Winner of the Wainwright Prize 2022 – Eating to Extinction is an astonishing journey through the past, present and future of food, showing why reclaiming a diverse food culture is vital.

‘Saladino inspires us to believe that turning the tide is still possible’ Yotam Ottolenghi

From a tiny crimson pear in the west of England to an exploding corn in Mexico, there are thousands of foods that are at risk of being lost for ever. Dan Saladino spans the globe to uncover their stories, meeting the pioneering farmers, scientists, cooks, food producers and indigenous communities who are defending food traditions and fighting for change.

Eating to Extinction is about so much more than preserving the past. It is about the crisis facing our planet today, and why reclaiming a diverse food culture is vital for our future.

* With a new preface by the author *

Winner of multiple awards, including the Fortnum & Mason Food Book Award and the Guild of Food Writers Food Book Award.

‘I love this book… I wish the whole world could read it’ Raymond Blanc

‘A brilliant read’ Tim Spector

Ornamental plants are the cornerstone of our gardens and we are spoiled for choice with literally tens of thousands of hardy beauties from which to select. But we take them absolutely for granted, not for a moment realising that every plant has a fascinating tale to tell. Wild Edens sets the record straight.

With global coverage, each of the nine richly illustrated chapters explores a plant biodiversity hotspot. The reader is transported on a visually stunning and fascinating voyage of discovery which reveals our garden favourites – as well as some species that should be more widely cultivated – in their natural habitats, from daffodils from Andalusia and tulips from the Tien Shan, to monkey puzzles from Chile and rhododendrons from the Himalayas, lilies from Japan and proteas from South Africa.

Because the authors have been to the hotspots, each chapter opens with their personal reflections on the landscape and spirit of place, and closes with their selection of prime locations. In between, the informative yet approachable text tells of the plants’ ‘forgotten stories’. Of the landscapes which are their home, the adventures of how and when they were discovered and by whom, the reasons why they were collected, their impact on garden fashions and trends, etc.

Wild Edens brings another dimension of interest and understanding to plants and gardens, as well as being a premium armchair traveller’s guide to the natural world of garden plants.

‘A fascinating story and a crucial revision of the momentous importance of tropical forests to human history‘ Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins
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Jungle tells the remarkable story of the world’s tropical forests, from the arrival of the first plants millions of years ago to the role of tropical forests in the evolution of the world’s atmosphere, the dinosaurs, the first mammals and even our own species and ancestors.

Highlighting provocative new evidence garnered from cutting-edge research, Dr Roberts shows, for example, that our view of humans as ‘savannah specialists’ is wildly wrong, and that the ‘Anthropocene’ began not with the Industrial Revolution, but potentially as early as 6,000 years ago in the tropics.

We see that the relationship between humankind and ‘jungles’ is deep-rooted, that we are all connected to their destruction, and that we must all act to save them. Urgent, clear-sighted and original, Jungle challenges the way we think about the world – and ourselves.
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‘Welcome to the “Jungle” – a breathtaking book‘ Mark Maslin, author of How to Save Our Planet

‘Timely, readable and highly relevant‘ Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

‘Its revelations and stories will stir, rearrange and populate your mind for years to come‘ Paul Hawken, editor of Drawdown

‘Brilliant … it delivers a timely warning about our abuse of the environment‘ David Abulafia, author of The Great Sea

‘Finally, a book on rainforests that does justice to their majesty and importance‘ Simon Lewis, co-author of The Human Planet

‘A book of wonders’ Bee Wilson, Sunday Times, Books of the Year

‘Dan Saladino inspires us to believe that turning the tide is still possible.’ Yotam Ottolenghi

‘I love this book… I wish the whole world could read it’ Raymond Blanc

Eating to Extinction is an astonishing journey through the past, present and future of food, a love letter to the diversity of global food cultures, and a work of great urgency and hope.

From a tiny crimson pear in the west of England to great chunks of fermented sheep meat in the Faroe Islands to an exploding corn in Mexico that might just hold the key to the future of food – these are just some of the thousands of foods around the world today that are at risk of being lost for ever.

