Product Description

When Roger Deakin died in August 2006, his death was considered by many to be a great loss to literature. Notes From Walnut Tree Farm collects together the jottings, musings and observations with which he filled a series of notebooks for the last six years of his life. In this beautiful illustrated collection, descriptions of walks on Mellis Common and thoughts on the importance of nature sit side by side with memories of the past and musings about literature, while perfectly rendered observations of the tiny, missable visual details of everyday life are skilfully woven with a gentle, wise philosophy. Organised into twelve months of impressions, the notes reveal a passionate but gentle character and his extraordinary, restless curiosity. Capturing Deakin's unique turn of phrase and inspired use of language, and infused throughout with the magically meditative tranquillity of Walnut Tree Farm, this is a charming introduction to one of the most important of modern nature writers, or the perfect follow-up to Wildwood and Waterlog.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3800 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-25
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
'Superb. Totally fresh and vivid' - Chris Yates 'Deakin's account sings, as unruly and robust as the world he bore witness to ... Deakin's greatest gift is to make the ecologically minded life a matter of gleeful fun' Observer 'If anything this book is superior to Deakin's previous book Wildwood, which is saying something, since that was marvellous. The diary form works beautifully ... In just a few words, Deakin can delight and inspire in equal measure' - Tom Hodgkinson

About the Author
A filmmaker and writer with a particular interest in nature and the environment, Roger Deakin was the author of the highly acclaimed Waterlog and Wildwood. He lived in Suffolk, and died there in August 2006, aged 63.

Customer Reviews

A touching remembrance of Roger Deakin
Roger Deakin's notebooks have been lovingly put together into a year's diary. It is just that - observations, memories, comments - full of wisdom, knowledge and demonstrating his overwhelming love of the natural world around him. His sad, untimely death makes this book something really to be cherished.

After water and wood: notes
A nice hardback, with a good feel to the paper and binding. And this is just the kind of book you would want in hardback, as you will probably dip in for many years to come.
These are rather spare, often unconnected musings. Unconnected in the sense that, unlike in his "Waterlog" or "Wildwood", there is no particular theme. But as he is a pretty holistic person, there are links and mental ley-lines all over the place, so the musings flow into each other smoothly, like water off a spinning ball. It is nice to see the links to his other books: swimming in the moat, memories of Kyrgyzystan.
After water and wood I find myself looking for the third leg of a trilogy, a common theme. That is not there. He comes back to water, and to wood, and to many other subjects; so maybe the third leg of his trilogy is thought about all, and about All. "Looking, just looking, is all we have to do, to see the essential truth." And we get an insight in his looking, through his eye, into his fellow feeling for all living things, into his consideration for others.

My only (very small) niggle is that occasionally I feel the notes for several years have been mixed up, which is slightly uncomfortable. But overall these notes flow well, and they are very enjoyable. He is an excellent, natural writer, and I recommend this book for your pleasure - and for your thoughtfulness, too.

And it's nice to see him is searching for Jefferies' old book "Bevis" - on Amazon!

Review of Notes from Walnut Tree Farm
A book to be dipped into rather than read in one sitting. Worth reading for his keen observations of the natural world around him and his own depth of knowledge. I found some of his opinions naive and even innocent ( though there's no harm in that), and there was the uncomfortable feeling that I was reading stuff that an author of Deakin's ability would never have published were he alive. Indeed, if you're coming to Roger Deakin for the first time, I would highly recommend that you get "Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees" instead which is a beautiful book.