His series of beautifully illustrated Verkade albums can still be found in the collections of many Dutch families. For many younger readers, they sparked a lifelong interest in nature and in exploring the Dutch countryside. Thijsse’s diaries report on his own explorations, with keen observations of the landscape, the birds and animals, and the changing seasons.

Marga Coesèl puts the diaries into context with a biographical introduction, expert commentary, and a wealth of magnificent period illustrations of the species and places described by the young Thijsse – including many of Thijsse’s own skilful drawings. This beautiful edition tempts the casual reader to keep coming back for more and offers new insights into the origins of Thijsse’s ideas and conservationist values. It also transports us back to a lost world of Dutch nature: ‘Hundreds of black seaducks on the Zuiderzee. In the evening, thousands of hooded crows, rooks, and jackdaws fly from the city to pass the night in the reed beds by the sea.’