Cover of the first book in the series, E.B. Ford's famous Butterflies

The New Naturalist Library (also known as The New Naturalists) is a series of books published by Collins in the United Kingdom, on a variety of natural history topics relevant to the British Isles. The aim of the series at the start was: "To interest the general reader in the wild life of Britain by recapturing the inquiring spirit of the old naturalists."[1] An editors' preface to a 1952 monograph says: "An object of the New Naturalist series is the recognition of the many-sidedness of British natural history, and the encouragement of unusual and original developments of its forgotten or neglected facets."[2]

The first volume to appear was E.B. Ford's Butterflies in 1945. The authors of this series are usually eminent experts, often professional scientists. This gives the series authority, and many are or have been authoritative introductory textbooks on a subject for some years. The books are written in scientific style, but are intended to be readable by the non-specialist, and are an early example of popular science in the media.

The books of the series have had considerable influence on many students who later became professional biologists, such as W.D. Hamilton and Mike Majerus.[3] The latter was inspired by Ford's Butterflies and Moths,[4] and has since added two volumes of his own to the series.

A parallel series known as the New Naturalist Monograph Library (and often referred to as The New Naturalist Special Volumes) was also published. Its aim was to cover "in greater detail... a single species or group of species".[1] There have been no additions to the Monograph Library since 1971.

Volume 82 of the main series, The New Naturalists,[5] described the series to date, with authors' biographies and a guide to collecting the books.

The original editorial board consisted of Julian Huxley, James Fisher, Dudley Stamp, John Gilmour and Eric Hosking.[6] Until 1985, the highly characteristic dust jacket illustrations were by Rosemary and Clifford Ellis; since then they have been by Robert Gillmor.

Being a numbered series, with a very low print run for some volumes, the books are highly collectable. Second-hand copies of the rarer volumes, in good condition, can command high prices. The 100th volume, Woodlands by Oliver Rackham was published in 2006. Woodlands (volume 100) was also published in 2006 as a "leatherbound" edition, limited to 100 copies. In fact it was fake leather.[citation needed] The second "leatherbound" New Naturalist - Dragonflies by Philip Corbet and Stephen Brooks - was published in 2008. The (fake) leather edition of Dragonflies (volume 106) was initially limited to 400 copies, which was subsequently limited to 303, and finally to 250. According to the New Naturalist website[citation needed] only 217 were actually sold and the remaining unsold stock is being kept secure at HarperCollins's offices. HarperCollins continue to produce limited numbers of "leatherbound" editions of all volumes published since Dragonflies, but only from Islands (volume 109) was real leather actually used. All recent volumes have only 50 leatherbound copies.

The series won the 2007 British Book Design and Production Award for "brand or series identity",[7] and in 2008 the official website was launched, with features including the latest news, a members only area with access to exclusive content and downloads, and a forum.

In around 1990, Bloomsbury produced a series of facsimile editions, as hardbacks with new dustjacket designs, and with all plates in black and white, including those which were originally in colour.

