Dartington Trust Books

24/08/2024

21/08/2024

Living on Earth is the eagerly awaited third part in professor, philosopher and avid scuba-diver Peter Godfrey-Smith’s exploration into sentience and life on this planet.

Following Other Minds and Metazoa, in this final part, Godfrey-Smith travels the world exploring how life has shaped and been shaped by the planet itself. Our own species’ dramatic impacts on Earth are of course at the centre of this work.

Godfrey-Smith takes us first to Australia to witness cyanobacteria who, some 3 billion years ago, invented a new type of photosynthesis which flooded our world with oxygen, paving the way for animal life. As he travels the landscape of Australia he takes us on a time-travelling tour of the beginnings of this life, giving a sense of scale to the brevity of humanities involvement in the history of Earth.

This book leads us on a tour of life on Earth at this moment too - bowerbirds, gorillas and, of course, coral reefs. Godfrey-Smith offers not just warnings about climate breakdown and the fragility of the life he witnesses, but also his ideas on practical solutions which could help us all. He reminds us of the importance of local action in the form of habitat preservation; a note I found empowering in the midst of an issue which often feels hopelessly huge and overwhelming.

19/08/2024

El-Ghourabaa: A Collection of Q***r and Trans Oddities came from the invitation of editors Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch and Samia Marshy for q***r and trans authors of the Arab and Arab speaking community to come together and play. The anthology is borne specifically of the Canadian Arab community and is described in the foreword as a literary gift.

It is a mixed-genre anthology (poetry, short stories, extracts), a defiance against easy categories and market practices of stereotyping, presenting instead a nuanced understanding of Arab identity. It is sexy, poignant, funny.

The authors tell us in their introduction that the last few months of working on the anthology had the most tragic backdrop: the genocidal campaign against Gaza. The fun of their initial inspiration became something deeply serious.

“Our existence is resistence,” they tell us.



***ranthology

13/08/2024

In High Society, Mike Jay explores how the use of mind-altering substances has been a near ubiquitous experience of human culture.

From the use of the poppy in the ancient world to contemporary betel-chewing across Asian and Oceanic cultures, to (so-called) Aztec priests use of the to***co plant, this book is vast in its scope.

In Ten Trips, clinical neuropsychologist Andy Mitchell explores and tests the claims being made for psychedelics by taking ten different ones in ten different settings.

It is a deeply personal account without romanticism; power and its misuse in the field of psychedelics is not shied away from.

09/08/2024

Booksellers Recommend!

In Mary and the Rabbit Dream, Noémi Kiss-Deáki fictionalises the strange case of Mary Toft who, in 1724, purportedly and miraculously gave birth to rabbits.

Of course, in reality, it was a deeply grisly hoax, encouraged by people around Mary for reasons explored in the story.

The novel itself is written in an almost simplistic, unusually repetitive voice. It made me think of traditional folk songs and poetry. It made me imagine the voice of Mary Toft herself; unschooled and yet insightful, knowing and penetrating.

It is a story about power; those who wield it and those who do not. It is a story about cruelty and manipulation.
But Kiss-Deáki also makes it a story about a strange sort of triumph, which after everything Mary suffered in life, she certainly deserves.




Review by

07/08/2024

06/08/2024

Like lichen??? Have we got the books for you!

Get to know these category-defying, in-plain-sight-hiding extremophiles with ‘The Lives of Lichens’, ‘The Lichen Museum’, and ‘Lichenpedia’.

Robert Lücking & Toby Spribille’s ‘The Lives of Lichens’ explores all facets of this fascinating and often overlooked life form. Covering lichen’s symbiotic nature, biology, taxonomy, and evolution alongside vivid photographs and colour illustrations, this book is essential reading for lichen novices and aficionados alike.

Serving as both a guide and companion publication to an art project of the same name, ‘The Lichen Museum’ by A. Laurie Palmer explores how lichens might set an example for how we as humans view our relationships. Through a lichen lens, this book encourages readers to incorporate ecological complexity and multiplicity into our understanding of how we relate to others, ourselves, and the world around us.

