In the very north of Britain, far from the bustling cities and picturesque countryside to the south, lies Western Europe's most magnificent wilderness: the Scottish Highlands.

This is a land shaped by the flow of ancient ice, where snow-capped mountains tower over ink-black lochs, Golden Eagles soar over heather-clad moors, and Red Deer stags engage in mortal combat for the right to win a mate. Along the coast, sea cliffs and offshore islands teem with millions of seabirds, while the seas themselves are home to Basking Sharks, Orcas and Bottlenose Dolphins.

The Highlands may, at first sight, seem bleak and desolate, but they are also filled with hidden wonders, from the ancient Caledonian pine forests to the vast Flow Country, and from the sheer granite cliffs of Handa to the mysterious depths of Loch Ness.

In this lavish book, Stephen Moss's thoughtful, authoritative text, accompanied throughout by spectacular photography from Laurie Campbell, follows a year in the lives of a stellar cast of wild animals as they live, feed, breed and die in this beautiful, yet unforgiving landscape - a land where only the toughest survive.

Stephen Moss is a naturalist, author and TV producer. His TV credits include Springwatch, Birds Britannia, and Britain's Big Wildlife Revival, while his books include Wild Hares and Hummingbirds, A Bird in the Bush: a Social History of Birdwatching and Tweet of the Day. He has travelled to all seven continents to film and write about wildlife. Stephen is one of Britain's leading nature writers with a monthly column in the Guardian. He also writes for the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and magazines including Birdwatch, BBC Wildlife and Countryfile.

Laurie Campbell is one of Scotland's best known natural history and landscape photographers. A self-taught naturalist, Laurie was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the third annual RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards in November 2014. After graduating with a degree in photography at Napier University in 1985 Laurie became Scotland's first full-time professional nature photographer. Since then he �has dedicated over 35 years to photographing Scotland's distinctive wildlife and flora.