Main series

Number Title Author(s) Editions Bloomsbury Edition
1 Butterflies E. B. Ford 1945, 1946, 1957, 1977 1990
2 British Game Brian Vesey-Fitzgerald 1946
3 London's Natural History R. S. R. Fitter 1945 1990
4 Britain's Structure and Scenery L. Dudley Stamp 1946, 1947, 1949, 1955, 1960, 1967
5 Wild Flowers John Gilmour and Max Walters 1954, 1955, 1962, 1969, 1973 1990
6a Natural History in the Highlands and Islands F. Fraser Darling 1947
6b The Highlands and Islands F. Fraser Darling and J. M. Boyd 1964, 1973 1989
7 Mushrooms and Toadstools John Ramsbottom 1953 1989
8 Insect Natural History A. D. Imms 1947, 1956, 1971 1990
9 A Country Parish A. W. Boyd 1951
10 British Plant Life W. B. Turrill 1948, 1958, 1962 1989
11 Mountains and Moorlands W. H. Pearsall 1950 1989
12 The Sea Shore C. M. Yonge 1949, 1966 1990
13 Snowdonia F. J. North, B. Campbell and R. Scott 1949
14 The Art of Botanical Illustration Wilfrid Blunt 1950
15 Life in Lakes and Rivers[8] T. T. Macan and E. B. Worthington 1951, 1968, 1974 1990
16 Wild Flowers of Chalk and Limestone J. E. Lousley 1950, 1969 1989
17 Birds and Men Max Nicholson 1951 1990
18a A Nat. Hist. of Man in Britain H. J. Fleure 1951
18b A Natural History of Man in Britain H. J. Fleure and Margaret Davies 1970 1989
19 Wild Orchids of Britain V. S. Summerhayes 1951, 1968
20 The British Amphibians and Reptiles Malcolm Smith 1951, 1954, 1964, 1969, 1972
21 British Mammals L. Harrison Matthews 1952, 1968 1989
22 Climate and the British Scene Gordon Manley 1952
23 An Angler's Entomology J. R. Harris 1952, 1956 1990
24 Flowers of the Coast Ian Hepburn 1952
25 The Sea Coast J. A. Steers 1953, 1954, 1962, 1969
26 The Weald S. W. Wooldridge and F. Goldring 1953
27 Dartmoor L. A. Harvey and D. St Leger-Gordon 1953, 1962
28 Sea-Birds James Fisher and R. M. Lockley 1954 1989
29 The World of the Honeybee Colin G. Butler 1954
30 Moths E.B. Ford 1954, 1967, 1972
31 Man and the Land L. Dudley Stamp 1955, 1964, 1969
32 Trees, Woods and Man H. L. Edlin 1956, 1966, 1970
33 Mountain Flowers John Raven and Max Walters 1956
34 The Open Sea: The World of Plankton Alister Hardy 1956, 1970
35 The World of the Soil Sir E. John Russell 1957, 1959, 1963, 1967, 1971
36 Insect Migration C.B. Williams 1958, 1965
37 The Open Sea: Fish & Fisheries Alister Hardy 1959, 1964, 1970
38 The World of Spiders W. S. Bristowe 1958
39 The Folklore of Birds Edward A. Armstrong 1958
40 Bumblebees John B. Free and C.G. Butler 1959
41 Dragonflies Philip S. Corbet, Cynthia Longfield and N. W. Moore 1960
42 Fossils H. H. Swinnerton 1960 1989
43 Weeds and Aliens Sir Edward Salisbury 1961, 1964
44 The Peak District K. C. Edwards 1962, 1974 1990
45 The Common Lands of England and Wales W. G. Hoskins and L. Dudley Stamp 1963
46 The Broads A.E. Ellis 1965
47 The Snowdonia National Park W. M. Condry 1966, 1967
48 Grass and Grassland Ian Moore 1966
49 Nature Conservation in Britain L. Dudley Stamp 1969, 1974
50 Pesticides and Pollution Kenneth Mellanby 1967, 1970
51 Man and Birds R. K. Murton 1971
52 Woodland Birds Eric Simms 1971 1990
53 The Lake District W. H. Pearsall and W. Pennington 1973 1989
54 The Pollination of Flowers Michael Proctor (botanist) and Peter Yeo (botanist) 1973
55 Finches Ian Newton 1972
56 Pedigree: Words from Nature Stephen Potter (biologist) and Laurens Sargent 1973
57 British Seals H. R. Hewer 1974
58 Hedges E. Pollard, M. D. Hooper and Norman W. Moore 1974
59 Ants M. V. Brian 1977
60 British Birds of Prey Leslie H. Brown 1976 1989
61 Inheritance and Natural History R. J. Berry 1977 1990
62 British Tits Chris Perrins 1979
63 British Thrushes Eric Simms 1978
64 The Natural History of Shetland R. J. Berry 1980
65 Waders W. G. Hale (biologist) 1980
66 The Natural History of Wales William M. Condry 1982 1990
67 Farming and Wildlife Kenneth Mellanby 1981
68 Mammals in the British Isles L. Harrison Matthews 1982
69 Reptiles and Amphibians in Britain Deryk Frazer 1983 1989
70 The Natural History of Orkney R. J. Berry 1985
71 British Warblers Eric Simms 1985
72 Heathlands Nigel Webb 1986
73 The New Forest Colin R. Tubbs 1986
74 Ferns Christopher N. Page 1988
75 Freshwater Fishes P. S. Maitland and R. N. Campbell 1992 ISBN 978-0-00-219379-5 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-219380-1 (PB)

