A Herd of Red Deer

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About the Book:

Frank Fraser Darling was an ecologist, a conservationist, and a prophet. He was the first naturalist to leave the laboratory and the library to spend long periods observing and recording our largest land mammal in its mountain habitat - our last great wilderness.

The David Attenborough of his day, Fraser Darling inspired a generation to follow in his footsteps, and to love natural history and the Highlands. His pioneering work, the then unconventional, 'unscientific' method of studying a creature in its natural habitat, caused a sensation when it was first published.

A Herd of Red Deer is the result of two years spent in one of the most hostile environments in the British Isles, following the seasonal wanderings of the deer through the fly season, the rut, facing the winter, and rearing fawns in the spring. Fraser Darling studies changes in the herds, from grazing to the structure of the harem, the issues of territory and parasites, to build up a moving and emotive picture of the life of the red deer.

A Herd of Red Deer launched Fraser Darling on a life-long campaign for conservation and environmental awareness. Contemporary reviews hailed the book as setting a new standard for field studies. This new edition includes Fraser Darling's own black and white photographs, and new colour prints to enhance the original text.

Reviews: 

Fraser Darling’s work is still of relevance today and the book certainly brings back nostalgic memories of the Highlands in the past.  Highland News Group

Some outdoor books are truly memorable. Frank Fraser Darling’s A Herd of Red Deer, first published in 1937, is such a one and has now been reissued.  The Scots Magazine

About the Author:

Frank Fraser Darling was an ecologist and conservationist. As a young man he spent two years studying the red deer. He was the first naturalist to leave the laboratory and the library to spend long periods observing and recording our largest land mammal in its mountain habitat. Later in life he went on to wider studies in three continents and investigated concerns about conservation and the environment. His BBC lectures in 1969 are thought to be the starting point of Britain's green movement.Walter Stephen is passionate about British environmental studies and natural history. He set up and ran, for twenty years, the first successful Urban Studies Centre in Britain, and as former Chairman of the Sir Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust has also edited "A Vigorous Institution: The Living Legacy of Patrick Geddes" and "Think Global, Act Global".