The long list for the Wainwright Prize for this year has been announced today. This prize recognises the best nature, outdoors and UK travel writing.
The long list is:
Love of Country by Madeline Bunding (Granta)
The Otter’s Tale by Simon Cooper (HarperCollins)
The Nature of Autumn by Jim Crumley (Saraband)
Foxes Unearthed: A Story of Love and Loathing in Modern Britain by Lucy Jones (Elliott & Thompson)
The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel (Transworld)
Where Poppies Blow by John Lewis-Stempel (Orion)
A Sky Full of Birds by Matt Merritt (Ebury)
Wild Kingdom by Stephen Moss (Vintage)
Fingers in the Sparkle Jar by Chris Packham (Ebury)
Love, Madness, Fishing by Dexter Petley (Little Toller Books)
The January Man by Christopher Somerville (Transworld)
The Wild Other by Clover Stroud (Hodder & Stoughton)
I read ten of the twelve long listed books last year, and for the most part, they were excellent, so I'm tempted to try and do the same this year too.