Nightwalking: Four Journeys Into Britain After Dark

by John Lewis-Stempel

At night, the normal rules of Nature do not apply. In the night-wood I have met a badger coming the other way, tipped my cap, said hello. The animals do not expect us humans to be abroad in the dark, which is their time, when the world still belongs to them.

That was in winter. The screaming of a tawny owl echoed off the bare trees. For all of our street-lamp civilization, you can still hear the call of the wild. If, if, you go out after the decline of the day...

As the human world settles down each evening, nocturnal animals prepare to take back the countryside. Taking readers on four walks through the four seasons, acclaimed nature writer and farmer John Lewis-Stempel reveals a world bursting with life and normally hidden from view. Out beyond the cities, it is still possible to see the night sky full of stars, or witness a moonbow, an arch of white light in the heavens.

It is time for us to leave our lairs and go tramping. To join our fellow creatures of the night.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Natural History, Science, Audiobook, Travel

104 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2022

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the four books I've read about walking around England after dark*, this was the best written but the least substantial. I mean, it adds poems, links, lists and a totally unnecessary glossary just to pad the text out to 100 pages! (That's been my problem with Lewis-Stempel's work ever since The Running Hare (2016): he publishes too much, too often, whereas his books would be so much better if he saved up his material and selected the best of the best. As it is, what he produces is lazy and repetitive, which is a real shame because his prose is top-notch. However, he's the one laughing his way to the bank.) So here we have narratives about walking at night, on or near his Shropshire farm or in France, in each of the four seasons. For some reason, these are separate from the "Night Notes" delivered in diary format afterwards. He takes one or more dogs with him, and encounters a badger and a fox. The atmosphere is pure magic.

*The others are Dark Skies by Tiffany Francis, Under the Stars by Matt Gaw (the overall best), and Nightwalk by Chris Yates.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent read, and for me something of a challenge. Why don't more of us walk after dark? We can't truly say we know our landscape, flora and fauna, unless we experience it's nocturnal dimension. Lewis-Stempel describes vividly what he has sensed, seen, and heard during his night rambles, and how this is a markedly different experience from wandering in daylight hours. Truly, a refreshing, and rounded approach to the great outdoors.

[Erik B.K.K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cosy, homely and warm read. Very visual. The illustrations are beautiful. Way too short though.

[Kate Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joyful read of nature at night. A walk in the deepest darkest night is something I would fear even in the countryside, but Lewis Stempel brings your senses alive with rich language and thought. I will now read his book about The Oak!

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author takes the reader on four seasonal walks through the countryside. Witness nature through Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

I had high hopes for this one but it fell a little flat. The writing was incredibly verbose, which did actually make me read more slowly than usual. But I got a bit frustrated with his habit of using five words when one would have done.

And even with all those extra words it’s a very short book. In fact each passage about the different seasons is only around 8 pages long. Throw in the odd poem and a few sporadic seasonal diary entries and that’s the book. Not much to it at all.

If you’re a nature lover though there’s definitely much to enjoy here. It’s atmospheric, calm and peaceful. And it did make me wish that I could experience a night walk myself. Sadly as a woman, there’s zero chance of that.

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept, but a little forgettable in execution.
I liked the addition of quotes and poems.

[Buchdoktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wenn John Lewis-Stempel seine Farm in Herefordshire mitsamt Wäldchen und Teich betrachten will, muss er dazu nur in sein vertrautes Revier unmittelbar vor der Haustür treten. Die Beschreibung seiner Nachtwanderungen in vier Jahreszeiten-Kapiteln holt weiter aus und umfasst z. B. seine Initiation als nachtaktiver Jugendlicher auf dem Heimweg aus der Kneipe bis zur elterlichen Farm oder in der Gegenwart den 16km-Weg vom Bahnhof zur Farm, nachdem abends der letzte Bus bereits abgefahren ist. Nachts unterwegs zu sein, bedeutet für den leidenschaftlichen Naturbeobachter, seine Sinne neu zu sortieren und sich stärker auf Gerüche und Geräusche zu konzentrieren. Das Betreten der neuen, nächtlichen Welt fordert veränderte Regeln und einen neuen Wortschatz von seinem Besucher. Mit dem Wäldchen (in dem er traditionell seine Kühe weiden lässt) und „seinem“ Bartkauz Old Brown treffen Lewis-Stempels Leser:innen auf Vertrautes aus seinen vorhergehenden Büchern. Trotz des extrem schmalen Umfangs von unter 100 Seiten bietet der Band in kleinen Dosen Neues für Fans von Nature-Writing. So zitiert der Autor aus seinen Natur-Tagebüchern, lässt ausgewählte Texte anderer Autoren abdrucken und bietet außer Biolumineszenz auf seiner Sumpfwiese Interessantes mit dem Thema Lichtverschmutzung/Dark Sky Reserve. Er entdeckt z. B. den Hasen im Mond, ohne dazu europäischen Boden verlassen zu haben, und erklärt, warum so viele Blüten weiß sind. Auch erzählt er vom Winter in Herefordshire, den ich mir als Nicht-Britin stets schwer vorstellen konnte.

Für die tägliche kurze Dosis Nature-Writing liegt der schmale Band mit Lesebändchen gut in der Hand; das Wissen, dass sein Autor seit Jahrzehnten Natur-Tagebuch führt, weckt allerdings die Neugier auf zukünftige umfangreichere Texte.

[Naomi J · Rating 5 out of 5]

“To walk the British countryside at night is to enter a dark, adventurous continent from which one returns with an explorer’s tales of wonders. I have seen a moon-bow, an arch of white light in the heavens; I have watched hares box in a star-charmed, wave-earthed plough field; I have learned our human insignificance by gazing up at the cosmic sprawl of the Milky Way.
At night, the normal rules of nature do not apply. In the night wood I have met a badger coming the other way, tipped my cap, said hello. The animals do not expect us humans to be abroad in the dark, which is their time, when the world still belongs to them. (…)
And now the North Star has been switched on, and the lane will be lit by the moon. So it is time once again for me to leave my lair, and go walking. To join the creatures of the night.”

In this poetically written, comforting book, John Lewis-Stempel takes us on four night walks in rural Hertfordshire, one in each season, describing the sights, smells, sounds and feelings he encounters on his way. The book also incorporates poetry about the Night and Nightwalking from poets such as John Clare and William Wordsworth and is illustrated beautifully with atmospheric line drawings by Beci Kelly and other artists.

A book which envelops you in a dark, velvety embrace, full of the wonders of night in the British countryside. Beautiful!

[Coral Davies · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointment.

I was hoping for x4 atmospheric reads where I could plunge into the prose of the author and walk alongside him during his midnight rambles.

But I found the language unforgiving and unnecessarily obscure. Having to look up terminology every few sentences breaks any immersion I may have with a book and therefor this failed fundamentaly for me.

There were some lovely descriptions and interesting anecdotes but this was essentially a jumble of ideas.

It felt like there was no real purpose to the book until suddenly at the end I was being told light pollution can disrupt my sleep pattern and cause cancer. I mean, what? Then there's a bunch of links to places I can go see the stars and recommendations for closing the blinds. I see.

It felt like a wild end to a book with a premise focusing on experiences in night time Britain. A book claiming to "reveal a world bursting with life and normally hidden from view" but really is just a nicely worded description of some owls and a badger that then goes on to make a moralistic stance.

Lucky it got 2 stars really.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely lovely little book <3

With every line, John Lewis-Stempel manages to carry his love for nature, animals, and nightwalks (obviously, this is what the book is about) to the reader. I also enjoyed the quotes he includes from other (more ancient) nature writers and I fell in love with every drawing picturing a detail of the walk that was just described in words.

A little book which despite its thinness made me feel like walking side by side with John Lewis-Stempel on each of the four walks through England (and Wales, and France).

I love his prose, the images he brings to life, the connection he feels to nature and everything around him and that accompanies every description.

