'Truth and courage are what memoirs need and this one has them both in spades … The unforgotten boy: that is what makes this a book a revelation'
ADAM NICOLSON

‘Wonderful, absolutely beguiling … I learnt a lot and really loved it’
RICHARD HOLMES

‘Gloriously evocative’
DAILY MAIL

What makes a scientist?

Charming, funny and wise, in this memoir Richard Fortey shows how restless curiosity about the natural world led him to become a leading scientist and writer, with adventures and misadventures along the way.

From a garden shed laboratory where he manufactured the greatest stink in the world to a tent high in the Arctic in pursuit of fossils, this is a story of obsession and love of nature, flavoured with the peculiarities and restrictions of post-war Britain. Fortey tells the story of following his father down riverbanks to fish for trout, and also of his father's shocking death. He unfolds his early passions – fungi, ammonite hunting and eyeing up bird's eggs. He evokes with warmth and wit how the natural world started out as his playground and refuge, then became his life's work.

Much more than a story about science alone, this memoir gives an unforgettable portrait of a young, curious mind, and shows how luck and enthusiasm can create a special life.

Gold title

• HIGH PROFILE BRITISH SCIENTIST. Richard worked for most of his career at the Natural History Museum in London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, of the Royal Society of Literature, and President of the Geological Society of London amidst many other honours.

• GREAT SALES RECORD. Richard is the author of many brilliantly reviewed books, including THE EARTH: AN INTIMATE HISTORY and LIFE: AN UNAUTHORISED BIOGRAPHY and TRILOBITE!, all of which sold in the region of 50k copies across all editions.

• PACKAGED FOR ADULTS but a YA audience may migrate to it as an adventure in nature and scientific creativity.

Competition: Uncle Tungsten;Life on Air:A Life on Our Planet;Entangled Life;The Pleasure of Finding Things Out;Periodic Tales;Diary of a Young Naturalist;Back to Nature;Rewilding;rewild yourself. Oliver Sacks;David Attenborough;Bill Bryson;Dara McAnulty;Merlin Sheldrake;james rebanks;chris packham;Isabella Tree