David Attenborough, the beloved broadcaster and naturalist, has named his six favourite books, spanning over 500 years of publishing history. In a 2014 interview with the Folio Society, Attenborough recalled lifelong favourites ranging from a 17th-century martyrology to a 1515 edition of Lucretius.
Attenborough's Love for Printed Books
Attenborough expressed a deep affection for physical books. "There is something about a book that is just recently printed. It does have a smell, it does have a thrill to it," he said. "I took a course in Graphic Reproductions at the London School of Printing, and I loved the smell of printers' ink, and I loved the feel of print on paper. I find them quite irresistible."
He highlighted the role of books in preserving human history. "As a biologist, I have to say that printed books are one of the very important categories of things which Richard Dawkins has called 'memes.' That is to say, they are things in which the human experience is embedded and handed down from generation to generation, outside the body." He noted that books have been essential since the late 15th century, conveying knowledge for 600 years before the electronic age.
Foxe's Book of Martyrs
The first book Attenborough remembers is Foxe's Book of Martyrs, a 17th-century volume. "It contained the most hair-raising engravings of people having their guts pulled out and being burnt alive. In its time, it was a very famous book. I was absolutely fixated by these images of terrible things happening to human beings."
Memoirs of a Buccaneer by William Dampier
William Dampier, a late 17th-century and early 18th-century buccaneer, wrote accounts of his voyages. Attenborough described them as "fantastic."
On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Attenborough praised Darwin's seminal work. "The last page of the Origin of Species has a very, very famous paragraph about Darwin's looking at the tangled bank in an English hedgerow and seeing how all these things fit together…it is a very memorable and important summary of his attitudes."
Lucretius by Aldus Manutius (1515)
One of Attenborough's most precious books is a 1515 edition of Lucretius, printed in Venice by Aldus Manutius. "He published the equivalent of Penguin in paperbacks. All great classical authors were published by Aldus Manutius in a small book in a wonderfully elegant italic script typeface."
Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Thompson Seton
Seton, a ranger on the Canadian Prairie and a competent artist, illustrated his book with footprints in the margins. "You could imagine yourself tracking these things. The animals were personified to the extent that I could give you their names now," Attenborough said.
The Malay Archipelago by Alfred Russel Wallace
Attenborough's final choice is Wallace's travels in the Far East. "I read it when I was about twelve or fourteen. I thought he was a marvellous man and full of insight and compassion for the people he met. He writes brilliantly and says marvellous things."