"I must have fallen asleep for a moment or two. When I next opened my eyes, the dog had its head on my lap and was slumbering, but all around us the earth had erupted with silver rabbits washing their faces with moon dew. I could have touched them. The fern had worked. I was invisible."

[Matt Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretentious and meandering, unoriginal and self-regarding. Thick, hackneyed prose arranged in a humdrum sort of fashion. Mercifully short but not literally offensive

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent little book regarding four night time walks, it describes the wild animals and his feelings. He also throws in a few poems and information on light pollution. 3.5 stars.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this collection of stories/ observations about walking in the Herefordshire countryside at nighttime. Lewis-Stempel's imagery and descriptions are so beautifully written and his writing has made me think twice about how I look at the world and nature. I also loved all of the illustrations and the poems he chose to go alongside each chapter. I do feel as though this could have been fleshed out more as it was only 100 pages long.

[Matt Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmm… the author has a very deep knowledge of the countryside. He describes lots of different bird and animal calls. He knows a lot about most of the wildlife to be found in the UK. I love the idea of walking at night in the woods, and used to do so regularly. I must give it another go, and this time pay more attention to my surroundings.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetic, lyrical and atmospheric. I’m rather a stranger to the night walk and life after dark, as I don’t often go walking in the night but it was brilliant to experience it through John Lewis-Stempel’s written word.

As a lone woman, I don’t think I’d ever feel confident enough to but it made me think of and see the nighttime wildlife in a different light.

Split into different walks during different seasons, it was a beautiful read. Or listen as I had the audiobook whilst out on my ‘day’ walks! I enjoyed the night notes and reading about some of the spectacular sights that he came across. It was a quick, easy listen.

[Beth N · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty sequence of vignettes describing nighttime walks taken in the author's local countryside and the wildlife encountered thereupon. Uncomplicated, reassuring, and makes you want to head out to the nearest patch of dark countryside to see what nocturnal adventures you might discover for yourself.

[Sara Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful little book, with honey-smooth narration by Robert Bathurst. Reminds me of Robert Macfarlane’s journeys.
I’m not a great nature fan or walker but the sights and sounds (and sometimes smells) are wonderfully evocative. There is something very quiet and immediate about night time walks and these are perfect to listen to before falling asleep.

[Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I’m always attracted to night literature & art this little book was an obvious fit for me. Lewis-Stempel writes beautifully with such an affinity for Nature it’s hard for me to make any negative criticism whatsoever. Equally beautiful illustrations made me wish this wasn’t a library book. This is a short but delightful, informative ramble through the night. I read it with relish.

[Julz Iro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tickles my urge to travel and wonder in the night, to capture all that moonlight adventures have to offer. A very soothing read

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

“...rings um uns herum hatte die Erde sich aufgetan und silberne Kaninchen hervorgebracht, die ihre Gesichter in Mondtau wuschen. Ich hätte sie berühren können. Der Farn hatte funktioniert. Ich war unsichtbar.” (John Lewis-Stempel “Wandern bei Nacht”, Aus dem Englischen von Sofia Blind, Dumontverlag, S. 65)


Andere machen Yoga oder meditieren, um sich zu erden und runter zu kommen. Ich lese zu diesem Zweck ganz einfach die Bücher von John Lewis-Stempel, vor allem, wenn ich gerade keine Zeit und Muße habe, selbst in die Natur zu gehen - oder, wenn es Nacht ist. Denn wie Lewis-Stempel sagt: “Nachts sind die normalen Regeln der Natur außer Kraft. [...] Die Tiere rechnen nicht damit, dass wir Menschen im Dunkeln draußen sind; das ist ihre Zeit, und die Welt gehört noch ganz ihnen.” (S. 14) Nur die Wenigsten wagen sich im Dunkel nach draußen, vor allem nicht auf dem Land, wo die wirklich wahre Dunkelheit herrscht. Denn wir modernen Menschen “haben die Nacht verbannt, schon vor langer Zeit.” (S. 16)