‘Lichenpedia’ by Kay Hurley provides an A-Z compendium on everything relating to to lichen. From important terms, to eminent lichenologists, to lichen’s cultural and scientific influence, ‘Lichenpedia’ is the perfect resource for anyone seeking a crash course in the remarkable, funky lives of these foliose friends.

02/08/2024

For anyone interested in a deep dive into the outlandish realms of Remedios Varo, these two books are just the thing!

A key contributor to the Surrealist movement, Varo is known for her haunting, dreamlike imagery fusing themes of magic, naturalism, alchemy, and the occult. She steadfastly held that ‘the dream world and the real world are the same’, and combined traditional and Surrealist methods to depict androgynous figures and mythic creatures interacting with symbols of mystical enquiry and the metaphysical.

‘Remedios Varo: Science Fictions’ (left) catalogues and analyses twenty-seven of Varo’s major works, contributed to by a range of expert scholars. New photography beautifully showcases her art, and accompanying essays explore the complex stories and layered approaches of each work.

In ‘On Homo Rodans and Other Writings’, editor and translator Margaret Carson compiles Varo’s writings for the first time, presenting the artist’s lesser-known literary voice. Comprised of letters, short stories, dream accounts, notes for unrealised projects, automatic writing, poems, and commentary on her art — this collection offers a deeper understanding of the workings of Varo’s mind and creative practice.

30/07/2024

First published in 1858 and then lost to obscurity, The Teaching of Ptahhapt was composed during the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

The work is a reflection on the human condition, right ways to live and truth, which Ptahhapt sees as unaffected by time.

This edition gives a detailed context and explanation for the philosophy of Ptahhapt, considering questions of what we mean by writing, what we mean when we call something a book.

I particularly like this extract, his third teaching titles ‘On Argument’: “If you meet someone looking for an argument - an equal who is on your level - show that you are better than them with silence.”

Timeless words!

29/07/2024

We have two books in by writer Ekow Eshun (author of Black Gold of the Sun) to tie in with a major exhibition at the Box in Plymouth.

The exhibition, curated by Eshun, showcases 22 living artists across the UK and USA. The work explores the black figure and its representation in contemporary art, ranging across painting, sculpture and other mediums.

26/07/2024

We had two wonderful author events recently - the first with and the second with .

Hettie Judah presented on her book Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood.
During her talk I was particularly struck by the ways in which a proliferation of early images of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, had impacted later depictions of motherhood. Such depictions obviously have an emotional impact on the viewer, as well as going deep into the cultural psyche. It was fascinating to see how later artists had played with the classic imagery of Mary, subverting it in order to comment on their lived experiences of motherhood.

The next event was a conversation with Wyl Menmuir, fiction and non-fiction writer. Menmuir’s debut novel was shortlisted for the Booker in 2016.
Our event focused on his new book, The Heart of the Forest.
His discussion with local wood worker .finberg , was rich and entertaining, with an especially delightful love of the hand-carved spoon running throughout. Menmuir’s respect and empathy for the crafts people who feature in his book was palpable.

We are extremely grateful to both these authors for sharing their work with us, as well as to their publishers.

We now have signed books from both Hettie Judah and Wyl Menmuir for you to buy if you missed the talks and signings.

25/07/2024

Kickstart that holiday book pile with three superior Summer novels from old-Dartingtonian Deborah Levy.

24/07/2024

The Art Beneath by Spike Bucklow

At first glance, this book appears to contain images of beautiful, colourful seams of geological formations. This assumption is unsurprising Bucklow tells us, as what we are actually seeing are microscopic images of paint flecks, and paints, he tells us, were often made from ground rocks.

These microscopic specimens come from a collection held at the University of Cambridge as part of their teaching programme for painting restoration. The samples - no bigger than a printed full stop - are taken from the edges of the paintings or from damaged areas.

Such microdot paint samples are officially taken in order to aid conservation efforts, by revealing the chemistry of the paints used or to shed light on the methods of the particular artist. Here, however, the images are given a space of their own and so become something quite different.

Bucklow says the book “celebrates the beauty of the structures which lie hidden beneath the surface of paintings”.
Through the process of inviting us to see these tiny, crystalline flecks of paint as works of art in themselves, the book invites us to muse more deeply on the minutia concealed all around us, all the time. On all the beauty which we cannot see without assistance.

