Dawn

The World of First Light

Go out into the fields and woods, the parks and riverside at dawn, before humans stir, and you will see not only the wonder of the rising sun, but much more. You will witness the fox trotting home, the hare in the corn washing her face, and the birds at song.

The hour of dawn is a shift change, when the nocturnal things begin their sleep, the diurnal ones start awakening. The greatest miracle of dawn in the modern age? The world still belongs to the animals; few humans are about or have time to witness it. There is magic in the dawn.

While the break of day is when the dark hours are banished, it is also when battles start and executions take place. It marks the end of a great night, and the clocking-in for early labour. But it is an illusion. The sun does not rise, the Earth tilts.

Exploring the importance of dawn to our history, art and culture, Dawn is a unique exploration of the liminal hours at the start of the day.
Most of us sleep through dawn and John Lewis-Stempel makes you sorry for every one you’ve missed. Part field diary, part cabinet of curiosities, it roams from Homer to the Western Front, the Thames at sunrise to a Norfolk saltmarsh. Thoughtful, nomadic and nothing short of glorious.
Sally Coulthard, author of The Secret World of Twilight: A Natural History of Dusk & Dawn

About John Lewis-Stempel

John Lewis-Stempel is a farmer and 'Britain's finest living nature writer' (The Times). His books include the Sunday Times bestsellers Woodston, The Running Hare and The Wood, and most recently he published England: A Natural History. He is the only person to have won the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing twice, with Meadowland and Where Poppies Blow. In 2016 he was named Magazine Columnist of the Year for his column in Country Life. He farms cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Traditionally.
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Details
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • ISBN: 9781529950007
  • Length: 256 pages
  • Price: £8.99
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