76 The Hebrides J. M. Boyd and I. L. Boyd 1990
77 The Soil B. Davis, N. Walker, D. F. Ball and A. Fitter 1992
78 British Larks, Pipits and Wagtails Eric Simms 1992
79 Caves and Cave Life Philip Chapman 1993
80 Wild and Garden Plants Max Walters 1993
81 Ladybirds Mike Majerus 1994
82 The New Naturalists Peter Marren 1995 (2nd ed. 2005)
83 The Natural History of Pollination Michael Proctor (botanist), Peter Yeo (botanist) and Andrew Lack 1996
84 Ireland David Cabot 1999
85 Plant Disease David Ingram and Noel Robertson 1999
86 Lichens Oliver Gilbert 2000
87 Amphibians & Reptiles Trevor Beebee and Richard Griffiths (naturalist) 2000
88 Loch Lomondside John Mitchell 05/03/2001 ISBN 978-0-00-220145-2 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220146-9 (PB)

89 The Broads Brian Moss 05/11/2001 ISBN 978-0-00-220163-6 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-712410-7 (PB)

90 Moths Mike Majerus 04/02/2002 ISBN 978-0-00-220141-4 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220142-1 (PB)

91 Nature Conservation Peter Marren 07-05-2002 ISBN 0-00-711305-6 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-711306-4 (PB)

92 Lakeland Derek Ratcliffe 07/10/2002 ISBN 978-0-00-711303-3 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-711304-0 (PB)

93 British Bats John Altringham 03/03/2003 ISBN 978-0-00-220140-7 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220147-6 (PB)

94 A Natural History of the Seashore Peter Hayward (naturalist) 05/03/2004 ISBN 978-0-00-220030-1 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220031-8 (PB)

95 Northumberland Angus Lunn 04/10/2004 ISBN 978-0-00-718484-2 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-718483-5 (PB)

96 Fungi Brian Spooner (mycologist) and Peter Roberts 06/06/2005 ISBN 978-0-00-220152-0 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220153-7 (PB)

97 Mosses and Liverworts Ron Porley and Nick Hodgetts 05/09/2005 ISBN 978-0-00-220212-1 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-717400-3 (PB)

98 Bumblebees Ted Benton 06/03/2006 ISBN 978-0-00-717450-8 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-717451-5 (PB)

99 Gower Jonathan Mullard 02/05/2006 ISBN 978-0-00-716067-9 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-716066-2 (PB)

100 Woodlands Oliver Rackham 04/09/2006 ISBN 0-00-720243-1 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-720244-7 (PB)

101 Galloway and the Borders Derek Ratcliffe 03/01/2007 ISBN 0-00-717401-2 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-717402-7 (PB)

102 Garden Natural History Stefan Buczacki 01/05/2007 ISBN 0-00-713993-4 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-713994-1 (PB)

103 The Isles of Scilly Rosemary Parslow 06/08/2007 ISBN 978-0-00-220150-6(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220151-3 (PB)

104 A History of Ornithology Peter Bircham 04/10/2007 ISBN 978-0-00-719969-3 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-719970-9 (PB)

