Grasslands (Hardback)

Grasslands (Hardback)

The Intricate Life of Britain's Hidden Habitats

John Wright

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Discover the fascination and joy of grasslands with the bestselling author of The Forager's Calendar

***LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2026***

'Full of gems - I'll never again look at a field and think: 'It's just a patch of grass'' SPECTATOR

'A wonderful leap, with a wise guide, into the green we thought we knew' TRISTAN GOOLEY

'Wright is a joyful companion' CAROLINE QUENTIN

A sparkling green field. A dull and scrubby patch of grass. One is the sanitised evidence of monoculture, the other a world teeming with more life than you could ever imagine.

Join John Wright, one of our best-known naturalists, as he uncovers the beauty and rich diversity of Britain's grasslands. Bursting with mushrooms, lichen and wildflowers, home to butterflies, bees and beetles, and vital to foxes and birds alike, these grasslands are part of our natural heritage.

From meadows to mires to heathlands, John Wright introduces them in all their variety: the history of how grasslands came to be, what can be found there, what we risk with their loss and what can be done to save what is left. Most of all, he shows why we should care. Because grasslands are never just patches of grass.

Publication date: May 7, 2026

£22.00

ISBN: 9781781258101

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Travel & Nature

Grasslands (Accessible EPUBAccessible EPUB)

Grasslands (Ebook)

The Intricate Life of Britain's Hidden Habitats

John Wright

Buy from

Amazon Bookshop.org Kobo Apple Books

Discover the fascination and joy of grasslands with the bestselling author of The Forager's Calendar

***LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2026***

'Full of gems - I'll never again look at a field and think: 'It's just a patch of grass'' SPECTATOR

'A wonderful leap, with a wise guide, into the green we thought we knew' TRISTAN GOOLEY

'Wright is a joyful companion' CAROLINE QUENTIN

A sparkling green field. A dull and scrubby patch of grass. One is the sanitised evidence of monoculture, the other a world teeming with more life than you could ever imagine.

Join John Wright, one of our best-known naturalists, as he uncovers the beauty and rich diversity of Britain's grasslands. Bursting with mushrooms, lichen and wildflowers, home to butterflies, bees and beetles, and vital to foxes and birds alike, these grasslands are part of our natural heritage.

From meadows to mires to heathlands, John Wright introduces them in all their variety: the history of how grasslands came to be, what can be found there, what we risk with their loss and what can be done to save what is left. Most of all, he shows why we should care. Because grasslands are never just patches of grass.

Publication date: May 7, 2026

£16.99

ISBN: 9781782833406

ISBN 10 / ASIN: B07PFFS4H1

Imprint: Profile Books

Subject: Travel & Nature

Reviews for Grasslands

'John Wright's lovely new book is delightful from start to finish'

Christopher Hart Mail on Sunday

'After reading John Wright's book, you will never look at another 'patch of grass' in the same way again. Even for someone like me, who thinks he knows a thing or two about grasslands, the idea that from the point of view of a mycorrhizal fungus, a rockrose is just another tree, was both new and surprising. And linking the antiquity of anthills to the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm is so clever, I wish I'd thought of it myself. Fascinating and revelatory'

Ken Thompson, author of Common or Garden 

'Wright invites us to become Lilliputians, to take a 'bug's eye look' at grassland life and to learn to care about it. His enthusiasm is winning ... the book is full of gems. I'll not forget that an anthill is likely to be older than my grandmother and I will never again look at an apparently un-thrilling field and think: 'It's just a patch of grass''

Maggie Fergusson Spectator

'Naturalist John Wright uncovers the UK fields, meadows, mires and heathlands that are bursting with biodiversity'

 National Geographic

'What a pair of eyes John Wright has! Eyes for tiny things and the big picture; for biology, history, spirituality and everything else. And he is wise - that rarest and most important quality. He can lend you those extraordinary eyes. A walk through a field with him can transform you. You should go.'

Charles Foster, author of The Edges of the World

'Wright's long-overdue book delves into the history and ecology of Britain's grasslands in meticulous and tender detail. It is at once a compendium of the astonishing breadth of species found in these living places and their symbiotic relationships with each other, and a new bible for restoring a vital piece of nature in Britain'

Chantal Lyons, author of Groundbreakers 

'With his usual wit and warmth making expert insight accessible, Wright shows us why the hidden life of Britain's special grasslands makes them so much more than mere fields - and why we should fight to save those that remain.'

Luke Barley, author of Ancient 

'A wonderful leap, with a wise guide, into the green we thought we knew'

Tristan Gooley, author of How to Read a Tree 

'Wright opens a window on to a world of native meadows and coastal grasslands teeming with plant and animal life. This vital part of our heritage is at risk, but John's book sets out what can be done to preserve it'

The People's Friend 

'Naturalist John Wright shows how grassland is never just a patch of grass but a living tapestry bursting with all kinds of life. He looks at the history of grasslands, what can be found in them, what we risk with their loss and what can be done to save what is left'

 Gardens Illustrated

'Reveals the beauty and astonishing diversity of Britain's grasslands'

Country File 

'This is an extraordinary story, beautifully told. With erudition, patience, passion and no little humour, Wright draws us little by little into the very heart of this half-forgotten and frequently overlooked world. If grasslands were once at the unsexy end of conservation, this important contribution will ensure that they once again take their rightful place under the spotlight'

Roger Morgan-Grenville, author of Return of the Grey Partridge 

'Praise for John Wright'

 :

'Blissfully funny, staggeringly informative, a joyful companion'

Caroline Quentin 

'He writes so engagingly ... The Forager's Calendar is a treasure. It is beautifully produced, designed and illustrated'

John Carey The Sunday Times

'Writes as though he's talking directly to you, a good friend in the same room. His harvest of fascinating information is worn lightly, with funny, whimsical observations'

 BBC Countryfile

'Tells the endlessly fascinating tale of Britain's natural history in a way that makes every delicate detail sparkle with life'

Charlie Corbett, author of 12 Birds to Save Your Life 

'

Praise for The Natural History of the Hedgerow:
'[not] just a delightful one-off read but an invaluable work that will remain on my bookshelves for good.

'

 Sunday Times

'This fund of hedgerow knowledge is a beautifully presented fieldguide with plenty of vivid photos.'

 The Times

'Solid natural history from someone who knows his way around a billhook as well as he does a library. John Wright is full of hedge-magic - read the trick with the dogwood leaf - hedge lore and its place in the weave of British landscapes.'

 BBC Wildlife

John Wright

John Wright

John Wright is a naturalist and one of Great Britain's leading experts on fungi. His most recent book, The Naming of the Shrew: A Curious History of Latin Names was published by Bloomsbury in 2014. His publications include books on how to forage in hedgerows and seashores, on the delights and perils of gathering fungi and mushrooms, and how to make your own booze, all published in the popular River Cottage Handbook series.

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