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.

07 May 2026

THE LOST ELMS wins top literary prize for Nature writing




Mandy Haggith was announced today (7 May 2026) as the winner of the Richard Jefferies Award for the best nature writing issued in 2025 for her book The Lost Elms published by Wildfire, an imprint of Headline Publishing Group Limited.
     The judging panel praised the book for its ‘fresh and positive approach’. Mandy Haggith’s The Lost Elms is well researched, fluently written, and structured in a clever way that keeps the reader’s interest flowing. For people born after the 1970s who know of elm trees only through the recollections of their parents or grandparents, this book will be a revelation. For those who remember a landscape with elms and lament their passing, the book offers many new facts and insights and an upbeat view about a possible resurgence. Mandy Haggith corrects several common errors about Dutch Elm disease, and explores the importance of the elm in history, myths, and the arts. It is an engaging and passionately told set of stories.
     Mandy Haggith becomes the eleventh winner of the Richard Jefferies Award which is jointly sponsored by the Richard Jefferies Society and The White Horse Bookshop in Marlborough, and is given for the most outstanding nature writing published in the past year. 
      Professor Patrick Dillon, Chair of the panel of judges, said:
The demise of elm trees in the 1970s transformed the visual character of the British landscape. Millions of mature trees were lost, and with them distinctive microhabitats and long cultural traditions. Mandy Haggith tells the story, giving us a gripping ecological and cultural history of the genus Ulmus, the elms. The Lost Elms ranges over folklore, linguistic history, vernacular crafts, folk medicine and healing. It is an enjoyable and informative read.

     Mandy Haggith said:
It's a great honour to receive this prize in memory of Richard Jefferies, who opened up the crucial field of nature writing, and for my book to join those of previous winning authors I admire so much. The Lost Elms has come from a lifetime of wonder at our natural world, grief at the damage our species inflicts on it and, above all, optimism that healing is possible.
     I hope that my book can encourage people to find comfort and inspiration from elms and all they teach us about resilience.

The Lost Elms was chosen from a strong shortlist of titles consisting of 
A Wilding Year (Batsford) by Hannah Dale; 
Of Thorn & Briar (Simon & Schuster) by Paul Lamb; 
Ghosts of the Farm (Chelsea Green Publishing) by Nicola Chester; 
Peatlands (Hodder Press) by Alys Fowler; 
My Head for a Tree (Profile Books) by Martin Goodman.

Previous winners of the award of £1,000 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), 
Orchard by Benedict Macdonald and Nicholas Gates (2020), 
On Gallows Down by Nicola Chester (2021),
Wild Fell by Lee Schofield (2022), 
Late Light by Michael Malay (2023),  
Nature’s Ghosts by Sophie Yeo (2024).