Faber triumphs in six-way auction for Eloise Kane's human history of wild Britain

Faber has triumphed in a six-way auction for debut author Eloise Kane’s “transformative” human history of wild Britain, revealing the surprising origins of our flora and fauna.

Senior commissioning editor Fiona Crosby acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Wilderlands: The Human History of Wild Britain from Richard Pike at C&W following a six-way auction. It will publish in April 2026.

The synopsis reads: “When was Britain last truly wild? And what, if anything, remains? In Wilderlands, Eloise Kane unearths 12,000 years of our changing relationship with and influence on the landscape. Through prehistory, Roman occupation, the Middle Ages and beyond, we see the unfamiliar beasts of our old wild make way for species such as brown hare and fallow deer, now romanticised as eternal symbols of the British countryside but introduced much later than we might think.

 “Places free from our influence haven’t existed for a very long time. But Eloise Kane invites us to rethink our definition of the wild – not as separate from us. Seen anew as the result of millions of human lives lived, Wilderlands demonstrates how we are integral to the ecology and biodiversity of our land – with the power to shape its future.”

Crosby said: “It’s impossible to see wilderness in the same way after reading Eloise Kane’s remarkable book. She brings an archaeologist’s perspective to conversations around rewilding, by peeling back layers of history to reveal the human stories behind what we might think of as natural and wild.”

Kane said: “I’m thrilled Wilderlands found a home with the wonderful team at Faber. I loved uncovering the story of our relationship with the wild over thousands of years, and I hope the book encourages readers to look at the landscape a little differently, seeing new value in the places where people have been.”