Rare, Wild and Free is a testament to the work of one of the finest nature writers Britain has ever produced Mike Tomkies, whospent 35 years in the wildest and most remote places in Scotland, Canada and Spain to study and photograph the rarest and mostdramatic wild creatures.The eminent critic J.N.P. Watson commented in Country Life, 'Mike Tomkies is Mowgli, Robinson Crusoe and Konrad Lorenz rolledinto one, a field naturalist of exceptional perception and practical knowledge'.This judgement, and much other critical acclaim including praise from the Duke of Edinburgh, is fully borne out in Rare, Wild andFree, which is a distilled masterpiece of his finest writings and wildlife photographs from the 20 years he spent in the remotest partsof the Scottish Highlands. For all that time he lived without any modern conveniences such as electricity, and the only access to hishomes was by a small open boat in all weathers. He put into practice his belief that to study rare wildlife better, one had to live closeto the vital animal state oneself.

Whether breeding wildcats, stalking them in the wild, looking after injured foxes, owls and badgers in his home, climbing thehigh hills after the red deer herds, feeding wild pine martens through his window, or spending thousands of hours in hides onprecarious cliff ledges to gain insights into the secret lives of golden eagles, Mike often emerged with photographs of stunningurgency, honesty and naturalness.