Regular readers of this blog might have noticed that from time to time I have referred to 'my forthcoming butterfly book'. Well, I'm happy to say that is has at last forthcome.
It's had a long pupation (like the Orange Tip butterfly – ten months as a chrysalis!): I wrote an early version of it during the first lockdown, then some while later I was astonished when a university press expressed keen interest in it. Thus began a very long process in the course of which the book was much edited, expanded and rewritten, taking on a very different, more shapely shape – but in the end both sides accepted what we had really known all along: that it was never going to be a book that any respectable academic press would put its name to. I took it back, worked on it some more and made various changes, finally ending up with a version that adapted the reshaped work to something rather closer to my original idea. I sent it out, more in hope than expectation, to a couple of those rare publishers who will look at works that don't come via an agent. One of them – Saraband – took it, and the end result was the attractively designed and pleasingly small (duodecimo) volume that you see illustrated above. I love that colour...
After a light and painless edit – Saraband have been a joy to work with – it was duly published, though I think the official publication date is in June in the UK and July in the US. It seems to be available online already (certainly from Alibris, and of course it can be preordered on Amazon). I am delighted that it has finally emerged, in a form very much in line with my original vision, but greatly improved by all that rewriting. And I was delighted to see what Patrick Kurp had to say about it yesterday.
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