105 Wye Valley George Peterken 04/02/2008 ISBN 978-0-00-716069-3 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-716069-3 (PB)

106 Dragonflies Philip Corbet and Stephen Brooks 1 May 2008

ISBN 978-0-00-715168-4 (HB)
ISBN 978-0-00-715169-1 (PB)

107 Grouse Adam Watson and Robert Moss (naturalist) 01/09/2008 ISBN 978-0-00-715097-7 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-715098-4 (PB)

108 Southern England Peter Friend 03/11/2008 ISBN 978-0-00-724742-4 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-724743-1 (PB)

109 Islands R. J. Berry 02/02/2009 ISBN 978-0-00-726737-8 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-726738-5 (PB)

110 Wildfowl David Cabot 28/05/2009 ISBN 978-0-00-714658-1 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-714659-8 (PB)

111 Dartmoor Ian Mercer (naturalist) 17/09/2009 ISBN 978-0-00-718499-6 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-718500-9 (PB)

112 Books and Naturalists David Elliston Allen 04/02/2010 ISBN 978-0-00-724084-5 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-730017-4 (PB)

113 Bird Migration Ian Newton 01/04/2010 ISBN 978-0-00-730731-9 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-730732-6 (PB)

114 Badger Timothy J. Roper 27/05/2010 ISBN 978-0-00-732041-7(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-733977-8 (PB)

115 Climate and Weather John Kington 02/09/2010 ISBN 978-0-00-718501-6(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-718502-3 (PB)

116 Plant Pests David V. Alford 06/01/2011 ISBN 978-0-00-733849-8(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-733848-1(PB)

117 Plant Galls Margaret Redfern 28/04/2011 ISBN 978-0-00-220143-8(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220144-5(PB)

118 Marches Andrew Allott 01/09/2011 ISBN 978-0-00-724816-2(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-724817-9 (PB)

119 Scotland Peter Friend 05/01/2012 ISBN 978-0-00-730956-6(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-735906-6 (PB)

120 Grasshoppers and Crickets Ted Benton 05/06/2012 ISBN 978-0-00-727723-0(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-727724-7(PB)

121 Partridges: Countryside Barometer G. R. Potts 27/09/2012 ISBN 978-0-00-741870-1(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-741871-8(PB)

122 Vegetation of Britain and Ireland Michael Proctor (botanist) 14/03/2013 ISBN 978-0-00-220148-3(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-220149-0(PB)

123 Terns David Cabot and Ian Nisbet 06/06/2013 ISBN 978-0-00-741247-1(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-741248-8 (PB)

124 Bird Populations Ian Newton 29/08/2013 ISBN 978-0-00-742953-0(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-752798-4(PB)

125 Owls Mike Toms 02/01/2014 ISBN 978-0-00-742555-6 (HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-742557-0(PB)

126 Brecon Beacons Jonathan Mullard 08/05/2014 ISBN 978-0-00-736770-2(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-736769-6(PB)

127 Nature in Towns and Cities David Goode 09/10/2014 ISBN 978-0-00-724239-9(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-724240-5(PB)

128 Lakes, Loughs and Lochs Brian Moss 04/06/2015 ISBN 978-0-00-751138-9(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-751139-6(PB)

129 Alien Plants Clive A. Stace and Michael J. Crawley 22/10/2015 ISBN 978-0-00-750215-8(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-750214-1(PB)

130 Yorkshire Dales John Lee 05/11/2015 ISBN 978-0-00-750369-8(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-7503704(PB)

131 Shallow Seas Peter Hayward 07/04/2016 ISBN 978-0-00-730729-6(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-730730-2(PB)

132 Falcons Richard Sale 30/06/2016 ISBN 978-0-00-751141-9(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-751142-6(PB)

133 Slugs and Snails Robert Cameron 15/12/2016 ISBN 978-0-00-711300-2(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-711301-9(PB)

134 Early Humans Nicholas Ashton 18/05/2017 ISBN 978-0-00-815033-4(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-815035-8(PB)

