Book Launch: John Lewis-Stempel's Night Life

We're thrilled to be welcoming one of the UK's most loved nature writers, John Lewis-Stempel, for the launch of his new book. 

Night Life, walking Britain's wild landscapes after dark... At night the senses become reordered. Hearing becomes privileged over vision, and we edge forward arms outstretched, feeling our way through the inky blackness. It is after dark that the human being becomes more ‘animal’, more sensitive to Nature. But the lights of the modern world have obliterated any meaningful connection to the night. We have lost touch with its wonders as well as its terrors.

In this enchanting follow-up to Nightwalking, John Lewis-Stempel once again ventures out into the night to uncover the unseen world of nocturnal creatures. When the curtain of night falls, a spectacle begins. That of bio-luminescence, of boxing hares, and wheat fields shimmering in the moonlight.

In Night Life, Lewis-Stempel wanders further afield, to terrains new, and shows us why the night is precious, and what it is to be human in the dark.

John Lewis-Stempel will be in conversation with FarmED co-founder, Ian Wilkinson, with plenty of time for questions from the audience. Books will also be available to purchase on the evening from the Jaffé & Neale pop-up bookshop.

About the Author

A farmer, writer and columnist for Country LIfe, he’s the author of numerous highly acclaimed books including:

• Meadowland, which won the 2015 Thwaites Wainwright Prize. Told in exquisite prose, it provides a unique and intimate account of the passing seasons in an ancient meadow on John’s farm. 
• Woodston: The Biography of an English Farm. Lewis-Stempel digs deep into written records, the memories of relatives, and the landscape to celebrate the farmland his family have been bound to for millennia. 
• The Wood follows a year in the English woodlands and was nominated for Books Are My Bag Reader’s Award ‘Most Beautiful Book’.
• The Running Hare was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. It tells the story of the wild animals and plants that live in and under our ploughland through the eyes of man who took on a field and husbanded it in a natural, traditional way, restoring its fertility and wildlife, bringing back the old farmland flowers and animals.
• England: A Natural History, released in 2024 is the definitive volume on the English landscape, has been longlisted for The Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing 2025

About the Evening

The talk will begin at 7pm sharp, please arrive before then for your complimentary glass of fizz. The bar will be open from 6pm before the talk starts for further drinks. 

Books will be available to purchase on the evening, with a chance to get your book dedicated by the author himself. 

This event is in collaboration with Jaffé & Neale Bookshop. 

Cancellation Policy

We understand that there may be times where you need to cancel your booking. Our cancellation policy is outlined here.

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