{"title":"Books by Simon Cooper","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780008189747","title":"The Otters’ Tale","description":"Shortlisted for THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2017‘The best popular account of the lives of otters written so far’ Richard Shelton, Times Literary SupplementWhen Simon Cooper bought an abandoned water mill that straddles a small chalkstream in southern England, little did he know that he would come to share the mill with a family of wild otters. Yet move in they did, allowing him to begin to observe them, soon immersing himself in their daily routines and movements. He developed an extraordinary close relationship with the family, which in turn gave him a unique insight into the life of these fascinating creatures.Cooper interweaves the personal story of the female otter, Kuschta, with the natural history of the otter in the British Isles, only recently brought back from the brink of extinction through tireless conservation efforts. Following in the footsteps of Henry Williamson’s classic 1920s tale Tarka the Otter, readers are taken on a journey through the calendar year, learning the most intimate detail of this most beautiful of British mammals. Cooper brings these beloved animals to life in all their wondrous complexity, revealing the previously hidden secrets of their lives in this beautifully told tale of the otter.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56220719546741,"sku":"9780008189747","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008189747_39af07f5-ffc0-47ed-afaa-e501f0dac15b.jpg?v=1785658714"},{"product_id":"9780007547883","title":"Life of a Chalkstream","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis delightful book records a year in the life of an essentially English waterscape, one that is home to a vast array of wildlife and natural habitat of the keen angler – the chalkstream.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimon Cooper grew up in Hampshire, where he first fell in love with fly fishing. Only after moving away did he realise how little people knew about the secret world of the chalkstreams.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChalkstreams are nearly exclusive to England, ranging from Dorset to Yorkshire and including the famous River Test in Hampshire. Every river is special in its own right.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLife of a Chalkstream is a lyrical and revealing voyage through the yearly cycle of this unique waterway. From the remarkable spectacle of salmon, sea trout and brown trout spawning in winter, to the emergence of water voles in spring and the explosion of mayflies in the early days of summer, the author evocatively describes the natural wonders of the chalkstream. He introduces us to the fascinating diversity of life that inhabits its waters and environs – the fish, the angling community, the plant life and the wildlife. We learn how neglect threatens these inhabitants and why the fight to save the chalkstreams is so vital, not only for fishermen, but for anybody who values the beauty of rural England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56220727378293,"sku":"9780007547883","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780007547883_28d20ebc-d22e-48f3-acb5-77a39c18e932.jpg?v=1785658660"},{"product_id":"9780008307073","title":"Frankel","description":"In horse racing greatness is defined by speed. Being the second fastest counts for little. You have to win. And win. And keep winning until every challenger of your generation is put to the sword. Of the twelve horses lined up on Newmarket Heath that 2011 day, one would do just that. And more. To become the greatest racehorse that has ever lived.Frankel was born on 11 February 2008, with four white socks and a blaze, from impressive equine lines on both his parents’ sides. Simon Cooper revisits the whole of the horse’s life, giving readers an inside tour of the calm oasis that is life a stud farm, where a foal will live with his mother for the first year of his life. Next, the atmosphere of heady possibility that marks the early days of training. Roadwork. Gallops. Trials. Turning raw potential into something more. Frankel begins to set himself apart.A detailed and fast-paced narrative breathlessly recounts the racing career of the horse who, by his retirement to stud at the age of 4, would be rated the greatest of all time. Cooper weaves the horse’s tale with those of his trainer, battling cancer, the stablehands who coped with his explosive nature, the work rider who tamed him, the the jockey who rode in all fourteen of his races, and the owner who saw his potential from the very beginning. The result is a rich and multifaceted tale of modern horse racing, the lives of everyone involved, human and equine, and the unadulterated glory of winning. And winning everything.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56221443096949,"sku":"9780008307073","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008307073_ff0fc33d-ce6f-47cf-8ee1-127105150f16.jpg?v=1785658697"},{"product_id":"9781801506861","title":"The Fall and Rise of Leyton Orient","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom play-off heartbreak and double relegation to the verge of bankruptcy and the depths of the National League, \u003cem\u003eThe Fall and Rise Of Leyton Orient\u003c\/em\u003e is the story of a community who fought back.