In the Company of Sheep : From Dartmoor to Shetland

Author: Polly Pullar

Social & cultural history

Published on 3 September 2026 by Birlinn General (Birlinn Ltd) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 224 pages, 16pp colour plates
198 x 129 | 258g

'A masterclass in why sheep count' - Mark Stephen, presenter of BBC Radio Scotland’s Out of DoorsAcclaimed nature writer Polly Pullar has been fascinated by sheep since childhood, when she formed an inseparable bond with her pet lamb Lulu, and dozens more that followed.

Through her own years as a sheep farmer, personal encounters, interviews, adventures and anecdotes, Polly reveals the fascinating world of sheep culture, emphasising the importance of shepherds, crofters, farmers and their flocks as the backbone of a vital way of rural life. As she travels the country from Dartmoor to Shetland, she encounters a whole range of native and primitive breeds perfectly suited to the diverse habitats of the British Isles.

Her vivid descriptions of the animals, and those who care for them, reveal exactly why sheep matter. And she shows that despite current ecological debates about overgrazing, with careful management, it is possible to restore habitat alongside an animal that has played a key part of agricultural life throughout Britain for thousands of years.