Lewis-Stempel nimmt uns mit auf vier Nachtspaziergänge, die er in seiner heimatlichen englischen Grafschaft Herefordshire unternommen hat. Viermal Nachterlebnisse in vier Lebensräumen (Wald, Fluss, Hügel, Feld) zu allen vier Jahreszeiten. Alles in Begleitung seines Hundes Edith, denn: “ein Mann, der nachts alleine herumläuft, wird als Krimineller betrachtet. Es sei denn, er führt seinen Hund aus.” (S. 18) Ich mag den sehr feinen Humor von Lewis-Stempel und ich mag seine wunderschöne Prosa, von der sich manche Literat:innen eine Scheibe abschneiden können. Ich könnte euch jetzt seitenweise Zitate hier einfügen, um dies zu belegen und muss mich sehr zurückhalten, diese Rezension nicht nur aus Zitaten bestehen zu lassen. Habe ich schon die “Nachtnotizen” erwähnt, die sich an die Schilderungen der Spaziergänge anschließen? Eine Art Tagebuch Lewis-Stempels, in dem er die nächtlichen Beobachtungen zur jeweiligen Jahreszeit festhält. Die Begegnungen mit verschiedenen Tieren (Fledermaus, Fuchs, Eule, bellende Rehe, Igel, etc.) und Gedanken zur nächtlichen Fauna und zum Wetter. Der Autor ist auch Landwirt, was im Buch immer wieder eine Rolle spielt. Wir begleiten ihn also durchaus auch, wenn er um fünf Uhr früh aufsteht, um seine Kühe zum Tuberkulosetest von der Weide zu holen. Wer sich also für den Alltag eines Landwirts interessiert, sollte das Buch auch lesen.


“Wandern bei Nacht” ist ein “Wohlfühlsachbuch” zum Schwelgen und Schwärmen. Durch die poetischen Worte des Autors werden wir Zeug*innen ganz wundersamer Naturschauspiele - ob es der “Mondbogen” (ein nächtlicher Regenbogen) im Winter ist, das “Irrlicht”/”Elfenfeuer” im Frühling oder “foxfire”, das Leuchten mancher Pilzarten in der Finsternis einer Herbstnacht. Typisch für das Schreiben Lewis-Stempels ist die Untermalung seiner Prosa mit Auszügen aus Gedichten berühmter Schriftsteller:innen. Das macht das Ganze fast mehr zu einem literarischen Gesamtkunstwerk als zu einem Sachbuch. Aber auch den “Faktenfreund:innen” wird der Autor mehr als gerecht. Neben dem Faktenwissen im Fließtext gibt es ein ausführliches “Glossar für Nachtwanderungen”, ein Quellenverzeichnis und im Epilog interessante Fakten zum Thema “Lichtverschmutzung” - für die Tiere ist diese leider eine zunehmend große Bedrohung. Dass es auch in Deutschland sogenannte “Lichtschutzgebiete” gibt, war mir z.B. völlig neu.


Lewis-Stempel öffnet mit seinen Büchern unseren Blick für die Schönheit und Magie der Natur. Anhand seiner Nachtwanderungen versetzt er uns in eine Welt, die uns modernen Menschen scheinbar verschlossen scheint. Möglicherweise wird die ein oder andere lesende Person nun selbst dazu animiert, auf eine ganz besondere eigene Entdeckungsreise im Dunkeln zu gehen.


Wunderschön, zum “immer-wieder-Lesen” und perfekt als Geschenk geeignet, auch für Menschen, die scheinbar schon alles besitzen. Alle Sterne des Nachthimmels für dieses Buch!

[L · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim in a bookshop because the cover was beautiful, I enjoy nature writing, and it opens with a Robert Frost poem that I love - all seemed good signs.

I started reading it and was disappointed that in the introduction he makes no effort to acknowledge that he is a white man and therefore can go for a walk in the middle of the night without really thinking about it. In fact, it might have been better if he'd ignored this entirely but instead he says basically, oh boo hoo I can't walk at night without people thinking I'm a criminal - but it's OK as long as I take my dog no-one does. That's it. Most women would not feel safe walking alone at night, and he doesn't even acknowledge that in being able to have this freedom he has something many people don't. And if he thinks people might think he's a criminal, I'd imagine that would be even more likely if he wasn't white. He quotes lots of writers in the book but only one of them is female. But I thought I'd put this aside as a minor criticism and enjoy the book.

