Description

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With a foreword by Robert Macfarlane Pebble-hunting is a pleasant hobby that makes little demand upon one's patience and still less upon one's physical energy. (You may even enjoy the hunt from the luxurious sloth of a deck chair). One of the true delights of the pebble-seeker is to read the stories in the stones - to determine whence and by what means they came to be there. We must always bear in mind that a pebble is a transient thing. It is in the half-way stage of a long existence . . . This is a spirited guide to the simple pleasure of pebble spotting. Clarence Ellis is a charming, knowledgeable and witty guide to everything you didn't know there was to know about pebbles. He ruminates on what a pebble actually is, before showing us how they are formed, advising on the best pebble-spotting grounds in the UK, helping to identify individual stones, and giving tips onthe necessary kit. You'll know your chert from your schist, your onyx from your agate and will be on your guard for artificial intruders before you know it. Understanding the humble pebble makes a trip to the beach, lake-side or river bank simply that little bit more fascinating. A handy illustrated guide to identifying pebbles is included on the reverse of the book jacket.

About the Author

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Clarence Ellis was born in Holyhead in 1889. He studied History at Bangor and served on the Western Front before beginning a career in Further Education. His private passion was pebble collecting, and Pebbles on the Beach was first published in 1954. Robert Macfarlane was born in Nottinghamshire in 1976, and is currently a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He has written a number of bestselling, prize-winning books about the relationships between nature, language and people, including The Wild Places, The Old Ways, and Landmarks. His books have won the Guardian First Book Award, the Somerset Maugham Award, and the Boardman-Tasker Award, and his journalism has appeared in the Guardian, Sunday Times, and New York Times. His most recent book is the Sunday Times bestseller The Lost Words, illustrated by Jackie Morris.