Merlin Unwin Books Newsletter

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March spring newsletter

If you are looking for a gift for mother's day we have some ideas to help you. Why not give your mother something that is both meaningful and thoughtful this year.... a book!

We are offering our newsletter subscribers £5-off book orders over £40 so that you can buy a book for yourself and a loved one.

Simply order online via the Merlin Unwin Books website (valid until 31 March 2025). Apply code 'SPRING5' at the checkout.

Use code SPRING5

UK Safari

Wild Enthusiasm (£20)

No need to travel halfway round the globe to spot iconic wildlife – it's right here on our doorstep in the UK and Steve Wright, keen amateur naturalist, travels from the Isle of Man to Norfolk, to the Orkneys, Northern Ireland and everywhere in-between on his various short holiday expeditions, clutching his specific wildlife wish-list for each trip.

The result is an inspiring and engaging diary of his personal encounters with white-tailed eagles, otters, bottlenose dolphins, fulmars, puffins, osprey, sand lizards, even red-necked wallabies. And the characters he meets on the way. He hears snipe drumming, watches a shrew in Wales, admires pilot whales off Lewis.

Steve's wildlife travel diaries give excellent practical tips, such as bird-hide etiquette, how to identify birds on the wing, how to consult local wildlife rangers about what might be spotted on each outing and where to find that species.

But most importantly his highly-readable wildlife travels are a call to others to book themselves in to pubs and small hotels the length and breadth of Britain and follow his example, for a series of fun British wildlife safaris.

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Spring flowers

Dandelion remedies from Hedgerow Medicine

DANDELION FLOWERS
Flower infused oil helps to relieve:

• muscle tension • muscle aches• stiff neck • arthritis

Dandelion flower infused oil

Pick enough dandelion flowers to fill a clean, dry jam jar. Pour in extra virgin olive oil slowly, allowing it to seep down around the flowers until the jar is full and there are no air pockets left.

Cover the jar with a piece of cloth held in place with a rubber band, and put the jar in a warm sunny place. It can be left outdoors during the day if the weather is clear, and brought in at night, or left on a sunny window ledge. The cloth cover lets any moisture escape. You may need to prod the flowers down to keep them immersed in the oil, as they can go mouldy if left in the air.

After a week or two, or when the flowers are limp and have lost their colour, strain off the oil. If you put the flowers in a cloth or jelly bag to squeeze out the oil you may get some juice as well, so you’ll need to let the oil stand for a while in a jug. This will allow any water to sink to the bottom. The oil can then be carefully poured off into bottles, leaving the watery bits at the bottom of the jug.

Dandelion flower oil is an excellent rub for muscle tension and cold, stiff joints. It is good for dry skin, and can be rubbed into the delicate skin around the eyes. Don’t forget this oil can be eaten too, adding a taste of sunshine to salads and other foods.

For external use, you can add essential oils to your home-made flower oil, using up to 20 drops per 100ml of oil. The essential oils act as a natural preservative, and bring their own healing qualities to the mixture. Lavender, ylang ylang and rosemary all combine well with dandelion.

Hedgerow Medicine (£20)

Britain’s hedgerows abound with forgotten remedies for countless health problems.

Julie Bruton-Seal, practising medical herbalist, together with editor and writer Matthew Seal, have responded to the growing interest in natural medicine by aiming this book at the amateur who wants to improve their health in the same way that mankind has done for centuries around the world: by using local wild plants and herbs.

There are clear instructions about which plants to harvest, when, and over 120 recipes showing how to make them into teas, vinegars, oils, creams, pillows, poultices or alcohol-based tinctures. Julie and Matthew explain which ailments can be treated, and what benefits can be expected.

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Wildflower Identification

Wild Flowers of Britain

An attractive way to learn the names of our delicate and beautiful wild flowers.

Margaret Erskine Wilson was a keen amateur botanist and water-colourist. She painted plants as they bloomed each month to teach her friend how to learn their names. They still serve that purpose for readers today.

£9.99

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Equestrian Books

With Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National races coming up in March and April we have chosen our favourite horse-focused books; from racing to horseback adventures, racing poetry to a sporting thriller set at a livery yard.

Here is our selection that we think you will enjoy...

David Ashforth has a distinct witty and dry sense of humour.
His book, Ashforth's Curiosities of Horseracing, is comprised of short stories that are all meticulously researched and very entertaining... he writes of his book:

'A sport based on one animal sitting on top of another and trying (usually) to be the first pair to reach a wooden stick is a curiosity in itself. So it’s no surprise that horseracing is full of curiosities. The curiosities in this collection have been chosen to arouse interest. They are stories of those curious creature – people, and of horses'.

Review from Racing Post’s The Front Runner Chris Cook

‘Immensely readable, entertaining and informative from beginning to end.’