The Edge of Silence

In Search of the Disappearing Sounds of Nature

Neil Ansell

$34.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Birlinn Ltd
01 November 2025

Endangered species & extinction of species; Complementary therapies, healing & health; Wildlife: general interest; The countryside, country life; Travel writing

Acclaimed nature writer Neil Ansell has suffered from progressive hearing loss his whole life. As his world is becoming ever more silent, he suddenly hears something quite unexpected

the haunting call of the great northern diver. It is this extraordinary experience which makes him realise that there might still be remarkable sounds in nature within his reach

if he can only find himself in the right place at the right time.

This moving book charts Neil's mission to hear rare and elusive creatures that he had not previously encountered. This journey takes him from the mountaintops and islands of the Scottish Highlands to the marshes of England and the hills of Wales. Many of these species are in grave danger of extinction, so the future Neil faces, devoid of their distinctive calls, is one we all must fight to prevent.

LOCATIONS AND AND ANIMALS:

Great northern diver (Nether Lochaber, Scottish Highlands), Ptarmigan (Ardgour, Scottish Highlands), Little Grebe (Ardgour, Scottish Highlands), Bittern (Morecambe Bay, Lancashire), Natterjack toad (The Wirral), Red-throated diver (Ardgour, Scottish Highlands), Corncrake (Coll),Snipe (Coll), Black grouse (North Wales), Greenshank (Ardgour, Scottish Highlands), Puffin (Canna and Sanday), Storm petrel (Mousa, Shetland), Whimbrel (Shetland), Red kite (Perthshire), Otter (Sunart, Scottish Highlands), Manx shearwater (Rum)

By: Neil Ansell
Imprint: Birlinn Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 347g
ISBN: 9781780279565
ISBN 10: 1780279566
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 01 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Neil Ansell has written for The Guardian, The New Statesman and The Big Issue, and has been an award-winning journalist with the BBC. His previous books include Deep Country, Wilderness and The Circling Sky, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Wainwright Golden Beer and Highland Book Prize.

Reviews for The Edge of Silence: In Search of the Disappearing Sounds of Nature

'The lesson in this absorbing, lyrical book is simply to listen, to sit still, to turn off your phone, to concentrate and, above all, to rejoice in sounds' * Country Life * 'This remarkable, moving book is the story of a journey to hear rare and elusive creatures' * Bookseller Scotland Focus * 'Thought-provoking and eloquent, intimate and far-reaching... this is the beautifully told story of the author’s mission to listen to the disappearing sounds of nature' -- Liz Robinson * LoveReading *