THERE’S plenty of fresh material on offer for avid readers at the moment, as new publications join the growing library of waterways books available for those who love to read.
The UK’s inaugural Canal Laureate, Jo Bell, has written Boater – A Life on England’s Waterways. After decades of calm aboard England’s historic canals, a turbulent relationship sees Jo embark on a year-long odyssey navigating the country’s canals. Exploring the past and present, Boater is both her story and that of the living waterways, using her experience as an archaeologist to guide readers through the floating world.
Originally from Sheffield and raised on the edges of Derbyshire’s Peak District, Jo has spent the past 20 years living a life afloat on the waterways of England. Boater is published by HarperNorth and is currently available in hardback, e-book and audiobook.
Moving to Scotland and a journey along the River Tay with author and illustrator Robin A Crawford in his new book, The Sound of Many Waters. With the widest catchment area of any river in Britain, the Tay drains much of the lower Highlands of Scotland. A vast network of lochs and smaller bodies of water feed the Isla, Garry, Tummel, Almond and Earn, which all flow into this mighty river. As Robin walks along its banks, we delve into the history of this landscape and his personal connection with it, and the river’s history too. It is published by Birlinn Ltd, currently in hardback and e-book.
With an introduction by respected nature writer and activist Robert Macfarlane, an urgent and evocative collection of writing is contained in Thirst – In Search of Freshwater. The hardback published by the Wellcome Collection features 20 writers including Olivia Laing, Elif Shafak, Rebecca Solnit and Ocean Vuong, celebrating the source of all life and one of our most precious resources – and expressing hope for ecological abundance and restorative planetary justice.
And youngsters are not left out thanks to wildlife cameraman and Strictly Come Dancing champion Hamza Yassin. Aimed at six to 10-year-olds, his new book, Hamza’s Wild World, explores the animal kingdom in a dyslexic-friendly layout published by Macmillan Children’s Books in paperback this summer. Hamza was the special guest at a recent Canal & River Trust Explorers session in the Olympic Park, London, where he shared tips with schoolchildren for spotting the huge variety of wildlife along inner-city waterways and told some fascinating stories about his own adventures as a conservationist and cameraman.
