OBI PRESS was established to specialize in the bespoke: slow-grown, thoughtfully crafted, beautiful books that are built to last. Just as a belly band (or obi) wraps around a book, each project unites a small and expert team of contributors in a spirit of collaboration, dedicated to creating books the old-fashioned way – with care and attention, on subjects that matter.

Whether thought-provoking or informative, providing practical advice or just sheer reading pleasure, these books are always imaginative and timely, led by a desire to delve deeper and explore the world from a fresh angle.

An Obi Press book is one that would take pride of place on our own bookshelves. Our wish for each is that it will come to be a cherished favourite in many other homes too.

THE MOULDED EARTH
HOW HUMANS SHAPED THE LANDSCAPE
JOHN FARNDON

The Moulded Earth is a beautiful book that celebrates mankind’s largest, most enduring creation, the human landscape, offering a reminder that some of our greatest cultural treasures are not buried in museums, but out under the sky.

Every culture around the world has its own way of living on the land, its own familiar ‘moulded’ landscape, shaped over hundreds or even thousands of years. Some are places of stunning beauty, seemingly natural and yet entirely manmade, like the gaunt hills of Scotland. Some are unique reflections of rich cultures dating back millennia, like the rice terraces of the Philippines. Each is a testimony to the creative ingenuity, social habits and sheer vitality of humankind.

The Moulded Earth highlights over 80 of these special landscapes and gives an insight into what could be lost at a time when the Earth is being altered more rapidly than at any other period in human history.

220 × 220 mm (81⁄2 × 81⁄2 inches). 320 pages
Design and text © OBI PRESS/John Farndon 2023
All rights reserved

JOHN FARNDON is the author of over a thousand books on nature, science and ideas, including Do Not Open and Do You Think You’re Clever?, and a five-times finalist for the Royal Society’s Young People’s Science Book Prize. He has written and campaigned widely on the environment in books such as the Oceans Atlas. He is also a poet, songwriter and acclaimed translator – a joint winner of the EBRD Literature Prize and a finalist for the UN Pen Translation Prize.

180 × 240 mm (7 × 91⁄2 inches). 156 pages
Design and text © OBI PRESS/John Farndon 2023
All rights reserved

THE YOUNG PERSON’S NEW EARTH KIT
JOHN FARNDON

‘Now, I don’t know how you feel,’ says Ada, ‘but I think it’s totally miserable the way the world is at the moment. Yugh! Pandemics! Climate chaos! Endangered species! Wars! And that’s just Tuesday. It’s enough to drive a girl bat-crazy.’

‘We need – A PLAN,’ she insists. ‘Yes, we all need a plan for making the world A BETTER PLACE.’

And this book is Ada’s Plan.

The Young Person’s New Earth Kit is a highly practical, totally fun guide to making the world well again. Suitable for ages 9 to 99, it’s packed with Ada’s own thumbnail guides to things we can do right now, whether it’s growing food on a balcony, peaceful protesting or tackling light pollution.

JOHN FARNDON is the author of over a thousand books on nature, science and ideas, including Do Not Open and Do You Think You’re Clever?, and a five-times finalist for the Royal Society’s Young People’s Science Book Prize. He has written and campaigned widely on the environment in books such as the Oceans Atlas. He is also a poet, songwriter and acclaimed translator.

GARDEN MEETS FIRE
Four seasons, two chefs, one home
SIAN AND ANDREW TUCK

Based on the North Cornish coast, professional chefs Sian and Andrew Tuck are proud contributors to a flourishing food scene built on a respect for the slow ways of nature. Nowhere is this more important than in their own home.

Garden Meets Fire shares their approach to no-waste, unpretentious home cooking – combining nature’s harvest with the simplicity and excitement of open-fire cooking. They show how even a tiny space and budget can achieve similar results, with pro tips on growing edible plants through to sustainable sourcing and getting the most out of a home BBQ.

Complete with 60 delicious yet guaranteed-to-succeed recipes, Sian and Andrew will give you the confidence to start creating your own seasonal feasts.

SIAN was Rick Stein’s head patisserie chef in Padstow before setting up her own business. The Garden Baker supplies beautifully inventive baked creations – always with a garden-inspired twist and designed according to the seasons.

ANDREW’s love of fire cooking goes back to the Cornish bonfires of his childhood. He is currently head chef at the historic St Kew Inn. He has appeared on Rick Stein’s Cornwall and Countryfile, and was a contestant on the Great British Menu, 2023.

Contact us
angela.koo@obipress.co.uk
jane.lanaway@obipress.co.uk