A debut book exploring The Secret Life of the Mountain Hare has gained public appreciation in an online vote to find the Favourite Scottish Nature Photography Book of 2018. It is the work of photographer Andy Howard, a leading expert on mountain hares, and includes stunning photography and field notes from his time on the hills tracking these majestic creatures, as well as a charming narrative about the life of the mountain hare. The book was reviewed on Walkhighlands on launch in October.
The vote is held every two years by the Scottish Nature Photography Awards, which celebrate nature, wildlife and landscape photography in Scotland. The shortlist for the 2018 vote featured eleven books highlighting different aspects of Scottish nature with spectacular visual storytelling.
Awards organiser Niall Irvine said: “Every time we conduct the poll, it attracts an increase in votes. The public clearly enjoys this genre of books and we’re sure that publications such as these will go from strength to strength.
“Andy Howard has enjoyed success in the Scottish Nature Photography Awards photography competition over the years, and we’re pleased to see his commitment to this subject come to fruition through this beautiful book, published by Sandstone Press.”
Andy Howard said: “To win this award with my first book is both fantastic and humbling, especially taking into account the high standard of the other books on the shortlist.
“Mountain hares are amazing creatures and I hope The Secret Life of the Mountain Hare is a fitting tribute to their beauty.”
Robert Davidson, managing director of Sandstone Press said: “All of us at Sandstone Press are delighted by Andy Howard’s win. He is a supremely dedicated professional and, most wonderfully, in love with this species, the mountain hare.
“The Secret Life of the Mountain Hare is a perfect merging of images, thoughts and feelings of and for this amazing animal. Andy deserves all the praise he gets, and the hares deserve not to be persecuted.”
The second and third place runners-up in the vote were Northwest by Alex Nail (published by Alex Nail) and The Red Squirrel – A Future in the Forest by Neil McIntyre and Polly Pullar (published by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture).