Is a River Alive

Gardners

Is a River Alive

£11.99
£11.99
Save £-11.99 Sold Out
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
Low stock

SHORTLISTED FOR BLACKWELL'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2026

From celebrated writer Robert Macfarlane comes this brilliant, perspective-shifting new book – which answers a resounding yes to the question of its title. At its heart is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings – who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Is a River Alive? takes the reader on an exhilarating exploration of the past, present and futures of this ancient, urgent concept.

The book flows first to northern Ecuador, where a miraculous cloud-forest and its rivers are threatened by goldmining. Then, to the wounded rivers, creeks and lagoons of southern India, where a desperate battle to save the lives of these waterbodies is under way. And finally, to north-eastern Quebec, where a spectacular wild river – the Mutehekau or Magpie – is being defended from death by damming in a river-rights campaign.

A Field Notes notebook is available with the same cover here.

Details:

  • Author: Robert Macfarlane
  • Format:
    • Paperback / softback
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241998212
  • Published: 5 Mar 2026
  • Classifications:
    • India,
    • Quebec,
    • Ecuador,
    • Political ideologies,
    • Ecological science, the Biosphere,
    • Limnology (freshwater),
    • Physical geography & topography,
    • Human geography,
    • Environmentalist thought & ideology,
    • Conservation of wildlife & habitats,
    • Climate change,
    • Natural history
  • Weight: 312g
  • Dimensions: 129 x 200 x 28 (mm)
  • Pub. Country: United Kingdom