Nature Book Reader June 2020 - Flipbook - Page 132
A Nature Book Reader
CHRIS WATSON
Chris Watson is the UK’s leading sound recordist specialising in wildlife
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
The Snow Leopard is a life
story and a magical journey
into a place we all know
about but where most of us
will never visit. The diary
accounts give the work
a familiar and accessible
grounding making it easy
to return to sections and
passages after a long time on
the shelf.
For me it instantly
captures thought and
imagination whilst
leading the reader into
darkly beautiful locations
and dangerously hostile
conditions. You are on the
edge of a 14,000 ft precipice,
it’s -11C and the animals you
hear behind you are wolves.
The flora, fauna, geology
and climate are all carefully
observed and beautifully
described within a sense of
place that includes the varied
and nomadic populations.
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The spirits rise off each
page and carry you into the
next valley; a place of wind
caves, stone demons, blue
sheep and just perhaps a
snow leopard.
Further Reading
The White Foxes of
Gorfenletch
by Henry Tengner
The Natural History
of Selbourne
by Gilbert White
