Under the Stars: A Journey Into Light

Description

Moonlight, starlight, the ethereal glow of snow in winter ... When you turn off the electricity, other forms of night light begin to reveal themselves. Light pollution is everywhere. Not only is it damaging to humans and to wildlife, disrupting our natural rhythms, but it obliterates the subtler lights that have guided us for millennia. In this beautifully written exploration, Matt Gaw ventures forth into darkness, from the light-soaked streets of London to the depths of night on the Isle of Coll, to find out exactly what we're losing. A stunning investigation of the power of light, this beautiful book is a timely and urgent reminder to reconnect with the natural world, showing how we only need to step outside to find that, in darkness, the world lights up.

Matt Gaw is a writer, journalist and naturalist who lives in Bury St Edmunds, and is the author of the acclaimed The Pull of the River: A Journey into the Wild and Watery Heart of Britain (E&T, 2017). His work has been published in the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Times. He works with Suffolk Wildlife Trust, edits Suffolk Wildlife, and currently writes a monthly country diary for the Suffolk Magazine.

'Enchanting, fascinating and written with real soul and sensitivity.' - Rob Cowen, author of Common Ground 'One of the most inspiring of our young nature writers, with a highly original journey into darkness and night' - Stephen Moss, naturalist and author of The Robin: A Biography 'Lyrical, warm, and suffused with the magic of the night' - Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles 'A beautiful and - no other word is more apt - luminous love letter to the night sky.' - Julian Hoffman, author of Irreplaceable "Gaw finds wonder in the dark... The stand-out chapter for me was his getting lost in the Woods of Cree in absolute pitch black. Deep primordial horrors arise and make for gripping reading... This is a powerful and valiant plea for us all to see that, unlike in science fiction, light isn't always good." - BBC Countryfile Magazine "Under starlight and in moonlight, in the depths of the dark forest and on the streets of a city centre, Gaw goes on a nocturnal adventure to discover how light pollution disrupts and affects our own mental wellbeing, and the wellbeing of wildlife, too. En route he re-discovers the beauties of meteor showers and moonlight meanders, and encourages us to go on our own midnight adventures. Lyrical and lovely." - The Simple Things "Passionately argued and perfectly crafted... Under the Stars is a timely and inspiring manifesto explaining how 'by lighting our world sparingly, carefully... we can achieve something that would improve human health, protect wildlife, and help us to reconnect to the landscape and starscape at night'." - The Countryman "An exquisite, lyrical blend of nature writing, mythical story-telling and poetic elegy... Words are given to us in this book as a form of protection, an armour, a glistening cloak with which to keep ourselves on the track; no matter how cold it may be... Stunning." - Kerri ni Dochartaigh, Caught By the River (Book of the Month)