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Book Cover for: The Hidden Seasons: A Calendar of Nature's Clues, Tristan Gooley

The Hidden Seasons: A Calendar of Nature's Clues

Tristan Gooley

We all notice the flowers of spring, longer days of summer, colors of autumn, and snowfalls of winter. But have you observed the way that water tends to run clearest in June? Did you know that at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, you can find Sirius due south in the night sky? And have you seen the poetic "shadow compasses" butterflies make on the hottest days, as they align their wings with the sun, their thin shadows pointing the way north?

The sun, moon, stars, plants, fungi, animals, water, and weather all tell us secrets about the seasons--if we know how to read their clues. In this sense-awakening book, New York Times-bestselling author Tristan Gooley reimagines the seasonal calendar not as four distinct phases but as a series of changes evolving moment by moment every day of the year. Each granular shift is an extraordinary microseason you won't want to miss. It's time to get out there and explore--the seasons will never look, sound, or smell the same again.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Experiment
  • Publish Date: Oct 21st, 2025
  • Pages: 384
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 7.50in - 5.56in - 1.29in - 0.92lb
  • EAN: 9798893030105
  • Categories: SeasonsWeatherAlmanacs

About the Author

Gooley, Tristan: - Tristan Gooley is the New York Times-bestselling author of How to Read Water, How to Read Nature, The Natural Navigator, The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs, The Secret World of Weather, The Nature Instinct, How to Read a Tree, and The Hidden Seasons. He has led expeditions on five continents, climbed mountains in three, and is the only living person to have both flown and sailed solo across the Atlantic. His more than two decades of pioneering outdoor experience include research among tribal peoples in some of the remotest regions on Earth. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation and the Royal Geographical Society, a vice-chairman of Trailfinders, and he runs the world's only school of natural navigation.

Praise for this book

One of the most skilled navigators on the planet. . . . Tristan Gooleyhelps millions of followers read nature's clues to find their way back home.-- "Smithsonian"
[Gooley] has become the global expert on natural navigation, finding his way around the world usingnothing but natural clues and pointers. His discovery (made on a sailing expedition to Iceland)--that if, when at sea, you see more than 10 birds in any given five-minute window, this means you are within 40miles of land--has become part of the British military's survival guidance.-- "The Daily Beast"
Gooley is your man. . . . With unflappable practicality, he shares simple ways to understand yoursurroundings, whether you're beside a stream or on the open sea at night, without instruments.--Discover magazine
While Gooley's tips encompass useful, practical ways to predict a change in weather, determine when apredator may be prowling and find true North at night, his true gift is in igniting curiosity and wonderabout the world around us.-- "Shelf Awareness"
Gooley, who has single-handedly been reviving natural navigation in this age of GPS, has thebirdwatching skills of Bill Oddie and the deductive powers of Sherlock Holmes. He can make you feelthat you've spent half your life walking about with your eyes only half-open.-- "The Telegraph"
Most of us have lost our way in nature at one time or another. . . . Gooley can you lead you back tonature if you're willing to invest the time.-- "National Parks Traveler"
Gooley's calm, contemplative authority on matters solar, lunar, and celestial establishes his guru credentials--but it's his revelations about the clues that lie scattered about the natural environment that really entrance: how puddles drying on paths, the shapes of sand dunes, the graininess of scree on the lee of a slope can all be enlisted to summon compass points to your horizon.-- "Time Out London"
Acclaim for Tristan Gooley

"Gooley interprets clues like a private investigator of the wilds, leaving no stone unturned. . . . For thoseinclined to solve mysteries written into the landscape, this author's lead is one they'll want to follow.-- "The Wall Street Journal"
Avid and budding outdoorspeople will appreciate Gooley's breadth of knowledge and accessible approach.-- "Publishers Weekly"
The Sherlock Holmes of Nature--BBC
An inviting journey with a generous guide.-- "Kirkus"
One of Barnes & Noble's 12 Best Gift Books of 2025

"Gooley preaches attention to common patterns in nature like a sommelier describing wine--the shadows cast by the sun here, the tree angled there, the moss greener on this side of the rock. As part of that work he has invented, or perhaps reinvented, a couple of wayfinding methods.-- "The New York Times"
In a clear, straightforward style peppered with mnemonic devices and wry humor, Gooley encourages readers to tune and retune their senses. Readers walking through the year with Gooley will be inspired to pay more attention to their own environments and the subtle delights of each season.--Shelf Awareness, starred review