A Herd of Red Deer: A Study in Animal Behaviour (Wild Lives)

A Herd of Red Deer revolutionised the way that British wildlife was studied. Darling spent two years with the red deer and this book describes in beautiful detail all that he learnt. From the excitement of the rutting season to the struggle for mastery of the herd, Darling is able to express the changes in the deer community throughout the year with a warmth and personality that few scientists have. As part of the Luath Wild Lives series, the original text is complimented with diagrams, maps and new photographs. In the introduction Walter Stephen shows how A Herd of Red Deer inspired a generation to follow in Darling's footsteps, to love the Highlands and to be aware of the big environmental issues of the 21st century. This authoritative work on the lives and habits of the red deer, supported by Scottish Natural Heritage, will appeal to all those interested in wildlife and the environment.

Walter Stephen could not proceed beyond Geology I at Edinburgh University due to colour blindness – the analysis of crystals and subtle maps were hidden worlds for him. Degrees in Geography, Economic History and Education qualified him as an academic jack-of-all-trades with a lifelong devotion to environmental awareness and understanding. One of his achievements was the establishment and operation for twenty years of Castlehill Urban Studies Centre, the first successful Urban Studies Centre in Britain.

A former Chairman of the Sir Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust, he has been responsible for Learning from the Lasses, A Vigorous Institution and Think Global, Act Local, collections of essays on Patrick Geddes. In his introduction to the new edition of A Herd of Red Deer he brought out the importance of Frank Fraser Darling as the founder of ecology and forerunner of David Attenborough. In The Evolution of Evolution Walter Stephen sets Darwin at the centre of a circle of Interesting Victorians. All six books, plus his biography of Willie Park Junior: The Man who took Golf to the World and Walter’s Wiggles were published by Luath Press.

Frank Fraser Darling was an ecologist and conservationist. As a young man he spent two years studying the red deer. He was the first naturalist to leave the laboratory and the library to spend long periods observing and recording our largest land mammal in its mountain habitat. Later in life he went on to wider studies in three continents and investigated concerns about conservation and the environment. His BBC lectures in 1969 are thought to be the starting point of Britain's green movement.Walter Stephen is passionate about British environmental studies and natural history. He set up and ran, for twenty years, the first successful Urban Studies Centre in Britain, and as former Chairman of the Sir Patrick Geddes Memorial Trust has also edited A Vigorous Institution: The Living Legacy of Patrick Geddes and Think Global, Act Global.