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's Saturday, 22 April 2023. Everyone is talking about Wrexham AFC winning the National League. Meanwhile, in east London, Leyton Orient are quietly securing the League Two title. And their story is even better ...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's the story of a club saved by a lifelong fan then an inspirational manager, Justin Edinburgh, who took them back into the Football League as champions; of heartbreak when five weeks later Edinburgh died at the age of 49; then of a club rebuilt again, winning another title with a new manager looking for a home, Richie Wellens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's an inspiring story of larger-than-life characters who made a difference for good or bad - players, fans, owners and charlatans. It's also a tale of religion, redemption, triumph and tragedy - a football story like no other.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307276448117,"sku":"9781801506861","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781801506861_7c264b47-790e-48f8-8322-46629e64e4fd.jpg?v=1786027076"},{"product_id":"9781836802174","title":"Rise of the Darts","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 03\/08\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56420606411125,"sku":"9781836802174","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"how-to-be-a-brilliant-leader","title":"How to Be a Brilliant Leader","description":"In today’s business world, brilliant leadership is not an option, it is essential. By using the right skills and techniques, you can transform your workplace and inspire those around you. \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow to Be a Brilliant Leader\u003c\/strong\u003e provides you with all the tools you need for leadership success. You will learn how to find and nurture the best talent around, manage work and team synergy to achieve maximum results and, most importantly, learn how to act and communicate as a true leader.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e  \u003cli\u003eRecruit, retain and develop the best people around \u003c\/li\u003e  \u003cli\u003eMaximise team performance and maintain high levels of team motivation \u003c\/li\u003e  \u003cli\u003eInspire others even when you have no direct reports\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57483348836725,"sku":"9781292081052","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781292081052.jpg?v=1786178488"},{"product_id":"tales-from-the-mill","title":"Tales from The Mill","description":"When you buy a mill, you buy more than just a physical structure. You buy history. You buy heritage. You buy the responsibility to care for something that predates your existence by a thousand years. You are but a speck in the life of a water mill that has ground corn since Alfred the Great was king of England.   I was, at first, oblivious to these obligations when I set sight on this derelict mill in the eccentrically named village of Nether Wallop in southern England. The burbling Wallop Brook, a chalkstream, flowed around, under and beside the mill. Doors were rotting; windows broken; floors precarious. The wheel itself was wedged against the wall of the milling room, dislodged from its axle. For reasons of impulse rather than commonsense I took it upon myself to call this place home and restore it to something it might once have been, discovering along the way the genius of my predecessors, and divining the quirks of a building that by any modern metric should never have been built.   What I did not appreciate then, is that when you live by a stream you share it with a community. Not a community of people, but rather the community of Mother Nature. In every moment, there is some creature – a lithe otter, a wily brown trout, a tiny mayfly, a darting kingfisher or a flitting bat – living its life in the place you call home. In a legal sense I own The Mill but really it belongs to them. This book charts a year of living among them – the beauty of observing nature’s rhythms, and the quiet labours, triumphs and tribulations of life in a mill.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57492434747765,"sku":"9781919307503","price":22.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781919307503.jpg?v=1786529278"},{"product_id":"contemporary-covenantal-thought","title":"Contemporary Covenantal Thought","description":"Refusing to accept anything but ever-increasing levels of human responsibility within a religious framework, covenantal thinkers audaciously suggest that the covenant empowers humanity as it binds and inhibits divinity. This is a reformulation of recurrent issues within the Jewish tradition, and one which pays homage to the modern context from which it emerges. Hartman and Borowitz grew up in the same mid-century American academic and social environment, and the product of that upbringing has a significant impact on the subsequent theories which they promote. Both thinkers have attracted a considerable following, but very few scholars have discussed them together. Cooper here for the first time works toward understanding their work in comparison with each other, and with covenant as the central focus and framework.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57492473053557,"sku":"9781936235698","price":91.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781936235698.jpg?v=1786529327"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-simon-cooper.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}