Nature's Genius

Nature’s Genius is a superb book: subtle, sharp-eyed and fascinating. Here, everyday beings and objects - dogs, buildings, spiders, clocks - are lit anew; thrown into surprising configurations and relationships. Damage and disorder are faced with clear eyes, but hope is also found in unexpected places. A tight, shimmering web of words – ROBERT MACFARLANEA fascinating, boundary-breaking, shape-shifting chimera of a book that shows how we might evolve to solve the problems we have caused our planet. Brilliantly written, surprising, inspiring and, ultimately, hopeful – ISABELLA TREEA book of hope and wonder. I learned something new and thought-provoking, even inspiring, on every page – CAL FLYNA wonderful exploration of nature’s unrivalled ability to adapt to changing environments, and what we might belatedly learn from these interconnected ecosystems that we’re also a part of as we navigate a more perilous Anthropocene. Full of fascinating details and insightful observations about the richly diverse behaviours and interactions of the world’s extraordinary creatures – GAIA VINCEWe are negligent: the natural world is vigilant. We spawn ugliness: the wild responds with beauty. Farrier’s exhilarating, splendidly written account of nature’s care for itself and us will help you sleep at night – CHARLES FOSTERA bold vision * * New Scientist * *Persuasive and impassioned … Farrier’s achievement is to make change feel not just possible but also exciting * * Literary Review * *Wise, eloquent and often very moving, Nature’s Genius is a hymn to the power of possibility embedded in both the natural world and ourselves. – JAMES BRADLEYNature’s Genus is a wide-ranging work of energy, sensitivity and subtle intelligence that offers glimpses of genuine possibility and hope – CASPAR HENDERSONDavid Farrier argues that one day we will not only understand ecologies, but will be able to assemble them – SIMON INGS * * New Scientist, ‘Best Popular Science Books to Look for in 2025’ * *

David Farrier is Professor of Literature and the Environment at the University of Edinburgh. David’s first book, Footprints: In Search of Future Fossils, looked at the marks we are leaving on the planet and how these might appear in the fossil record in the deep future. It was named by both The Times and Telegraph as a book of the year, earned praise from Robert Macfarlane and Margaret Atwood, and has been translated into ten other languages. He has had pieces published in the Atlantic, BBC Future, Emergence, Prospect, Daily Telegraph, Orion and Washington Post. He has spoken at numerous online events, has given an invited lecture at the Royal Geographical Society, and has appeared on radio and podcasts such as BBC Free Thinking and Little Atoms.