Welcome to Merlin Unwin Books, a family business based in Ludlow, established in 1990. We are a dynamic company dedicated to publishing high quality countryside, wildlife, herbalist, fieldsports, foraging and fishing books, written by leaders in their fields.
Take the pressure off buying gifts this year. We have something for everyone from beautiful large-format photographic books to giftbooks for stocking fillers, practical guides to fireside reads.
We offer friendly, personal customer service. Please visit our website to place an order or call our team who are happy to help with your order or advice on any title. Open from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday and taking answerphone messages outside these hours:
Telephone:+44 (0)1584 877456
www.merlinunwin.co.uk
Wild Flowers of BritainMargaret Erskine Wilson
Over 1,000 British and Irish flowers are represented in this book and today it still serves Margaret Wilson's original purpose - it is an easy way to learn the names of our delicate and beautiful wild flowers, as they appear.
'An exquisite little book, perfectly sized for a walker's rucksack. Her work is remarkable for the joy with which she captures the plants. Reading it makes you want to rush out and explore the countryside yourself.' - Daily Mail
◆ Gift book Hardback £9.99
Two Ruddy Ducks and a Partridge on a Par ThreeClive Agran
Once described as the worst golfer never to have won a major, Mortimer Merriweather is a complex character with virtually nothing to show for 60 years of golf at the lowest level.
Decades of abject failure to strike the ball properly undoubtedly fuelled his frustration and led ultimately to him venting his ire on individuals, companies and organisations connected with the game of golf in this remarkable series of 100 letters.
'Unquestionably the funniest golf book I have read' - Giles Coren, The Times
'...hugely entertaining book' - Golf Monthly
◆ Gift book Paperback £9.99
A String of Pearls, A Lake District Anthology
Margaret Wilson & Helen Shaw
Authors include: Bill Bryson, Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth, Val McDermid, Hugh Walpole, Patricia Nolan, Simon Armitage, Margaret Forster, Alfred Wainwright, Hunter Davies, James Rebanks, Norman Nicholson, Melvyn Bragg, S.T. Coleridge, Charles Dickens...'This new illustrated anthology from Margaret Wilson compiles the best literary extracts inspired by the Lake District. Each extract is accompanied by beautiful, handpicked photographs of local landscapes taken by Helen Shaw.' - This England
◆ Hardback £20
Taught by Dogs
Colin Whittemore
Brought up on a farm, Colin Whittemore's life was interwoven with dogs from the start.He writes of the Welsh sheepdogs his father used on his dairy farm to bring in the cattle twice daily, but also of the farm dogs taken to the pub to lie silently under a table.
He writes of settling in new puppies, choosing dogs, dogs choosing their 'masters', gun dogs, terriers, collies and his beloved teckels, the companions of much of his life and his old age.
◆ Hardback £14
Death of a Dealer
D.P. Hart-Davis
A valuable, riderless Anglo-Arab dressage stallion gallops wildly down a dark country lane and sparks off a chain of mysterious events. This sporting horse- based thriller features handsome horse-dealer Noel Murray, a busy but struggling livery stable, the local hunt, suspicious goings-on at a nearby Chinese cultural centre and two unexplained deaths. Can Detective Chief Inspector Robb unravel the mystery in time?This is the fourth in D.P. Hart-Davis' popular series of topical countryside thrillers which include The Stalking Party, Death of a High Flyer and Death of a Selkie.
◆ Hardback £16
Feathers, The Game Larder
José Souto & Steve Lee
Steve Lee's stunning photographs showcase more than the 55 modern, international recipes from master game chef José Souto and his culinary friends - they impart the beauty of game birds in the field, from source to plate.• how to pluck, clean, de-bone, butterfly, crown, truss, fillet and stuff game birds
• step-by-step butchery
• smoked, barbecued and outdoor recipes
• new ideas for shoot lunches
• 59 modern, international, simple and sophisticated recipes from sloe gin game pie to pheasant tikka to smoky pigeon breast salad, grouse risotto and game and chestnut sausages.
◆ Hardback £30
Venison, The Game Larder
José Souto & Steve Lee
Venison, The Game Larder José Souto & Steve Lee • over 50 innovative international venison recipes • venison butchery and cuts • deer from hillside to table • smoking and curing venison recipes • over 200 stunning recipe and venison photos'It covers everything from the species of deer to the stalk, the shot, the butchery and the subsequent succulent feast. Souto is a chef who knows his stuff. The recipes vary from the simple to the adventurous. This is a super collaboration between writer and photographer - well laid out and beautifully illustrated. It bridges the gap between hunter and home cook and will prove a delightful addition to the kitchen book-shelf.' - The Field
◆ Hardback £30
Mushrooming Without Fear
Alexander Schwab
• This is the only beginner's book on mushrooming which teaches a safe method.• It doesn't attempt to identify the confusing hundreds of mushrooms which grow in the UK, most of which are inedible or some even poisonous.
• Instead it helps you find the handful of delicious mushrooms you should focus on. The edible mushrooms here are photographed from every angle.
• And you have to tick every ID box for that featured mushroom: if you can't tick a box, don't eat it.
• Then you are totally sure you have the right mushroom to cook.
This book delivers the key to mushrooming without fear. You'll never be uncertain again.
◆ Hardback £20
Ashforth's Curiosities of Horseracing
David Ashforth
The curiosities are arranged in themes so that readers can dip in and out, as the mood takes them. The collection should leave them with a benevolent view of an intriguing sport, if they didn't already have one.Owners, jockeys, the horses, racecourses, officials, prizes, trainers and staff, racing journalists, betting, bookmakers, punters, skulduggery — one of Britain's best loved racing journalists David Ashforth has found the stories to capture the readers' attention on all these topics and more.
'An indefatigable researcher as well as the wittiest man writing about racing' - Robin Oakley, The Spectator
◆ Jacketed hardback £20
Rift Valley Fever, A British Vet in Africa
Hugh Cran
After training as a vet in Edinburgh, Hugh Cran set off to Kenya and spent the next 50 years at the sharp end, treating the cattle of Maasai herdsmen, wild animals, horses and pets of ex-pats and the military, the government and everyone in-between. Travelling miles on rough roads, performing impromptu surgery by torchlight and with dirty water, Hugh fell in love with the chaotic life and the colourful people he worked for, from dawn to dusk, seven days a week.◆ Paperback £14.99
The Tack Room
Paula Sells
Paula Sells shows in this sumptuous book how the tack used in 27 different equine disciplines has become specialised for each one - and she writes about the people who work in those fields.◆ Hardback £30
