X-Book

Nature’s Ghosts

Get in the xigxag app
Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book. Pre-order Buy Now ${{ price }} Send as a gift
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Winner of the 2024 Richard Jefferies Award for nature writing

Shortlisted for the 2024 Wainwright Prize for Writing on Conservation

A Times Science Book of the Year

‘Sophie writes fantastically, chronicling the most important issues facing nature conservationists today.’ Chris Packham

For thousands of years, humans have been the architects of the natural world. Our activities have permanently altered the environment – for good and for bad.

In Nature’s Ghosts, award-winning journalist Sophie Yeo examines how the planet would have looked before humans scrubbed away its diversity: from landscapes carved out by megafauna to the primeval forests that emerged following the last Ice Age, and from the eagle-haunted skies of the Dark Ages to the flower-decked farms of more recent centuries.

Uncovering the stories of the people who have helped to shape the landscape, she seeks out their footprints even where it seems there are none to be found. And she explores the timeworn knowledge that can help to fix our broken relationship with the earth.

Along the way, Sophie encounters the environmental detectives – archaeological, cultural and ecological – reconstructing, in stunning detail, the landscapes we have lost.

Today, the natural world is more vulnerable than ever; the footprints of humanity heavier than they have ever been. But, as this urgent book argues, from the ghosts of the past, we may learn how to build a more wild and ancient future.

Critics Review

n

u2018Sophie writes fantastically, chronicling the most important issues facing nature conservationists today.u2019 Chris Packham

n

'A wondrous book and a ticket for environmental time travel.' Tristan Gooley

n

u2018Offers insights that could help shape a better informed and more constructive debate u2026 Concludes with determination and hope.u2019 The Spectator

n

'Wonderful u2026 Invites us to overcome our shortsightedness by peering into the distant past and using it to inform our future.' The Times

n

'Natureu2019s Ghosts underscores how people have more choices than they realize when it comes to crafting a better future.' Nature

n

'Elegantly written and poetic.' Science

n

'Appealing, thoughtful and impressively researched.' Richard Jefferies Prize panel

n

'Urgent and utterly compelling.' Lewis Dartnell

n

u2018Essential, intelligent reading. Sophie is one of the brightest, best-informed and most balanced contributors to the big debates.u2019 Patrick Barkham

n

'Carefully and elegantly traces the complex histories of humanity's changing relations with land and wildness. u2026 Joyful.' Rebecca Wragg Sykes

n

'Beautiful and necessary: Yeo will make you see the land with new eyes.' Ben Rawlence

n

'Fascinating, deeply researched and breathtaking in its scope.' Guy Shrubsole

n

'A thrilling work of investigative writing.' Lee Schofield

n

'Important and inspiring.' Helen Rebanks

n

'Beautifully told.' Henry Mance

n

u2018Vivid and urgent. A powerful new voice.u2019 Mary-Ann Ochota

n

u2018Captivating. Enriched by luminous ideas and forward-thinking passion.u2019 Tiffany Francis-Baker

n

'A tour de force.' Benedict Macdonald

n

'As textured as the lost landscapes through which Yeo transports us.' Jon Dunn

n

'Fascinating u2026 Thrilling.' Patrick Galbraith

n

u2018A book of overwhelming, hopeful humanity.u2019 Harriet Rix

n

'Poignant.' Geographical Magazine

n

u2018An exhilarating ride back and forth in time u2026 Yeo is a fantastic writer, and marshals a huge, sweeping narrative.u2019 DiscoverWildlife, best wildlife and nature books of 2024

n

More from the same

Narrator

About xigxag and the x-book®

Discover the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed to simplify finding, purchasing, and enjoying your favourite books in audio format. Our flexible pricing model makes bestselling audiobooks affordable, offering the best audiobook deals without the need for a subscription. You can also give the perfect gift with our convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

A core differentiator of xigxag is our groundbreaking listen-and-read x-book® technology, which delivers a truly immersive digital book experience. This unique innovation seamlessly combines the audiobook, text, and images into a brilliant, integrated format, complete with exclusive audiobook features and a next-generation digital reading experience. Our growing x-book selection is easily discoverable by looking for the distinctive purple x-book® ribbon, or by simply filtering your search by ‘x-book’.

Beyond our technology, xigxag is committed to sustainability and ethical practices, ensuring a guilt-free listening experience from an exceptional digital book platform. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we stand as a leader in audiobook innovation and a compelling alternative to big tech. Our commitment extends to delivering extraordinary customer service, provided by our friendly UK support team.

Effortlessly search audiobooks, gain insights from honest audiobook reviews evaluating both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. You can download or stream top audiobook titles anytime, anywhere, guaranteeing the best possible listening experience on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Experience the future of audiobooks today.