The Story of My Heart, 1883

CHAPTER I: THE STORY OF MY HEART [published Oct. 1883] commences seventeen years ago. In the glow of youth there were times every now and then when I felt the necessity of a strong inspiration of soul thought. My heart was dusty, parched for want of the rain of deep feeling; my mind arid and dry, for there is a dust which settles on the heart as well as that which falls on a ledge. ... When this began to form I felt eager to escape from it, to throw off the heavy clothing, to drink deeply once more at the fresh fountains of life. An inspiration―a long deep breath of the pure air of thought―could alone give health to the heart. There is a hill [Liddington] to which I used to resort at such periods. The labour of walking three miles to it, all the while gradually ascending, seemed to clear my blood of the heaviness accumulated at home. On a warm summer day the slow continued rise required continual effort, which carried away the sense of oppression.... I began to breathe a new air and to have a fresher aspiration. ... Moving up the sweet short turf, at every step my heart seemed to obtain a wider horizon of feeling; with every inhalation of rich pure air, a deeper desire. The very light of the sun was whiter and more brilliant here. By the time I had reached the summit I had entirely forgotten the petty circumstances and the annoyances of existence. I felt myself, myself.

23 May 2022

Nicola Chester wins the Richard Jefferies Award for ON GALLOWS DOWN, 23 May 2022.


The Richard Jefferies Award of £1000 is given annually to the author of the publication considered by the judging panel to be the most outstanding nature writing published in a given calendar year. The winning work must reflect the heritage and spirit of Richard Jefferies’ countryside books. Congratulations to Nicola Chester, the latest winner.



 Also congratulations to all those on the short list:

 Birdsong in a Time of Silence by Steven Lovatt (Penguin Particular Books)

·         Goshawk Summer: A New Forest Season Unlike Any Other by James Aldred (Elliott & Thompson)

·         Ice Rivers by Jemma Wadham (Allen Lane)

·         Islands of Abandonment: Life in the post-human Landscape by Cal Flyn (William Collins)

·        The Sea is Not Made of Water: Life Between the Tides by Adam Nicolson (Collins)

 The award was first introduced in 2015 by the Richard Jefferies Society and then sponsored by the White Horse Bookshop, Marlborough. It has attracted an unprecedented number of nominations reflecting the increasing quality of books dedicated to the natural world.

 Previous winners are: Gods of the Morning by John Lister-Kaye (2015), The Wood for the Trees by Richard Fortey (2016) The Seabird's Cry by Adam Nicolson (2017), Wilding by Isabella Tree (2018); Rebirding by Benedict Macdonald (2019), and Orchard by Benedict Macdonald and Nicholas Gates (2020).

 Nominations are now open for 2022 publications.