In this captivating and wide-ranging book, Dan Saladino spans the globe to uncover the stories of these foods. He meets the pioneering farmers, scientists, cooks, food producers and indigenous communities who are preserving food traditions and fighting for change. All human history is woven through these stories, from the first great migrations to the slave trade to the refugee crisis today. But Eating to Extinction is about so much more than preserving the past. Eating to Extinction reveals a world at a crisis point: the future of our planet depends on reclaiming genetic biodiversity before it is too late.

‘A fascinating story and a crucial revision of the momentous importance of tropical forests to human history‘ Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins
_________________________

Jungle tells the remarkable story of the world’s tropical forests, from the arrival of the first plants millions of years ago to the role of tropical forests in the evolution of the world’s atmosphere, the dinosaurs, the first mammals and even our own species and ancestors.

Highlighting provocative new evidence garnered from cutting-edge research, Dr Roberts shows, for example, that our view of humans as ‘savannah specialists’ is wildly wrong, and that the ‘Anthropocene’ began not with the Industrial Revolution, but potentially as early as 6,000 years ago in the tropics.

We see that the relationship between humankind and ‘jungles’ is deep-rooted, that we are all connected to their destruction, and that we must all act to save them. Urgent, clear-sighted and original, Jungle challenges the way we think about the world – and ourselves.
_________________________

‘Welcome to the “Jungle” – a breathtaking book‘ Mark Maslin, author of How to Save Our Planet

‘Timely, readable and highly relevant‘ Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

‘Its revelations and stories will stir, rearrange and populate your mind for years to come‘ Paul Hawken, editor of Drawdown

‘Brilliant … it delivers a timely warning about our abuse of the environment‘ David Abulafia, author of The Great Sea

‘Finally, a book on rainforests that does justice to their majesty and importance‘ Simon Lewis, co-author of The Human Planet

‘A scientific memoir as gripping as any HBO drama series’ Kate Kellaway, Observer

A dazzling scientific detective story from the ecologist who first discovered the hidden language of trees

No one has done more to transform our understanding of trees than the world-renowned scientist Suzanne Simard. Now she shares the secrets of a lifetime spent uncovering startling truths about trees: their cooperation, healing capacity, memory, wisdom and sentience.

Raised in the forests of British Columbia, where her family has lived for generations, Professor Simard did not set out to be a scientist. She was working in the forest service when she first discovered how trees communicate underground through an immense web of fungi, at the centre of which lie the Mother Trees: the mysterious, powerful entities that nurture their kin and sustain the forest.

Though her ground-breaking findings were initially dismissed and even ridiculed, they are now firmly supported by the data. As her remarkable journey shows us, science is not a realm apart from ordinary life, but deeply connected with our humanity.

In Finding the Mother Tree, she reveals how the complex cycle of forest life – on which we rely for our existence – offers profound lessons about resilience and kinship, and must be preserved before it’s too late.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of A Sting In The Tale comes this practical guide to creating a paradise for pollinators.

There are twenty six different species of bumblebees to be found in the UK, of around 250 species worldwide. Bumblebees are among the most important of our insects; these superb pollinators ensure that wildflowers set seed and reappear each year, and that our vegetable and fruit crops give us bountiful harvests. With the decline in the populations of our wild bees, these beloved creatures need looking after more than ever.

Gardening for Bumblebees shows you how you can provide a refuge for bumblebees to feed, breed and thrive. No matter how large or small your space is, Dave Goulson shows you how you can make a pollinator-friendly haven. In this book you will learn the best trees, shrubs and flowers for pollinators, how to create the perfect nest and breeding site, and the best ways to control pests. Gardening For Bumblebees will encourage and inspire gardeners and allotmenters alike to make their patch more bee friendly.

Praise for Dave Goulson

‘Ideal for filling the garden with a happy hum’
Tiffany Daneff, Country Life

‘Goulson reminds himself that he ‘began studying bumblebees not because they are important pollinators but because they are fascinating, because they behave in interesting and mysterious ways, and because they are rather loveable’
Hannah Rosefield, Literary Review