Except the writing is just awful. It's so over the top, it reads like someone trying to shoehorn in every difficult word or metaphor just to sound more like a "writer". Most of the words I understood and it's still very jarring. Some examples:
"seven old oaks, ivy-crawled columns of a forgotten temple"
"on a low branch overhead was the ebony statue of a male pheasant"
"I felt a hot ribbon of blood. Before I could suck the stigmata, a tawny owl...flew away"
"the stars were unavailable due to the lofty scribbled scripture of the trees"
"I understood more clearly than hitherto why tawny owls were called wood owls"
"When we debouched the woods, the pearlescent valley was spread before us"

It goes on like this and was just frustrating because the sentences were so bad - how did an editor not sort this? Clearly there are people who enjoy this type of writing because there are some good reviews on here but I think it's awful, just not for me. It's also a weird mix of sentences like those above, and random facts about nature stuck in between.

I was surprised to read that he has won a prize for nature writing because to me the writing seemed awkward and forced but I must be in the minority - which is fine, we all enjoy different things.

I don't often write long reviews of books I didn't enjoy as I don't often finish them, but this was very short - and even then I skim-read towards the end as it was so irritating to read.

[Lena Friebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

•Buchrezi• 🤫

Zum Inhalt: Winter, Frühling, Sommer, Herbst. Ein Mann, sein Hund und um die beiden herum, die Natur. Spaziergänge bei Nacht sind etwas ganz besonderes, die Natur erwacht. Zu jeder Jahreszeit kommen andere Tiere aus ihren Höhlen und Verstecken. Sei es der neugierige Fuchs, der Dachs, der seinen unangenehmen Geruch versprüht, oder die kleine Igeldame, die all abendlich ihr Umfeld erkundet. Der Sternenhimmel klar, doch leider nicht so klar, wie er sein sollte… Die Geräusche der Natur laut und schön. Vögel und Fledermäuse, die auf Beutezug durch die tiefe Nacht sausen und mittendrin ein Mann und sein Hund, die dieses Spektakel aufsaugen und sich in der Dunkelheit zuhause fühlen.

Mein Fazit: Der Autor hat hier eine kleine und ganz wunderbare Geschichte, über seine Erfahrungen bei Nacht niedergeschrieben. Poetisch und wunderbar bildlich habe ich ihn und seinen Hund durch die Nacht begleitet, habe die Luft und die Geräusch praktisch aufgesogen. Habe mich am Fluss wiedergefunden und all abendlich die kleine Igeldame gegrüßt. Ob Winter, Frühling, Sommer oder Herbst, jede Jahreszeit ist für sich etwas ganz besonderes. Als Dorfkind konnte ich tief in die Geschichte eintauchen, weil ich auch solche Spaziergänge erlebt und genossen habe. Zwischendrin gibt es passend zur Jahreszeit immer mal wieder Gedichte und kurze Tagesanekdoten vom erlebten. Doch am besten haben mir die langen Spaziergänge gefallen, die ich über mehrere Seiten verfolgt und in die ich eintauchen konnte. Gut hat mir auch gefallen, dass er zum Ende aufmerksam auf die Lichtverschmutzung macht und wir dadurch keinen klaren Blick in den wunderschönen Sternenhimmel haben. Allerdings gibt es Plätze, wo das noch möglich ist, ein paar davon finden sich im Buch wieder. Ich mochte das Buch sehr, es hätte aber durchaus länger sein können 😉, zum Ende hätte ich mir noch ein Zusammenfassung der Jahreszeiten und deren Besonderheiten gewünscht.
🦔🦔🦔🦔 von fünf 🦔n!

[Lars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kurzes Büchlein vom britischen Farmer und Autor John Lewis-Stempel, in dem sich wieder mal alles um die Begegnung mit der Natur dreht. Diesmal geht es, wie der Titel schon sagt, um nächtliche Begegnungen, die der Autor einmal wieder sehr stimmungsvoll, mit schönen Bildern (und teils auch selbstironischen Worten) aufs Papier bringt. Hier ein paar Zitate:

"An beiden Orten hängen die Sterne so tief, dass man sie pflücken kann wie Diamanten von einer Stoffbahn aus schwarzem Samt."

