Please note that this is not a practical handbook to hedgehog conservation or care.
Hedgehogs, with their quiet determination and bristling, bumbling ways, are seen by many of one of life's most enduring symbols of the countryside and town gardens. This shy, snuffling, enigmatic animal has captured the imagination of children and adults for centuries – from Beatrix Potter's Mrs Tiggywinkle to Sonic the Hedgehog. Full to the brim with fascinating insights and countryside lore, The Hedgehog Handbook explores different facets of this much-admired mammal – from its wildlife habits to its literary heritage, how different cultures have viewed the hedgehog and what we can do to help preserve this icon of rural life. Fun, sweet and warm hearted, The Hedgehog Handbook is a month by month celebration of one of the countryside's best-loved creatures. Packed with inspirational quotes, entertaining facts, folklore and literary references, it's the perfect gift for anyone with a penchant for prickles.
Sally Coulthard is a best selling author of design and outdoor living books including Shed Chic, Gardenalia and The Little Book of Building Fires. She lives on a Yorkshire farm where she keeps sheep, chickens and the occasional hedgehog.
"One of our favourite books of the year"
– Yorkshire Post
"Wonderful [...] A responsible perspective on animal conservation is underwritten by presentation of the shocking facts, all the better to shake the reader out of the kind of complacency which is a part of the problem"
– Yorkshire Times
"Illustrated by the author's own delightful drawings and woodcuts, the small-format board-backed volume presents just about every hedgehog fact you could wish to know"
– Northern Echo