A William Condry Reader

A tribute to world-famous naturalist and nature writer, William Condry, being a selection of his rich writings, compiled by friend and fellow nature writer, Jim Perrin. Renowned for his 'Country Diary', published in The Guardian for over 40 years, Condry had an infectious passion and concern for conservation, and the landscape and wildlife of mid-Wales inspired much of his writings.

About the Author :
Jim Perrin is an award-winning mountaineering, travel and outdoor writer, a one-time Welsh shepherd an accomplished rock-climber and a regular contributor to the Guardian's Country Diary. As a writer he has made regular contributions to a number of newspapers and climbing magazines. As a climber he has developed many new routes, and made solo and free assents of great difficulty. Among his books are River Map (Gomer Press), Travels with the Flea and Mirrors in the Cliffs. His travels on a Harley, across the USA were published in the Daily Telegraph under the title High on the Hog. He has appeared at many festivals (e.g. Hay & Edinburgh) and is the recipient of a number of awards e.g. Boardman Tasker Prize, Wales Tourist Board Wales in Print Award 2002, VisitAmerica Travel Writer of the Year, 2000. William Moreton Condry, or Bill Condry as he was often known, was described by The Daily Telegraph in a tribute in 1998 as "one of the finest British writers on natural history in the 20th century". Although he did not have any academic training in natural history, his knowledge of his subject matter was all self-taught. He became one of the most eminent of naturalists and writers in Britain, as well as one of the father figures of conservation. His contribution to the pioneering days of nature conservation in Wales was enormous - he served on the Wales Committee of the Nature Conservancy for a period in the 1960s and also pressed for the safeguarding of important sites such as the National Nature Reserves and was one of the first to raise the plight of the red kite. He wrote many guides and nature books and Heart of the Country was published by Gomer Press in 2003.

Review :
William Condry was one of a select few giants of nature writing. As Jim Perrin says, he ranks alongside a group of international authors whose writings have influenced generations. I was privileged to be at the launch of this book, but foolishly failed to buy it, on the grounds that I already possessed most of Condry's published works. I am so glad that I now have a copy! Perrin and Condry are both exceptional writers, very different in their styles and approaches. Their friendship was based on a common love of the Welsh landscape and wildlife, and, I should imagine, sustained in a spirit of tolerance and respect. Perrin's views especially of some contemporary nature writers are, in places, exuberantly and interestingly opinionated, sometimes astringent but consistently well argued. He is always interesting, often challenging, grounded in his passion for the wild places so well represented in Wales. He enjoins us to think for ourselves very good advice, as there are naturally alternative views to his about his subjects. However, his 40-page introduction to Condry's works is masterly, and truly enhances our appreciation of his subject's substantial opus. Condry's disputations are rarer, and of a different, apparently gentler kind, generally tilting at institutions rather than individuals. The delight in his works lies in his acute, patient, accurate observations of wildlife, and the transparent flow of his prose style. Perrin has chosen an excellent range of extended excerpts which illustrate this, and lead us to appreciate the breadth of Condry's thoughtfully considered and well-researched ideas. The book is satisfying on many levels. If you are not familiar with Condry's work you have a real treat in store, as the choice of extracts is deliciously varied. If you know the works well, here is an opportunity to consider them anew; to appreciate the philosophical and penetrating thoughts of this most observant recorder of our wealth of Welsh natural history. We have here, also, no less than a contemporary field guide to the development of ideas in natural history: following the trail of writers discussed by both Perrin and Condry furnishes the armchair naturalist with a solid grasp of the nature of the wildlife of Britain and beyond. Buy this book. It will reward you with new ways of looking both at the writings of William Condry, and at nature itself. Richard Hartnup It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council