From the Thames to the Telford, the Wear to the Wellsbourne; from canoe adventures to iceskating, from angling to day-dreaming, Caught by the River is an exceptional new take on nature writing. Here, the writers take you on a journey down some of our most famous waterways and some of its best kept secrets. Funny, surprising, delightful and poignant, they all share one thing – a passion for the rivers of Britain and Ireland. The result is a uniquely modern take on an age old writing tradition – a rock ‘n’ rock nature book even. The authors, many acclaimed and the rest soon to be, each contribute to a collection of writing as varied and unexpected as the rivers themselves. This evocative anthology of the best new nature writing is presented in a collection of essays on some of our favourite rivers, covering the entire length of the country. A diverse collection of authors share their thoughts, experiences and reminiscences on the river that means the most to them.Contributors include Gavin Pretor-Pinney who retraces a canoe trip his grandfather made 60 years ago, Roger Deakin writes about the history of ice skating in the fens, Jon Savage describes a trip down the Thames with Derek Jarman, Irvine Welsh recounts the courtship rituals witnessed by the River Forth, plus there are many more contributors including Bill Drummond, Edywn Collins, John Niven, Jarvis Cocker, and Chris Yates to name a few.
Born out of the eponymous angling and culture website Caught by the River (run by the book’s editors Jeff Barrett, Robin Turner & AndrewWalsh, each of whom works at Heavenly Recordings), this book explores many of the nation’s favourite waterways - alongside some of its unspoilt gems - our fascination with the countryside and our national identities and what it means to be truly ‘caught by the river’.
Publication date: 16th June 2009 Price: £17.99 Format: Hardback. Published by Cassell Illustrated, part of the Octopus Group.
Full list of contributors:
Sue Clifford and Angela King are co-founders of Common Ground, a charity distinguished by the linking of nature with culture and authors of ‘England in Particular’ and ‘The Apple Scource Book’
Jon Berry is the author of the critically-acclaimed A Can of Worms, his second book, A Train to Catch, will be published in 2009.
Frank Cottrell Boyce is a British screenwriter, novelist and actor. His work includes the screenplays for ‘Welcome to Sarajevo’ and ‘Twenty Four Hour Party People’ and the books ‘Framed’ and ‘Cosmic’.
Gavin Pretor-Pinney is the founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society and author of the bestselling Cloudspotter’s Guide. He is a co-founder of The Idler.
Chris Watson is the UK’s leading wildlife and nature sound recordist. He was a founder member of Cabaret Voltaire.
Kevin Pearce is the editor of Your Heart Out online fanzine and the author of Something Beginning with O, published by Heavenly.
Laura Barton writes for The Guardian. Her first novel is due to be published in 2010.
Roger Deakin is the author of Waterlog, Wildwood and Notes from Walnut Tree Farm. He is sadly no longer with us but remains an inspiration.
Irvine Welsh is the author of Trainspotting, Marabou Stork Nightmares, Filth and Crime.
Peter Kirby is a writer and artist.
Edwyn Collins is a songwriter and musician and former singer of Orange Juice, Grace Maxwell is his wife and manager. Grace’s book about life after Edwyn’s stroke is published by Ebury this Summer.
John Niven is the author of Kill Your Friends and The Amateurs.
John Moore was a member of the Jesus and Mary Chain, and now a member of Black Box Recorder.
John Andrews (of Arcadia) is a regular contributor to Caught by the River. His work can also be read in the magazine Waterlog.
Bob Stanley is a music writer and founder member of pop group Saint Etienne.
Jude Rogers is a writer for The Guardian and co-founder of the magazine Smoke: A London Peculiar.
Matthew De Abaitua is the author of The Red Men, nominated for the 2008 Arthur C Clarke Award.
Jemma Kennedy is the author of the novel Skywalking and co-founder of ‘Kitchen Sink Dramas’.
Hannah Hamilton is a writer. She runs the Inchbeg Fly Fishing School.
Kathryn Williams is a singer-songwriter. Her second album earned her a Mercury Prize nomination. Her new one should too.
Bill Drummond was one half of the pop group KLF and famously burnt a million pounds. He is the author of 45 and 17.
Jarvis Cocker is a former member of Pulp. He is now a successful solo artist with a new album out this Spring.
Dexter Petley is a regular contributor to Caught by the River and the author of four novels.
Karl Hyde is one half of Underworld, a writer and a creative partner in Tomato.
Chris Yates is the UK’s foremost angling writer and a patron saint of Caught by the River.
Jon Savage is the author of Teenage and the definitive history of punk England’s Dreaming.
Paul Kingsnorth is a journalist and environmental campaigner. He is the author of Real England.
Peregrine Eliot, 10th Earl of St Germans, is co-founder of the Port Eliot Literary Festival.
J. W. Martin (Trent Otter) is one of angling literature’s best-loved writers. His book ‘My Fishing Days and Ways’- first published in 1905 and still in print - is a genuine classic of the genre.
Roy Wilkinson is UK Official Archivist for the rock group British Sea Power.
Ben Myers is a poet and novelist.
Mathew Clayton has worked in book publishing, and grew up just outside Brighton.
Kurt Jackson has a distinguished career spanning almost thirty years as an artist and environmentalist.
Alice Oswald was named as one of the Poetry Book Society’s ‘Next Generation’ poets. Her poem Dart – from which we run an extract – is a big favourite of Caught by the River.
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