Product Description

Even as a very young child, Simon King was passionate about the natural world. Being savaged by a rabid cheetah, charged at by rhinos and elephants and defecated upon by a long list of birds and other animals may sound like hell to some. But these, along with countless other experiences alongside all things furry, scaly, slimy and feathery have provided him with an enormously rich bank of tales to relive and retell.

With his professional life starting aged ten, acting in a television drama called The Fox, (for which he looked after an orphaned fox for two years at home), through projects such as Planet Earth, Blue Planet, Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Big Cat Diary to name just a few, Simon King has traveled to every continent and lived in extreme conditions from remote desert to Arctic and Antarctic wilderness.

With characteristic honesty and charm, Simon King weaves his animal stories amongst encounters with extraordinary people, and astonishing places to give us a memoir that will delight readers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2223 in Books
• Published on: 2009-08-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
'Heartwarming and candid' (Daily Mail )

'His book is packed with wild encounters' (Independent )

'This is a heart-warming, engagingly honest read' (Scotsman )

'Inspirational' (BBC Wildlife Magazine )

'Fascinating...Simon's passion is infectious, as anyone who's watched his programmes knows, and his enthusiasm pours from every word in his new book' (Beautiful Britain )

About the Author
Simon King was born in Nairobi, but moved to the UK in 1964 and has been working as a natural history film-maker for almost thirty years. Simon has worked on programmes such as Big Cat Diary and Blue Planet and presents Springwatch and Autumnwatch. He is an expert in his field, and has received EMMY, BAFTA and RTS awards for his work.

Customer Reviews

An adventurers tale
If there was nothing else on the front cover of this book, the photo would be enough. From this photo you need never have heard of Simon King to understand that this book would certainly contain something worth reading. I am never very sure of autobiographies/memoirs, the book shelves are full of them, many an egotistical and self indulgent romp with little of real interest. This book is not that at all. It starts with a common theme - childhood. With some delightful and often 'laugh out loud' observations and situations. Indeed, be careful if you accompany your reading with a nice drink - you are liable to end up spraying the pages, since the humour throughout the book appears from nowhere and can catch you off guard, 'rubby boot' being one of many hidden gems.
As you continue your way into the book, it becomes more of an adventurers tale, and you become absorbed in the 'amazing animals, extraordinary people and astonishing places'. This is someone who knows how to tell a great story, encompassing sights, smells (some right stinkers there are too!) and sounds into a narrative that puts you right into the place where the action is. There is some interesting insight into the technical side of film making (including the pitfalls of a full bladder!), but this never gets in the way of the main theme, which is to share the experiences this man has on planet earth. There is some profound sadness within the book, but it is dealt with in a quiet, considered way, since life after all is never simple and straightforward.
So, a book of adventures, a book to inspire travel and an interest in the natural world, a book to read in small bites, or all in one go, and a book that the whole family would enjoy (no lazy swear words or rough crudeness here).
I recommend it, if only to escape for a while into the wild world. A 'wild life' indeed.

A wonderful, wonder-filled read
Firstly, I am not usually a fan of biographies / autobiographies / memoirs or the like, but as someone who remembers Simon from when he first started appearing on TV, and being a huge fan of wildlife in all its variety, I immediately wanted to read this book. It was read, cover to cover, inside of three days and I loved every page. What an absorbing, fascinating read. Simon is a wonderful storyteller, and in my head as I read the words, I could hear his voice telling each story. His words are descriptive and colourful, and even without the photo's, I had an overwhelming sense of what he was describing. What is particularly lovely about his memoir is the humour with which it is told (to the irritation of my family, I laughed out loud throughout the book!!), and without doubt, his utter enthusiasm for his subject. He comes across as immensely likeable, and at no point does he ever take for granted how lucky he has been to have travelled the globe, working within a subject-field for which he holds such passion. My husband is now engrossed in my book, and when he finishes it, I have no doubt that i'll read it again. Simply wonderful.

Informative, fascinating insights from a life many would envy
The biographies of television personalities are often shallow affairs, highlighting their interactions with the great and the good. Simon King's wonderfully readable book is the absolute antithesis of this type of writing. He is incredibly honest about his life both in front of and behind the camera. As someone who remembers him as a child television personality it was a shock to realise that he has a son of university age. His childhood years as an animal obsessed youngster are well covered including the time he spent in front of the camera with angelic looks, big hair and even in those early days, a magical touch with animals. He was incredibly fortunate in having parents that encouraged him every step of the way, even when his mother's best saucepans were commandeered to boil rotting badger's heads...

The photographs are marvellous - Simon isn't afraid to poke fun at himself with these either. There's a great shot of him as a New Romantic teenager, unlikely though this may seem plus many wonderful wildlife pics. There are so many witty stories in the book, several of which made me laugh and shudder at the same time - particularly his story of the almost inevitable results of sleeping under a bat colony.

A great gift for any interested in wildlife both at home and abroad.