120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Kia kaha te reo Māori! πŸ’œ Celebrate Māori Language Week with us!

Vesper Flights

The Sunday Times bestseller from the author of H is for Hawk
4.09 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 8,098 ratings, 1,408 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Vesper Flights by Helen Macdonald is a collection of essays that delves into the intricate connections between the natural world and human life. With a keen eye for detail, Macdonald explores the beauty and complexity of nature, touching on themes like migration, memory, and the environment. The essays blend personal reflections with scientific insights, offering a profound look at how deeply intertwined our lives are with the natural world around us.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Vesper Flights. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate beautifully crafted essays that explore the interconnection between humans and the natural world. The author’s insightful observations and poetic prose reveal a deep understanding of the nuances of nature, offering both inspiration and contemplation for anyone who cherishes the environment.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

"First published in the United Kingdom in 2020 by Jonathan Cape"--Title page verso.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

From the bestselling author of H is for Hawk comes a transcendent collection of essays about the natural world.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Thrilling dispatches from a vanishing world' - Observer

Animals don't exist to teach us things, but that is what they have always done, and most of what they teach us is what we think we know about ourselves.

From the bestselling author of H is for Hawk comes Vesper Flights, a transcendent collection of essays about the human relationship to the natural world.

Helen Macdonald brings together a collection of her best-loved writing along with new pieces covering a thrilling range of subjects. There are essays here on headaches, on catching swans, on hunting mushrooms, on twentieth-century spies, on numinous experiences and high-rise buildings; on nests and wild pigs and the tribulations of farming ostriches.

Vesper Flights is a book about observation, fascination, time, memory, love and loss and how we make the world around us. Moving and frank, personal and political, it confirms Helen Macdonald as one of this century's greatest nature writers.

'Helen Macdonald is one of the best nature writers now working' - The Telegraph

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Helen Macdonald's Vesper Flights has been lauded for its thrilling portrayal of the natural world, offering a powerful corrective to the human-centred perspective often seen in nature writing. Critics praise her exquisite and urgent prose, describing it as both poetic and clear, urging readers to remain vigilant to the pressing issues faced by nature. Macdonald is celebrated as one of the foremost nature writers, with her essays providing a gritty, intimate, and thought-provoking view of the natural environment.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780099575467

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 August 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 191g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Helen Macdonald is a writer, poet, illustrator and historian. Her book H is for Hawk won many prizes, including the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, the Costa Book of the Year, the Prix due Meilleur Livre Etranger in France, and in the US was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She writes a regular column in New York Times Magazine, and lives in Suffolk.

Also by Helen Macdonald

View all
  • H is for Hawk
    H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald is a poignant and compelling memoir that intertwines the story of a woman’s journey through grief with the meticulous and challenging process of training a goshawk, one of nature’s most formidable and untamed birds of prey. This number-one bestselling phenomenon grips readers with its profound meditation on loss, recovery, and the intertwining of...
    Paperback
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Prophet
    Your happiest memory is their deadliest weapon β€” the must-read sci-fi thriller of summer 2024. A mysterious event An all-American diner appears overnight in a remote British field. More and more objects materialise β€” toys, fairground rides, pets, and other treasured mementos of the past. A weapon like no other The deaths quickly follow. A devastating weapon β€” Prophet β€”...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Prophet
    Daring, surprising, and superbly plotted, this is a fresh, thrilling page-turner from a dynamic new duo in genre fiction. Your happiest memory is their deadliest weapon. 'Fabulous... Present-day science fiction that feels like the best sort of spy novel' β€” Neil Gaiman, author of Coraline This is Prophet. It knows when you were happiest. It gives life to your fondest...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Science & Nature

View all
  • What If? 10th Anniversary Edition
    CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF THE MILLION-SELLING POP SCIENCE CLASSIC WITH A SPECIAL EDITION. THIS IS WHAT IF? . . . x10. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Nerd royalty' β€” BEN GOLDACRE 'Totally brilliant' β€” TIM HARFORD 'Required reading across the world' β€” NEW YORK TIMES From the creator of the wildly popular xkcd.com, experience hilarious and informative answers to important questions...
    Hardback
    $4200
    Elsewhere:
    $5000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Anxious Generation
    A powerful argument for reclaiming childhoodβ€”and all human relationshipsβ€”from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spacesβ€”communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    16% off
    Ultra-Processed People
    Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. β€˜Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ β€” A.A. Gill β€˜Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ β€” Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Sapiens
    Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is an extraordinary exploration of humanity's history from the dawn of our species to the present day. Harari delves into our evolution, offering insights into the cognitive revolutions that allowed Homo sapiens to rise above other animal species. Traversing through various stages of human development, he examines the Agricultural Revolution, the unification of humankind through...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Invisible Women
    Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is a groundbreaking and meticulously researched exploration into the pervasive gender bias that infiltrates every aspect of our society. Through compelling case studies and thorough analysis, this book unveils the hidden ways women are systematically disadvantaged in a world predominantly designed by and for men. Perez's revelations stretch across various sectors including government policy,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Talk
    A Harvard professor shows how we can become better talkers - and why effective conversation will help us all thrive. Conversation is at the heart of our relationships and decision-making, but the science behind our everyday interactions, and how to improve them, is little known. In Talk, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks provides fascinating insights into the power of effective...
    Paperback
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • On Sale
    20% off
    Clean & Green
    Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth. Learn how easy it is to make simple swaps in your cleaning and tidying methods for a more eco-friendly home. This beautifully illustrated black and white guide with 101 hints and sustainable, natural cleaning tips and hacks will help you take small steps that...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Usually:
    $2999
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Genetic Book of the Dead
    From one of the world’s great science writers, a book that explores the deepest principles of evolutionary history. In this groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, Richard Dawkins shows how the body, behaviour, and genes of every living creature can be read as a book – an archive of the worlds of its ancestors. A perfectly camouflaged...
    Hardback
    $4900
    Elsewhere:
    $5499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Coming Wave
    The instant Sunday Times bestseller from the ultimate AI insider - the only book you need to read on this subject. An Economist, Financial Times, Guardian, Prospect and Sunday Times Book of the Year Shortlisted for the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year This is the only book you need to understand our new world - from the...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Breath
    Discover the transformative power of breathing in Breath by esteemed journalist James Nestor. This revolutionary book delves into the science and history of one of the most fundamental human activities - breathing. From the bustling streets of SΓ£o Paulo to the serene temples of India, Nestor embarks on a global journey to uncover the secrets of ancient breathing techniques such...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Tiny Experiments
    'A compelling new take on a timeless concern' - CAL NEWPORT 'I loved this profound, practical and generous book' - OLIVER BURKEMAN We're told productivity is all about single-minded focus, hard grind and big goals. Deviating from the linear path means failure. The problem: it's not true. In this transformative book, neuroscientist and entrepreneur Anne-Laure Le Cunff reveals the easier,...
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.