Overview

American scientist and author Rachel Carson is said to have sparked the modern day environmental movement with the publication of Silent Spring in 1962. She made vivid the prospect of life without birdsong. But has her warning been heeded? Fifty years on, Conor Mark Jameson reflects on the growth of environmentalism since Silent Spring was published. His revealing and engaging tale plots milestone events in conservation, popular culture and political history in the British Isles and beyond, tracing a path through the half century since 'zero hour', 1962. Around this he weaves his own observations and touching personal experiences, seeking to answer the question: what happened to the birds, and birdsong, and why does it matter?

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9781472970589

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Reviews

Jameson... has skillfully stiched together a narrative that reveals the highs and lows of conservation, and will, I am sure, convince many that the good fight is still worth it. * Birdwatch * Your book was riveting. It gave rise to several different emotions within me, Sadness/anger/despair/frustration/enthusiasm. Wonderfully written, intersperced with humour. Factual,- it must have taken you forever to do the research. Craiking good stuff and needed to be said. All you need to do now is to get everyone who matters to read it. * John McGlashan, Farmer * A clear and concise historical overview of the failures and successes of the conservation movement since the 1960s; and it will rightly find a place on many a conservationist's bookshelf. * British Birds * If Nick Hornby loved nature, he might write a book like this. -- Martin Harper * RSPB Director of Conservation * An autobiographical strand gives a human aspect to the narrative, and there are a lot of fascinating details... the author succeeds, with a readable book which refreshed my memory * BTO News * A trip down memory lane... a history lesson it certainly is, but stodgy it is not. Anecdotes and details bring the decades to life... It is very important that we have this book's clear record of what happened. * Devon Birds * A lively read... what makes Jameson's work especially enjoyable is the personal slant... This is a book that needs to be read. * Birdwatching Magazine * Jameson uses Rachel Carson's 1962 work Silent Spring as a focus for reflection on conservation and environmentalism in the decades since then. * Nature * Some lovely stories, and I really enjoyed dipping into the years and remembering. A delightful pot pourri. * Mark Avery * Lifted by the personal notes into an entertaining and easy read. * Birds * A tale worthy of Edgar Allan Poe at his hair-raising best... every conservationist, every naturalist and every environmentalist should read Silent Spring Revisited... it should become a standard school textbook if the planet is to be saved. * Kentish Times * If Nick Hornby loved nature, he might write a book like this. -- Martin Harper * RSPB Director of Conservation * Silent Spring Revisited is an enlightening read for anyone interested in wildlife conservation. It documents the history of environmentalism in Europe, but in so doing, reveals the heartbreak and fear, insight and hope, struggle and continued vigil of the many conservationists that uphold it as an ideal. The same could be said of Rachel Carson's book. I highly recommend reading both works of literature: begin with Carson's Silent Spring and follow with Jameson's Silent Spring Revisited to learn where we have gone in subsequent years. -- Stacia Novy

Author Information

Conor Mark Jameson has written for The Guardian, BBC Wildlife, The Ecologist, Africa Geographic, New Zealand's Wilderness magazine, Birdwatch and Birdwatching magazines and has been a scriptwriter for the BBC Natural History Unit. He is a columnist and feature writer for Birds magazine, and has worked in conservation for 20 years, in the UK and abroad. He was born in Uganda to Irish parents, brought up in Scotland, and now lives in England. He lives in a village an hour north of London, with a garden that Google Earth indicates may be reverting to woodland.

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