Growing up in the wilds of Northumberland and Scotland, James Percy has enjoyed a privileged life dominated by sporting adventures.
Throughout the book he shares his deep respect for the Great British countryside and his passion for conservation, wildlife, shooting and fishing in a series of beautifully written essays. He recalls sepia-tinted memories of childhood trips to river banks and moorland, and his developing love affairs with pigeons, grouse, salmon, trout... family dogs and girls. Now married with four children, his young family plays a big part in his sporting life. Home, at Linhope, in Northumberland, is also the base for the grouse, pheasant and partridge shoots that he has painstakingly developed since the 1980s. Snapshot entries from some of his 2007 and 2008 diary pages highlight the heartache, triumphs and disasters that shoots endure in this part of the world.
But shooting and fishing are only part of the story. James Percy is first and foremost a passionate countryman and he writes not so much about the numbers of game or weight of fish, but the very essence of the creatures, traditions and characters. This lavishly illustrated, coffee table publication is a colourful mosaic of unapologetic nostalgia, quiet comedy and Northumbrian humour – the hard truths and gentle reflections of a northern countryman’s way of life.
Format: 285mm x 260mm, 144 pages
Binding: Casebound
Illustrations: Over 120 stunning colour photographs