Nature through the Seasons

by Richard Adams, Max Hooper, David A. Goddard (Illustrator)

An eminent novelist and a scientist look at three typical English landscapes - river, woodland, meadow - and investigate the changes they undergo throughout the seasons. Their illuminating approaches to this fascinating subject are further complimented by David Goddard's beautiful full-colour illustrations of the three landscapes. Richard Adams exhibits all the insight and sensitivity that is to be expected from the author of Watership Down.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature

108 pages, Hardcover

First published June 26, 1975

About the author

Adams was born in Newbury, Berkshire. From 1933 until 1938 he was educated at Bradfield College. In 1938 he went up to Worcester College, Oxford to read Modern History. On 3 September 1939 Neville Chamberlain announced that the United Kingdom was at war with Germany. In 1940 Adams joined the British Army, in which he served until 1946. He received a class B discharge enabling him to return to Worcester to continue his studies for a further two years (1946-48). He took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1948 and of Master of Arts in 1953.

He was a senior civil servant who worked as an Assistant Secretary for the Department of Agriculture, later part of the Department of the Environment, from 1948 to 1974. Since 1974, following publication of his second novel, Shardik, he has been a full-time author.

He originally began telling the story of Watership Down to his two daughters, Juliet and Rosamund, and they insisted he publish it as a book. It took two years to write and was rejected by thirteen publishers. When Watership Down was finally published, it sold over a million copies in record time in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Watership Down has become a modern classic and won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 1972. To date, Adams' best-known work has sold over 50 million copies world-wide, earning him more than all his other books put together.

As of 1982, he was President of the RSPCA.

He also contested the 1983 general election, standing as an Independent Conservative in the Spelthorne constituency on a platform of opposition to fox hunting.

Reviews

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nature book by the author of Watership Down. Actually it has two authors and two illustrators; Adams wrote the "regular" text and Max Hooper wrote the "science texts" which I assume are the ones in the smaller typeface. David A. Goddard illustrated Adams's essays which describe the plant and animal life of the wood, the meadow and hedgerow, and the lake and stream in each of the four seasons. Goddard's illustrations are fabulous in their chock-a-block full overdetail, if a bit less than completely realistic. Adrian Williams illustrated the "science texts" which cover such topics as birds' beak shapes, animal life in an oak tree, pollination, pond life, seed dispersal, wild berries edible and poisonous, mushrooms edible and poisonous, overwintering and hibernation, and animal temperature control.

If I had more room I would keep this, but unfortunately it has to go.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief but enjoyable little hardback book, written by two authors and with many full-colour illustrations which are quirky and reminiscent of old woodcuts. I got this because of the Richard Adams connection; he contributes just over a page of text on three different habitats (woodland, hedgerow and watercourse) in each season of the year. His prose is whimsical and poetic and brings out a strong love of the English countryside which can't be faked. The second author contributes educational notes as to various processes and systems of the natural world which make up a picture of how ecosystems work. There's also plenty of identification of various plant, insect, and animal species.

[José Van Rosmalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Adams was onder meer de auteur van ‘Waterschapsheuvel’. In dit boek nemen hij en Max Hooper de lezer mee naar de natuur in de vier seizoenen. Ze beschrijven en tekenen de natuur in bos, veld en beek, in voorjaar, zomer, herfst en winter. De tekeningen van planten en dieren van David Goddard zijn een waardevolle aanvulling op de tekst. Een boek dat ik met plezier heb gelezen en bekeken. Nu in het voorjaar komen de lentekriebels weer op!

[Joeri Dassen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boek met heldere uitleg en schitterende plaatjes

[Chronicler of Creepy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible little book filled with one of a kind drawings of landscape as it changes through the seasons, including the flora and fauna.

[Kei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed this one. He loves his topic, and you can tell that as you read. I do, too, but I still think the style and flow of the writing would be a bit infectious. Decent primer on a number of things, although likely less accessible to many people now than when it was written. Adams triggered a lot of good memories of England as I was reading this, and even if that had been the only upside, it would have been well worth the read.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and very informative text well-organized into the seasonal change and detail.