Sally Coulthard

 Bestselling author and columnist Sally Coulthard has spent the last two decades writing about her favourite things – nature, history and craft.  Many of her books delve into the traditions of rural life – from artisans to agriculture – the people, plants and creatures who make the countryside tick.  Sally’s work often weaves together different disciplines, pulling threads from social history, anthropology, archaeology, design and nature writing to bring her diverse subjects to life.

After studying Archaeology and Anthropology at Oxford, and a brief stint working in factual television production, Sally moved back to her beloved Yorkshire, married a gardener and set up a smallholding; it’s from there, surrounded by her family and other animals, that Sally writes from a shed in the old orchard.  Her books have covered a wide range of themes – from native bees and hedgehogs to folklore and the history of rural buildings.  The countryside remains a constant source of inspiration – whether it’s barn owls or earthworms – and many of Sally’s books share her love of native wildlife and sustainable living.  

Sally also writes a column for Country Living magazine, A Good Life, in which she reveals the triumphs and disasters of growing her own fruit and vegetables, and keeping an unruly gaggle of livestock including Soay sheep, runner ducks and hens.

Sally’s written over thirty non-fiction books.  Her titles have been translated into a dozen languages and many of her more recent publications are also available as audiobooks. She is working on more books for 2023 and 2024.

A selection of Sally's recent and current works include: 

• Fowl Play: A History of the Chicken from Dinosaur to Dinner Plate HEAD OF ZEUS 
• The Barn: The Lives, Landscape & Lost Ways of an Old Yorkshire Farm HEAD OF ZEUS
• The Book of the Barn Owl HEAD OF ZEUS
• Floriography: The Myth, Magic and Language of Flowers QUADRILLE
• The Book of the Earthworm HEAD OF ZEUS
• A Short History of the World According to Sheep HEAD OF ZEUS
• Biophilia: You + Nature + Home KYLE BOOKS
• The Bee Bible: 50 Ways to Keep Bees Buzzing HEAD OF ZEUS
• Superstition: The History of Common Folk Beliefs QUADRILLE
• Crafted: A compendium of craft, artisans and the culture of making QUADRILLE
• Little Book of Snow ANIMA
• How to Build a Shed LAURENCE KING
• The Hedgehog Handbook ANIMA
• The Little Book of Building Fires ANIMA
• Studio: Creative Spaces for Creative People JACQUI SMALL

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Praise for Sally Coulthard 
Global in scope, with fascinating vignettes from the ancient world to the present day’ BBC History Magazine

'A thoroughly researched and engagingly written new book. A great read' Architectural World
'Full of fascinating social history' Independent

'This book deserves a place in your bookcase next to Harari's Sapiens. It's every bit as fascinating and is surely destined to be just as successful' Julian Norton

'I absolutely LOVE this ... It's a perfect light-hearted informative history' Philippa Sand-all

'A gem of a book' Country Smallholding 

'Sally Coulthard brings us another immensely readable biography of British Isles fauna... This little book packs in everything the amateur nature enthusiast would want to know about one of Britain's most thrilling nocturnal creatures' Yorkshire Life 

'Engaging and filled with the gentle humour and fascinating facts that are an integral part of Coulthard's written style' Get History

'Sally Coulthard's beautiful books have shown us the beauty and rich history of everyday things like sheep, bees, hedgehogs, flowers and snow – and now, the humble barn' Country Walking Magazine

'Fascinating insights... An endearing book for lovers of the barn owl' Daily Mail 

'Enjoyable and lyrical... Enhanced by Vanessa Lubach's arresting lino prints' Country Life 

'Packs in everything the amateur nature enthusiast would want to know' Yorkshire Life

'Coulthard's style is never less than effortlessly readable, and it is a measure of the delicacy of her touch that she is successfully able to marry the poetry of Edward Thomas with the rigorous research of a scientific study' Yorkshire Times