Ansell's

"Deep Country" is Mr. Ansell's account of "a hard life freely chosen," of solitude and self-sufficiency, of "the hidden places that I came to call my own."

Life in the Woods Toby Lichtig 2011

Mr. Ansell's habitat becomes his society, the activities of its inhabitants his soap opera.

Life in the Woods Toby Lichtig 2011

Some of the best books involve almost no travel at all: Roger Deakin's account of wild swimming in Britain, Waterlog, or Neil Ansell's lovely Deep Country, about the birds and landscape of mid-Wales.

Travel writing: Lost art in search of a lost world | Editorial 2011

Some of the best books involve almost no travel at all: Roger Deakin's account of wild swimming in Britain, Waterlog, or Neil Ansell's lovely Deep Country, about the birds and landscape of mid-Wales.

Travel writing: Lost art in search of a lost world | Editorial 2011

Mr. Ansell's nature writing is both lyrical and practical, from his observations on the longevity of bats (up to 30 years) and the intricacy of the woodpecker's tongue (which loops behind the dome of its skull), to the beauty of the kingfisher ("so glamorous and unexpectedly tiny") and the swarming swallows drawn to a hawk "like iron filings to a magnet."

Life in the Woods Toby Lichtig 2011

"To Ansell's, it is --" It seemed as if he was making some great admission.

The Longest Journey 1924

This evening Rickie caught Ansell's enthusiasm, and felt it worth while to sacrifice everything for such a man.

The Longest Journey 1924

He was irritable -- in Ansell's eyes a frequent sign of grace.

The Longest Journey 1924

When they rose to go, Agnes held Ansell's hand for a moment in her own.

The Longest Journey 1924

Nor did it strike her that Ansell's humble birth scarcely explained the quality of his rudeness.

The Longest Journey 1924