Simon Wills

"Even the most well-informed wildlife enthusiasts will be entertained by the stories and fascinating facts in this beautifully illustrated book. Our ancestors were as interested in birds as we are, but often for different reasons. They hunted, tamed, worshipped and depicted birds, and even bestowed magical properties upon them. Why did ancient writers consider the sparrow such a lustful creature? Which bird was killed and hung up to predict the weather?...

Make Arbor Day every day with little known and intriguing facts about the plants that populate our forests, give us shade, and clean our air. Have you ever wondered how trees got their names? What did our ancestors think about trees, and how were they used in the past? This fascinating book will answer many of your questions, but also reveal interesting stories that are not widely known. For example, the nut from which tree was predicted to pay off...

Photographs of your seafaring ancestors may tell you more about their lives than you realize, and Simon Willss helpful and practical guide shows you how to identify and interpret the evidence caught on camera. Since maritime roles have been so vital to Britain’s prosperity and military might, they are among the commonest professions depicted in photographs of our ancestors, and his handbook is the ideal introduction to them. Maybe your ancestor...

A social history of sea travel from the passengers' perspective, encompassing all walks of life and vessels departing from a variety of UK ports. Simon Wills tells the stories of ordinary people who travelled by sea between 1600 and 1940, from early America.