IN GOOD COMPANY

Kate Bradbury finds Jenny Uglow's biography of Gilbert White, the 18th-century naturalist and clergyman, and a fellow chronicler of nature, an absolute joy

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For many people, Gilbert White needs little introduction.

An 18th-century naturalist and clergyman, he lived in the village of Selborne in Hampshire, and kept a meticulous nature diary, which he eventually published, along with letters to fellow naturalists, as The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, in 1789. Over the years this has had several versions, but it remains one of the most celebrated nature books of our time, has never been out of print and is thought to be one of the most published books in the English language. It comes as no surprise, then, that Jenny Uglow's biography of him, as told through the pages of his book, is an absolute joy.