In a season of walks through the margins of urban existence Richard Mabey reveals the ways that these often neglected and unpromising areas can foster the most extraordinary life. It is the breadth of knowledge that he brings to the subject that lifts his writing out of the ordinary and makes him such a joy to read. Such an inspiring teacher and guide to the natural history that surrounds us if only we would but look around.
During the early 1970s Richard Mabey explored crumbling city docks and overgrown bomb-sites, navigated inner city canals and car parks, and discovered there was scarcely a nook in our urban landscape incapable of supporting life. The Unofficial Countryside is a timely reminder of how nature flourishes against the odds, surviving in the most obscure and surprising places. Originally published in 1973 this landmark book was described by Iain Sinclair as 'a proper reckoning, the Domesday Book of a topography too fascinating to be left alone.' This beautiful new edition forms part of the Richard Mabey library, published to celebrate the author's 80th birthday and has a cover by the artist Michael Kirkman.
