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Life on Earth cover art

Life on Earth

Written by: David Attenborough
Narrated by: David Attenborough
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Publisher's Summary

A new edition of David Attenborough’s groundbreaking Life on Earth.

Winner of Best Non-Fiction Audiobook at the New York Radio Awards 2019.   

Shortlisted for Best Audiobook at the Specsavers National Book Awards 2018.   

Shortlisted for Futurebook of the Year at the Futurebook Awards 2018.  

The nation’s greatest voice, David Attenborough, reads a brand-new edition of Life on Earth, now available as an audiobook for the first time.

David Attenborough’s unforgettable meeting with gorillas became an iconic moment for millions of television viewers. Life on Earth, the series and accompanying book, fundamentally changed the way we view and interact with the natural world, setting a new benchmark of quality, influencing a generation of nature lovers. Told through an examination of animal and plant life, this is an astonishing celebration of the evolution of life on earth, with a cast of characters drawn from the whole range of organisms that have ever lived on this planet. Attenborough’s perceptive, dynamic approach to the evolution of millions of species of living organisms takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of discovery from the very first spark of life to the blue and green wonder we know today.

Now, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the book’s first publication, David Attenborough has revisited Life on Earth, completely updating and adding to the original text, taking account of modern scientific discoveries from around the globe. This special anniversary edition provides a fitting tribute to an enduring wildlife classic, destined to enthral the generation who saw it when first published and bring it alive for a whole new generation.

This audiobook includes wildlife sounds from BAFTA Award winning sound recordist, Chris Watson, who has worked extensively with David Attenborough on his BBC projects. A soundscape appears at the beginning of each chapter to provide a fully immersive experience of the habitat and some of the species described. A full list of the tracks, as they appear in the audiobook, is available below.

  • Prologue - Acacia scrubland dawn chorus in the Masai Mara, Kenya, featuring White-browed Robin-chat. 
  • Chapter One, The Infinite Variety - Tropical rain forest in Panama with the calls of Montezuma oropendola.
  • Chapter Two, Building Bodies - Fish and crustaceans recorded underwater on a coral reef off Seligan island, Borneo.
  • Chapter Three, The First Forests - Geysir and geothermal activity at Haukadalur hot springs in Iceland. This track also features the Strokkur geysir erupting. 
  • Chapter Four, The Swarming Hordes - Evening insect chorus in the Conkouati forest reserve, Republic of Congo.
  • Chapter Five, The Conquest of The Waters - Ocean currents through sea kelp recorded at a depth of 8m, Moray Firth, Scotland.
  • Chapter Six, Invasion of The Land - Reed frog chorus at sunset, Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
  • Chapter Seven, A Watertight Skin - Seawash around basking marine iguanas, Isla San Cristóbal, Galapagos.
  • Chapter Eight, Lords of The Air - Springtime dawn chorus with nightingale, Hambleton wood, Rutland Water nature reserve, UK.
  • Chapter Nine, Eggs, Pouches and Placentas - forest chorus along riverside platypus territory, Queensland, Australia.
  • Chapter Ten, Theme and Variation - Common Pipistrelle bats echolocating after sunset, Holystone woodland, Northumberland.
  • Chapter Eleven, The Hunters and The Hunted - Spotted hyena contact calls at midnight in the Masai Mara, Kenya.
  • Chapter Twelve, A Life in The Trees - Black howler monkeys calling across the tree canopy at sunrise in Belize.
  • Chapter Thirteen, The Compulsive Communicators - Street market, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, Northern India.
  • Epilogue - Beach habitat in mangroves with Great frigatebirds and red footed boobies, Isla Genovesa, Galapagos.
©2018 David Attenborough (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

What the critics say

"It does not disappoint. The new Life on Earth is as glorious as the first." (Guardian)

"This natural history masterpiece offers a spectacular snapshot of a once-wild planet." (New Scientist)

What listeners say about Life on Earth

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A breath of Fresh Air for all of time

A Breath of Fresh Air for all of time, Thank you David Attenborough. May these words enrich your life!

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Insightful

I am a life history fan and this book has provided new insights, that my other studies has missed. Fantastic listen!

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A booming exploration of history and the contemporary

What wasn't there to love? David Attenborough sharing his views and love of the world, touching base and telling the story of so many wonders, all in his own voice. If I could give it 10/5 stars, I would.

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The story of life

A lot of ground covered in this condensed yet informative book on the origins of life on earth. If you enjoyed any of Mr. A’s video series on the planet- you’ll enjoy this book.

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Perhaps the only human who deserves to be here

This was such a wonderful journey, from beginning to end, Sir David is our greatest teacher. I wish everyone could hear this and act accordingly. Thank you Sir David for your teaching and guidance. I hope your words will influence the rest of evolution.

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This is literally a Biography

Listening to this book is like watching a nature series narrated by David Attenborough.

Because that's what this book is: The source material for all his nature documentaries, and it's wonderful!

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Attenborough's narration is superb!!

amazing in depth explanation of our world from the beginning to the present time.

A most read!!!!(or listen to😉)

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Fantastic!

I could listen to David Attenborough read my grocery list and be riveted! He is that good. His superior narration skills add depth to this compendium of the history of life on earth. I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and know that I will listen to it again. It is chock-a-block with interesting information, so much so that I found myself re-listening to various chapters. Well worth a read, or maybe several!

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that voice though

Very surprised how great this was without video or pictures. Mr Attenborough is the best at what he does. His voice is so soothing. I learned so much too! I will probably listen to this a thousand times.

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A trip through evolution.

If you have ever enjoyed any of the nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough, you will probably enjoy this. The book takes you through various families of organisms on earth. It takes you through their evolution and points out their ancestors and current day examples. David Attenborough's voice is almost the default voice for narration of nature documentaries so it naturally fits the subject matter.

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