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Welcome to the Gilbert White Network
Gilbert White (1720-93) has long been celebrated both as a keen-eyed naturalist and as a fine nature writer. The Natural History of Selborne (1789) garnered a cult following in the years after its publication in 1789, has never gone out of print, and is often considered as the guiding spirit of English nature writing. White's insights into the phenology of his Hampshire parish and his speculations about the migration of birds continue to interest and inspire naturalists and he has even been claimed as the first ecologist.
The Gilbert White Network brings together academics, archivists, independent scholars, naturalists, and heritage providers working in both the sciences and the humanities to explore White's life and work in the light of new findings and methodologies, to encourage and develop new networks and collaborations between White scholars, and to explore opportunities for collaborative research and publication.
The Network organised a conference that took place across three days in early June 2025 in Gilbert White's own house in Selborne. The organisers are now editing a collection of essays building on the best papers delivered at the conference. We plan further events in 2026 and beyond
We welcome new members to the Gilbert White Network. There is no membership fee. All you have to do is provide us with your name and email address and we will add you to our mailing list. We send out news and updates every few months or so. As a member of the network, you are welcome to let us know about your own events and publications which (if relevant) we can forward to the network or post to this website.
This site is regularly updated with the latest news, so please come back soon.
Portrait of Gilbert White after a sketch by John Mulso. Reproduced courtesy of the Gilbert White House and Gardens, Selborne.
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