The best nature books of 2017

We celebrate a trio of debut authors, a dramatic account of bird breeding and an evocative memoir of free-range childhoodIn some ways, 2017 has been a quiet year for fans of the publishing phenomenon known as new nature writing. Some of the big hitters – notably Mark Cocker, Robert Macfarlane and Helen Macdonald – have not published new books, although Macfarlane did produce The Lost Words (Hamish Hamilton), a large-format children’s book with stunning illustrations by Jac