragonflies are among the most ancient of living creatures – few insect groups fascinate as much or are more immediately recognisable.In this seminal new work, Philip Corbet and St...