135 Farming and Birds Ian Newton 27/07/2017 ISBN 978-0-00-814789-1(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-814790-7(PB)

136 Beetles Richard Jones 25/01/2018 ISBN 978-0-00-814952-9(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-814950-5(PB)

137 Hedgehog Pat Morris 28/06/2018 ISBN 978-0-00-823570-3(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-823573-4(PB)

138 The Burren David Cabot & Roger Goodwillie 29/11/2018 ISBN 978-0-00-818378-3(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-818379-0(PB)

139 Gulls John Coulson 07/03/2019 ISBN 978-0-00-820142-5(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-820143-2(PB)

140 Garden Birds Mike Toms 25/07/2019 ISBN 978-0-00-816474-4(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-816475-1(PB)

141 Pembrokeshire Jonathan Mullard 30/04/2020 ISBN 978-0-00-811280-6(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-811282-0(PB)

142 Uplands and Birds Ian Newton 09/07/2020 ISBN 978-0-00-829850-0(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-829852-4(PB)

143 Ecology and Natural History David M. Wilkinson 24/06/2021 ISBN 978-0-00-829363-5(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-829365-9(PB)

144 Peak District Penny Anderson 23/12/2021 ISBN 978-0-00-825737-8(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-825739-2(PB)

145 Trees Peter A Thomas 28/04/2022 ISBN 978-0-00-830451-5(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-830453-9(PB)

146 Solitary Bees Ted Benton, Nick Owens 11/05/2023 ISBN 978-0-00-830455-3(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-830457-7(PB)

147 Shieldbugs Richard Jones 06/07/2023 ISBN 978-0-00-833489-5(HB)

ISBN 978-0-00-833491-8(PB)

Monographs

Number Title Author Editions
M01 The Badger Ernest Neal (biologist) 1948
M02 The Redstart John Buxton 1950
M03 The Wren Edward A. Armstrong 1955
M04 The Yellow Wagtail Stuart Smith 1950
M05 The Greenshank Desmond Nethersole-Thompson 1951
M06 The Fulmar James Fisher 1952
M07 Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos Miriam Rothschild and Theresa Clay 1952
M08 Ants Derek Wragge Morley 1953
M09 The Herring Gull's World Niko Tinbergen 1953
M10 Mumps, Measles and Mosaics Kenneth M. Smith and Roy Markham 1954
M11 The Heron Frank A. Lowe 1954
M12 Squirrels Monica Shorten 1954
M13 The Rabbit Harry V. Thompson and Alastair N. Worden 1956
M14 The Birds of the London Area London Natural History Society 1957
M15 The Hawfinch Guy Mountfort 1957
M16 The Salmon J. W. Jones (naturalist) 1959
M17 Lords and Ladies Cecil T. Prime 1960
M18 Oysters C. M. Yonge 1960
M19 The House Sparrow J. D. Summers-Smith 1963, 1967
M20 The Wood Pigeon R. K. Murton 1965
M21 The Trout W. E. Frost and M. E. Brown 1967
M22 The Mole Kenneth Mellanby 1971

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b Guy Mountfort, The Hawfinch. Collins, 1957.
  2. ^ Miriam Rothschild and Theresa Clay, Fleas, Flukes and Cuckoos. Collins, 1952.
  3. ^ "Series History, New Naturalists Online". Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  4. ^ Berry, R. J. (1990). "Industrial melanism and peppered moths (Biston betularia)". Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 39 (4): 301–322. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.1990.tb00518.x.
  5. ^ Peter Marren, The New Naturalists. Collins, 1995. 2nd edition 2005.
  6. ^ Richard Mabey. "News of birds and blossoming, The Guardian 14 March 2009". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  7. ^ "British Book Design and Production Awards 2007: Winners". Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  8. ^ An edition of Life in Lakes and Rivers was published by Readers Union in 1959.

External links

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