"Als ich aus dem Auto stiegt, was der blassviolette Himmel sanft und warm, und mir schien, als hätte niemals Winter geherrscht und als könnte es niemals wieder welchen geben."

"Es gibt eine Seelenverwandtschaft zwischen Mond und Birken, deren Rinde aus gewickeltem Mondlicht besteht."

Wie man sieht, also gewohnt bezaubernde Lewis-Stempel-Kost. Wer seine anderen Werke mochte, kann hier bedenkenlos zugreifen. Einziger Makel ist, dass dieses Buch wirklich arg kurz ist. Auf die über 100 Seiten kommt man nur, wenn man das Glossar, das Linkverzeichnis und die am Ende stehende Leseproben mit zum Inhalt zählt - die reinen Nachwanderungen beschränken sich auf 40, 50 Seiten. Das ist zum einen ein bisschen frech, was die Preisgestaltung des Verlags angeht (22 Euro für die Hardcover-Ausgabe, 18 Euro als E-Book), zum anderen hätte ich über gewisse Themen wie Lichtverschmutzung durchaus gern noch mehr erfahren als drei, vier Seiten.

Aber: Lieber ein Mini-Buch von Lewis-Stempel als gar keins. Jetzt fehlt mir nur noch die Eule.

[Joshua Fundafunda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was recommended this book by my Aunt on a nightime walk by starlight some five months ago. It was a very meditative stroll as we acclimated ourselves to the pitch dark and eased into the night around us. The crystal clear Milky-Way galaxy painted the massive sky-scape above me and I was left with a feeling of awe that stayed with me for the weeks and months afterwards. This book, I happily reported back to my Aunt, brought that feeling right back.

The four short journeys (one walk in each season in England) detailed in the books follow a straightforward structure. Stemple, accompanied by one or two of his dogs, take to the Herefordshire farm-roads and public footpaths after dark, which he presents with lyrical prose. In all honesty, it's a little repetitive. I felt gripped by the mutual feeling of love for being outdoors, and my newfound interest in the subject of nighttime walking, but was hoping for a little more substance on the surrounding subject matter. He touches on a great deal (land laws in the UK, animal behaviour, human relations to nature, the biology of fauna and flora alike) but he really only grazes the surface; I think there's a much more meandering, research driven, multi-disciplinary book that ought to be built within this story-telling structure. Maybe I digress.

The prose itself really holds its own and was another factor that kept me reading. I was particularly impressed by one description of a supermoon, now lingering "in the [daytime] sky, a thumbprint on blue glass" - genius.

An alright book that resonated strongly with a memorable experience.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Lewis-Stempel nimmt seine Leser auf vier Wanderungen durch die Landschaft rund um seine Farm mit. Jede von ihnen findet in einer anderen Jahreszeit statt​ und jede wird nachts unternommen. Tagsüber hat er keine Zeit dafür, die Arbeit auf der Farm nimmt seine gesamte Zeit in Anspruch. Nur nachts hat er die Zeit und macht sich gemeinsam mit seinem Hund auf den Weg

Auch wenn es sich um jeweils nur eine der zahlreichen Wanderungen handelt, die John Lewis-Stempel nachts unternimmt, hat er mich trotzdem an der ganzen Jahreszeit teilnehmen lassen. Er schreibt nicht nur darüber, was er erlebt hat, sondern fügt jedem Kapitel das Tagebuch der jeweiligen Jahreszeit dazu. Dazu kommen noch Gedichte anderer Schriftsteller und Bilder dazu. So erzählt er nicht nur die Geschichte seiner Wanderung, sondern auch die anderer Menschen, die er bewundert.

