Odes and Nightingales - Words on nature for every day of the year

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous." - Aristotle Some of the most evocative words in language are those we use to describe the natural world. Words like petrichor, murmuration, shivelight and dreich all conjure up experiences of being out in nature. In Japan this concept of connection with the outdoors is known as Shinrin-yoku ''forest bathing'', whilst in Norway it is Friluftsliv or ''free-air life'' , a word coined by playwright Henrik Ibsen, meaning to spend time reconnecting with nature. Nature has inspired poets and writers through the centuries, and the phrases they used are often what what we bring to mind when we think of the natural world: Wordsworth wandered lonely as a cloud, Keats wrote his ''Ode to a Nightingale'' and Shakespeare compared his muse to a summer''s day. Odes and Nightingales brings together the best nature words, with their origins, and the best writing on nature. Perfect for reading or sharing, this is a gift to treasure all year long.

Product details

• Authors: Robert Tuesley Anderson, Robert Tuesley Anderson
• Publisher: Cassell Plc
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 13.08.2026
• EAN: 9781788406802
• ISBN: 978-1-78840-680-2
• No. of pages: 256
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; POETRY / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Subjects & Themes / Nature, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Lexicography, natural history, Gift books, Lexicography, Anthologies (non-poetry), Nature and the natural world: general interest, Poetry anthologies (various poets), Anthologies, Gift and novelty books / items