Review by

23/07/2024

Four titles from the Psychedelic Press!

The Psychedelic Press publishes books and journals on the history, culture and philosophy of psychoactive substances and altered states of consciousness.

These four titles range from topics as diverse as the metaphysics of psychedelics to psychedelic ceremony to literary history.

Come and have a browse!



vayne

13/07/2024

Signed copies of Earth: A Billion Years in the Making by Chris Packham and Andrew Cohen

This book is a narrated history of our Earth. It is fully illustrated throughout and accompanies the five part BBC TV series.

The incredible brevity of our species’ time on this planet is evident as the book takes us on a journey through deep time and the many changes that the Earth has seen.

12/07/2024

Our Booksellers Recommend:

Set during the heatwave of 1989, ‘Perfect Golden Circle’ by Benjamin Meyers follows comrades in counter-culture Redbone and Calvert as they sneak across the moonlit fields of England, pressing ever more complex crop circles into wheat and barley.

The narrative follows the pattern of Redbones psychedelically-assisted crop circle designs; seemingly simplistic at first but revealing ever greater depth, meaning and complexity.

Part love letter to the land of England, part examination of male friendship as well as a meditation on climate breakdown, ‘Perfect Golden Circle’ is indeed perfect, from its delightful beginning through to its quietly devastating finale.

Review by

28/06/2024

We are very proud to be hosting , the Roger Deakin award winning and Booker-nominated writer, to talk about his most recent book, 'The Heart of the Woods' in Studio 1 on Wednesday 24th July.

Lauded by and amongst others, it is a joyous and various melding of the multiplicity of ways that humans interact with trees, and the beguiling and mysterious power of the woods.

As our resident nature bookxpert puts it more lyrically:-

"The chapter headings of The Heart of the Woods by Wyl Menmuir read like the old Norse sagas where the legendary hero is described in fulsome terms by all their heroic attributes and actions. They talk of Woodland Planter, Heartwood Carver, Willow Weaver, Myth Walker, Seed Collector, Apple Wailer, Wish Wearer, Tree Worshipper…

These paeans of praise though are for all of the different people that Wyl has met who connect with trees. People who make willow coffins, hazel flowers and pilot cutters. People who bathe-in-the-woods and are away-with-the-fairies. People who plant new oaks and people who are buried amongst their roots.

An arboreal odyssey it guides us through woodlands across Britain and Ireland (with an excursion to Japan) showing us how silviculture is human culture, and how these leafy, sappy companions are symbolically, spiritually and socially at the core of our world."

Don't miss it!

28/06/2024

Eminent art critic will be joining us at Studio 1 on Saturday 20th July, to give a talk on art and motherhood, based on the superb touring exhibition (did you catch it at the ?), and promoting her beautiful and profound new book with .

25/06/2024

Issue 5 of the beloved Emergence Magazine is here! Stunningly designed and illustrated as always, this issue explores the concept of Time through myriad lenses, from the entangled history of lion fish and humans, to wild clocks, to dendrochronology, to the ecopoetry of Jane Hirshfield and Linda Hogan.

With other contributors including James Bridle, Tyson Yunkaporta, Erica Berry, David Hinton, Jenny Odell and Dark Mountain’s Nick Hunt, this first hardback issue is an item to treasure.

03/02/2024

We are extremely excited to be hosting at the Great Hall on 9th March to talk about her new warm and engaging book detailing her lifelong love of gardening.

Illustrated by herself, and full of characteristic wit, wisdom and charm, along with recipes and even poems, it is a very lovely book and it should be a wonderful evening in our beautiful atmospheric Great Hall.

Tickets are for sale for the event at the link in our bio, and there is a very special offer to receive the book at 40% discount if you choose the ticket and book option.

01/02/2024

This early February harvest of non-fiction paperbacks is extremely exciting...

06/01/2024

A beautiful market Saturday in Totnes Town!

24/12/2023

Another Christmas under the belt! Thanks everyone for supporting us so much. We hope everyone likes their presents ###