Special Collections

The University of Essex is one of only five universities in the UK to offer a taught postgraduate course in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies on literature and the environment with a unique combination in contemporary nature writing, ecocentrism, and psychogeographic literature. These courses are driven by internationally renowned scholar Professor Susan Oliver and a renowned member of the Centre for Creative Writing, Dr James Canton.

Dr James Canton been hugely involved in building and raising the awareness of the Baker Collection from 2016 to highlight the significant connection between humans and nature through writing and leads the course on Wild Writing.

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About our Library

Our Colchester Campus Albert Sloman Library houses Special Collections, over 70 individual archives containing primary source materials and collections covering a variety of subjects and time periods. The collections provide a valuable resource for teaching, through object-based learning and for research.

J A Baker: A Brief History

Chelmsford City Museum showcases items from the J A Baker Collection, detailing the life and work of one of the UK's most influential nature writers. The Restless Brilliance Exhibition celebrates and charts Baker's life, from his childhood through to his later years. His story is shared through more than 60 objects, loaned from the University's collection. It looks at his lifelong interest in the Essex countryside and his campaigns against the destruction of wildlife. 

The themes of his work resonate with the environmental concerns of today and his poetic nature writing has influenced many twenty-first century writers. Contemporary naturalists, including Sir David Attenborough and Chris Packham, has hailed his book The Peregrine as "highly influential" and his legacy endures through the timeless impact of his work - a testament to his unmatched ability to articulate the beauty and brutality of the natural world.

About the Restless Brilliance Exhibition

Launched on 23 March 2024, the story of J A Baker allows visitors to the exhibition to listen to extracts from the Sir David Attenborough-voiced audiobook of The Peregrine. Recordings of J A Baker's many other works such as poetry, correspondence, and diaries made by local communities and environmental charities are available to examine at the Chelmsford City Museum.

The descriptive catalogue is available to view and reveal insights into the author's influences and other literary works loaned by the University of Essex to the exhibition. The museum includes contributions from local artists who have responded to Baker's works, such as an immersive soundscape of the Blackwater Estuary by Stuart Bowditch. 

Literature, Landscape and the Environment

Joined by a number of academics in the department, Dr James Canton and his colleagues further highlight the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature through their Podcast series: "Louder than Words: The Web of Life." This podcast series aims to open up to discuss challenging topics from a variety of perspectives; particularly, in this case about how we talk and feel about the natural world at this time of environmental crisis.

In 2017, Dr James Canton at the Lakeside Theatre delved into Baker's world: his life in Chelmsford, surrounding landscapes, his nature writing and his legacy. Another element of nature writing in his work was recently featured in The Oak Papers, a meditation on the human need for connection with nature which reflects on the relationship with an ancient oak tree. Through this collection, J A Baker has had a huge impact on the currently resurgent new nature writing and our MA Wild Writing students obtained inspiration from the varied items donated to the Library's archive.

Learn more about our MA Wild Writing course