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Quote by J. A. Baker

“There is no mysterious essence we can call a 'place'. Place is change. It is motion killed by the mind, and preserved in the amber of memory.”

Quote by J. A. Baker

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J. A. Baker
J. A. Baker

J. A. Baker (1926-1987) was a British author and naturalist, best known for his profound observations of birds, particularly the peregrine falcon. Born in Essex, he spent most of his life in eastern England, meticulously tracking and writing about peregrines. His sole major work, 'The Peregrine' (1967), is a classic of nature writing, blending scientific detail with poetic prose. Baker's work explores themes of human alienation from nature and the wild's resilience. Despite limited biographical information, his book remains influential, inspiring readers and writers like Robert Macfarlane. Baker died in 1987, leaving a legacy of intense, lyrical natural observation. more

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“Cold air rises from the ground as the sun goes down. The eye-burning clarity of the light intensifies. The southern rim of the sky glows to a deeper blue, to pale violet, to purple, then thins to grey. Slowly the wind falls, and the still air begins to freeze. The solid eastern ridge is black; it has a bloom on it like the dust on the skin of a grape. The west flares briefly. The long, cold amber of the afterglow casts clear black lunar shadows. There is an animal mystery in the light that sets upon the fields like a frozen muscle that will flex and wake at sunrise.”

LongStillsLightEyeFallBlackAnimalSunClearAirMysterySkyFieldsWindColdShadowSkinsBlueWestCastsDeeperClarityDustBurningMusclesSouthernPaleSunriseGreyEasternFrozenVioletPurpleGrapesFreezeAmberRimsFlareRidgesAfterglowCold Air
Author:J. A. Baker
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