Ten years ago a Hebridean friend of mine called Finlay MacLeod imagined what he called "The Counter-Desecration Phrasebook". In his thought experiment, this would be a glossary of words that denoted, defended and particularised those aspects of the living world that are vital to us, and that we wish to save. It would be a lexicon of enchantment that enabled nature to talk back, and helped us to listen. Inspired by his vision, I wrote a book called Landmarks, containing nine glossaries that gathered thousands of words for precise aspects of land, nature and weather, taken from more than 30 languages and dialects of Britain and Ireland.
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