Adam Nicolson Books

In almost 150 images Waite illuminates a new way of looking at the landscape in Britain while Nicolson provides perceptive essay on the different ways in which we respond and attempt to understand the landscape.

A photographic tribute to the English landscape, with 70 colour photographs.

The Battle of Trafalgar can claim to be one of the most known of the great human events. In Men of Honour, Adam Nicolson takes one of the greatest identifiable heroes in British history, Horatio Nelson, and examines the broader themes of heroism, violence and virtue. Trafalgar gripped the nineteenth century imagination like no other battle: it was a moment of both transcendent fulfilment and unmatched despair. It was a drama of such violence and sacrifice that the concept of total war may be argued to start from there. It finished the global ambitions of a European tyrant but culminated in the death of Admiral Horatio Nelson, the greatest hero of the era. This book fuses the immediate intensity of the battle with the deeper currents that were running at the time. It has a three-part framework: the long, slow six hour morning before the battle; the afternoon itself of terror, death and destruction; and the shocked, exultant and sobered aftermath ...

The writing is characterized by its complexity and depth, offering a bold exploration of personal themes. It vividly evokes the brutal imagery reminiscent of the Iliad, showcasing the harsh realities of conflict and the emotional turmoil that accompanies it. The piece stands out for its fearless approach, inviting readers to confront the raw and often painful aspects of human experience.

A fascinating, lively account of the making of the King James Bible.

Where does Homer come from? And why does Homer matter? His epic poems of war and suffering can still speak to us of the role of destiny in life, of cruelty, of humanity and its frailty, but why they do is a mystery. How can we be so intimate with something so distant?

Experience Wordsworth and Coleridge in a fresh light through Adam Nicolson's vibrant exploration of their lives and works, infused with poetry, art, and nature writing. This period, marked by the creation of iconic poems like "The Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan," showcases Coleridge's heartfelt hymns and Wordsworth's revolutionary contributions in "Lyrical Ballads" and "Tintern Abbey." Nicolson narrates the story of the late 1790s, detailing the time Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Dorothy, along with a dynamic circle of friends and followers, spent in the picturesque Quantock Hills of Somerset. The book delves into how the physical environment influenced their poetry, emphasizing that understanding the genesis of their work requires experiencing the varied seasons and moods of that year. It paints a portrait of these literary giants as young, ambitious, and troubled individuals, each in search of a vision of wholeness. Their poetry emerged not from settled ideas but from a shared adventure, aiming to peel away the layers of consciousness. For them, poetry was more than mere decoration; it was a bold challenge to civilization and a powerful tool for remaking the world.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be given your own remote islands? Thirty years ago it happened to Adam Nicolson. Aged 21, Nicolson inherited the Shiants, three lonely Hebridean islands set in a dangerous sea off the Isle of Lewis. With only a stone bothy for accommodation and half a million puffins for company, he found himself in charge of one of the most beautiful places on earth. The story of the Shiants is a story of birds and boats, hermits and fishermen, witchcraft and catastrophe, and Nicolson expertly weaves these elements into his own tale of seclusion on the Shiants to create a stirring celebration of island life.

'A remarkable and powerful book, the rarest of things ... Nicolson is unique as a writer ... I loved it' EDMUND DE WAAL'Miraculous ... An utterly fascinating glimpse of a watery world we only thought we knew' PHILIP HOAREFew places are as familiar as the shore - and few as full of mystery and surprise.