J.A. Baker
John A. Baker was a largely self-taught, intensely private writer who spent a decade obsessively tracking peregrine falcons near his home in Chelmsford, Essex.
He held various modest jobs — including felling trees and working at the British Museum — before dedicating himself entirely to writing.
He rewrote his observations five times before publication.
Despite having no formal ornithological training, his 1967 debut was met with widespread critical acclaim, earning him the prestigious Duff Cooper Prize and an Arts Council grant.
His second book, The Hill of Summer, followed in 1969 to similar praise.
Little else is reliably known about his personal life.
