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Edward Posnett

Edward Posnett

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Edward Posnett was born in London and studied at Cambridge and Oxford before working in the City in financial investigations.

Shortly after leaving financial services, he learnt about the Icelandic tradition of eiderdown harvesting in which farmers offer protection to wild sea ducks in return for their valuable lightweight down. Enchanted by its promise of symbiosis and cooperation, he travelled to Iceland and wrote an account of the trade, 'Eiderdown', which won The Bodley Head/Financial Times Essay Prize. His first book, Harvest, builds on this essay, introducing the reader to small harvests around the globe through the stories of seven wondrous objects that can be held in the hand.

He lives in Philadelphia and is a keen linguist, swimmer and amateur potter.

Books by Edward Posnett

Strange Harvests

A global exploration of how we harvest and exploit the world’s natural bounty – from edible birds’ nests to sea silk – Strange Harvests is perfect for readers of Robert Macfarlane and Andrea Wulf

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Harvest

A global exploration of how we harvest and exploit the natural world's bounty - from edible birds' nests to sea silk and eiderdown; a brilliant fusion of travel, nature writing and cultural history.

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