So sehr er die Nächte auch genießt: John Lewis-Stempel weiß auch, dass sie immer heller werden. Es gibt immer mehr Licht, die die Nacht zwar nicht zum Tag macht, aber trotzdem wird es zum Beispiel immer schwieriger, nachts die Sterne zu sehen. Zumindest in der Stadt. Aber am Ende gibt es eine Liste von sieben "International dark sky reserves", in denen das noch möglich ist.

Es ist ein kleines, aber sehr feines Buch, bei dem es um viel mehr geht als nur das Unterwegssein in der Nacht.

[LayDownYourSoul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me.

I wasn't a fan of the writing style, and I felt the writer stressed the wrong aspects of these journeys. The book seemed to focus more on matter-of-fact descriptions of animals in ways that at times bordered on disgusting, and in comparison didn't dwell enough (for me) on things like rare atmospheric phenomena mentioned. There was a contrast in tone between many of the poems prefacing the stories and the stories themselves, whose tone I didn't enjoy as much.

The author himself mentions not wanting to become too accustomed to the night lest it loses its power (the "explorer's wonder"). But I felt the lack of this wonder to a certain extent, compounded by the allusions to this being a routine activity, an identity, something he has been doing for decades.

I enjoyed the notes from individual nights more than the four cores stories, but was left confused by the format. Were the core stories amalgams of the notes from individual dates (combined or inspired by each season), or a single especially notable one chosen to expand on?

There were some nice scenes and moments (such as him waking up and finding himself surrounded by rabbits), and some interesting things to follow up on based on these stories.

[Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first of his, and I see why he's a popular nature writer. It's a nice mix of stream-of-consciousness style, cameralike observation with poetry and natural science. But it's barely a standalone book, it's more like an essay. It's well under 100 pages and that includes section transitions, lots of (beautiful!) illustrations, nighttime-related poems (by other authors), a glossary (unfortunately for fairly common earth science terms and not for any of the big and obscure vocabulary words he uses), pages of dark sky resources, and several pages advertising some of his other books.

It feels a bit of a ripoff to sell this as a standalone book. I gather that he publishes prolifically and is popular enough in the UK to get away with these kind of frequent but short outputs but it honestly wasn't worth the price. It also seemed a big missed opportunity not to include more detailed information or stories about what excessive light pollution is doing that's so damaging. It was covered in just a few lines followed by the mentioned references. I think a little more page space given to how damaging light pollution is and more ideas of how to help would have been really worthwhile.

[Stephen Dunstan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first John Lewis-Stempel I've read. I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars, so in the end I've been generous.

As some other reviewers have said it's excessively florid and uses deliberately obscure words in places. Elsewhere though it's brilliantly perceptive and overall it does make you think about nocturnal animals differently.

I know this is Goodreads not Tripadvisor but value for money was one reason I was wobbling between 3 and 4 stars. I knew when I ordered it that it was only 100 pages but even that significantly overstates it. By the time you've stripped out poems by other authors, illustrations and footnotes to each walk giving other observations from the same season it's 30 pages long. Even with the footnotes I had read it in an hour and a half.

And this is probably just me but the 'nightwalker's glossary' includes:

'Blue Moon : Traditionally, something that never or rarely happens.'

Which is about as relevant to nightwalking as including a definition of pulling a moonie, being over the moon etc etc.

[Snoakes · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Nightwalking, John Lewis-Stempel invites us to accompany him on four nocturnal rambles, one for each season.

As well as the walk itself, each chapter includes diary entries from that time of year that touch on similar themes to the walk. There are also beautiful poems that throw a little more moonlight on proceedings.

As ever, his writing is gorgeous and immersive, bringing these nightscapes into vibrant, if monochromatic, relief:

"Yesterday during the day it had rained sweetly, and the wet grass lapped at my knees, each wavelet releasing a burst of clover scent; everywhere the shallow black sea was punctuated by white campion and moon daisies, which loomed in the dark grass like phosphorescent plankton risen from the benthos. Nothing seemed solid, or distinct, and the row of oaks on the hill, which by daylight are lordly and muscled, were remodelled in Fuzzy-Felt."

It's always a delight to be in John Lewis-Stempel's company - I would just have liked it to last a little longer.