WILDLIFE AUTHOR'S ANGUISH AFTER HER NEW BOOK IS 'TRASHED BY SPITEFUL REVIEW'

                                                                        

FEATHERS are flying in the world of wildlife publishing after a prominent naturalist slammed a new book.

Author Mary Colwell hoped Mark Avery, former head of conservation at the RSPB, would have warm words for her book, Beak, Tooth and Claw: Living with Predators in Britain.

                                 

Mary Colwell

Instead, in his blog, he let her have it with both barrels, describing it as  "sloppy" and "full of errors".

He wrote: "I found this a very irritating book because the author steps into areas of high controversy and doesn’t really seem to have understood them - I felt like throwing it across the room several times as I was reading it."

His  conclusion reads: "I wouldn’t put you off reading this book but I cannot recommend it much at all."

Mary Colwell responded: "Mark, you have trashed my whole book on one part of one chapter. It is a spiteful, narrow-minded review I thought you were better than that.

"I wrote absolutely nothing different in this book than in Curlew Moon, but then you also gave that a poor review.

"All I want is for wildlife to have a far, far better deal in this country. I deeply and passionately care about this planet and am doing my utmost to move things forward. I may not do it in the same way as you, but I am trying. 

"You have thousands of followers who hang off your every word. No wonder, just no wonder we are in this god-awful mess.

"It is so easy to dismiss someone. So, so easy. You have done a fine job."                                            

Mark Avery