The Cuckoo's Lea

Fascinating and meticulously researched. * The Observer *The best statement for the importance of the medieval I’ve ever read. A wonderful book. * David Crystal, linguist and author of The Stories of English *Scholarly, fresh, exquisitely crafted and breathtakingly, heart-achingly beautiful, The Cuckoo’s Lea weaves the human and natural history of England into a tapestry that will transform your relationship with place. Michael Warren has made a book I’ll love forever. * Amy-Jane Beer, author of The Flow *I loved this beguiling exploration of how birds have long inspired emotional and imaginative human connections to physical places. * Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller *One of the most unique works of nature writing in recent years, original in its ambition and successful in its execution. Michael Warren has written an exhilarating exploration of birds and words. * British Birds *Utterly beguiling, deeply poignant and revelatory, a cartographic overlay of language and land and our place in nature. A book with a pertinent and radical message from the past – that nature is our house, our dwelling-place and neighbourhood, from where we can chart a new course, with a very old compass. * Nicola Chester, author of On Gallows Down *Magical, enchanting and intriguing. Read in wonder and see Britain made anew with eyes that are both ancient and modern. * Mary Colwell, author of The Gathering Place *A brilliant blend of birds, places, history and language - all held together with a deft personal touch - and a surprise on every page. * Stephen Moss, author of Ten Birds That Changed the World *This is a book filled with calls and cries, booming, twittering, shrieking, singing – a joyful affirmation of life, revealed through quiet observation and reflection. The Cuckoo’s Lea reminds us to listen and love the highly distinctive species which have shaped local identities. * Fiona Stafford, author of Time and Tide *Simply phenomenal. Michael Warren has a great gift – this wonderful book is making me see landscapes anew. * Ben Hoare, author of The Wonders of Nature *A fascinating, haunting book which unveils the rich meaning layered into our places. The Cuckoo’s Lea is a rosetta stone for our ecological history. * Jon Moses, Right to Roam *Intricate, deeply felt, earthed and airborne, fusing the knowledge of historian and naturalist to reveal the living pasts written in our landscapes as if with invisible ink. * Alexandra Harris, author of The Rising Down *

Michael J. Warren is an author, medievalist and naturalist. He teaches English in Chelmsford, was honorary research fellow at Birkbeck College, chair of the steering group for New Networks for Nature, and is currently a trustee for Curlew Action. Michael curates The Birds and Place Project, a website devoted to collecting and recording the birds of English place names.