If you are ever in Devon, UK, make sure you pay a visit to @field-system.bsky.social. You will not regret it.

Tom is very astute; you might even say wise. Pay close attention to his every word! Merry Christmas and thank you for your support and friendship @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social

I've shown my dad, who's been poorly lately, the reactions to the thread below and I think it cheered him up. Here's the Christmas card he just sent us. ("WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A FARAGE-FREE NEW YEAR!" was the message.)

The extra detail of the framed pic in the corner, with Bridget on my dad's log stack, really takes this to the next level. I'd like to think Hockney would approve.

Congratulations Rory

At the beginning of the year I had to face up to the fact my ex-publishers were imploding & would never pay me what they owed me for the 7 books I wrote for them. It's been a battle. There's still a lot of repair work to be done. Bluesky has helped. If you bought one of these in 2025, thank you.

Amy Bateman, an absolutely great photographer, and now I have a jigsaw puzzle with one of her fantastic photographs in 500 pieces, I can't wait to start it

THREAD. A collection of photos I have taken of excellent cats I have met on walks. You will find the captions to the photos in the alt text.

Every day or two someone says something like this to me about this book. Despite that, my experiences of 2025 still make me terrified it will die. I suspect word-of-mouth enthusiasm is no match for a big marketing budget. But it feels more genuine & I hope it might eventually make a difference.

Still not too late to enter this! I'll choose and announce the winners tomorrow morning.

FINAL book giveaway of the year. To enter: reply below & repost this extract. Up for grabs: THREE signed Villager paperbacks with free art (bookmarks & postcards) by my parents. Enter if you enjoy Folklore Nature Rivers Hills Social history Lost art Ghost Tangled psychedelic narratives Silliness

Rarity - not totally finished - from my dad's archive, which I am especially fond of.

THREAD. When my parents' cat Bridget went missing, my dad, to try to ease his worry, painted her on a variety of historical adventures. These soon multiplied. Significantly. After much nagging, he has had some postcards printed of this brilliant series: michaelcoxmoredaysthansausages.bigcartel.com

My mum, Jo, did some really beautiful linoprints for the seven books I wrote for Unbound. She was never paid for any of them. In one book they even forgot to credit her for her work then, when I gently pointed this out, they sent her some flowers as an apology. More: www.tom-cox.com/the-magic-ro...

Current issue of Natural History Magazine has a huge TIGERS BETWEEN EMPIRES spread, an excerpt from the book! 🌍

How lovely are these linocut bookmarks my mum made of my cat Roscoe? www.tom-cox.com/the-magic-ro...

Glastonbury lad becomes World Champion, Congratulations

How the fuck is this duplicitous joke of a website still up? unbound.com

It's kind of frustrating when you're exhausted from spending the whole year finding various ways to shift what you thought was all the warehouse stock from your ex-publisher & you suddenly realise there are 700 more books out there, and that you're not going to get so much as a groat for them.

I'm doing a little exclusive Bluesky offer later today featuring some free postcards of this fabulous series, so watch this space. Details coming very shortly.

Don't you just hate it when you are out on a walk, dressed in ordinary clothes, minding your own business and trying to blend in, and your shadow is suddenly like, "Fuck you, I'm feeling folk horror and flamboyant today and there's nothing you can do about it."

If you happen to be in Bristol on Saturday and pass the Bristol Beacon Record Fair, a chunk of my record collection will be there at the back right of the bottom floor (more in Klangtone Records in Stroud). You might find some nice rarities in there, inc Shirley Collins & Dusty In Memphis...

They are lovely - he ought to print some a notelets, cards ir postcards and sell on line - I’d buy some!

To those whom I communicate with, 18th November I'll be undergoing priority plastic surgery ( their term not mine ) and so any messages I receive I'll reply to asap.

@jonathanslaght.com After a round trip of approx 250 miles I now have this awesome, signed book, it's far better than winning the lottery. After having plastic surgery tomorrow and a recovery period I'm going to love reading it.

Painting my dad did of my mum in her art studio with her cat, George. I wrote here about the brilliant art my parents' have been producing in their 60s and 70s, in case you'd like a read: www.tom-cox.com/the-magic-ro... And about George here: www.tom-cox.com/lots-of-peop...

My brother just sent this photo of his house (which he built) in Fairbanks, Alaska last night

A short 🧵: one astounding thing I learned while researching TIGERS BETWEEN EMPIRES was the existence of the Willow Palisade, a 700-km wall made of interlocking trees, an extension of the Great Wall planted in NE China in the 17th century. This map shows approx. Amur tiger range in 1850. 1/9

Read about how this happened in TIGERS BETWEEN EMPIRES! us.macmillan.com/books/978037... 8/9

To those whom I communicate with, 18th November I'll be undergoing priority plastic surgery ( their term not mine ) and so any messages I receive I'll reply to asap.

I was invited by @barnesandnoble.com to write about why tigers were the logical follow up to my book Owls of the Eastern Ice: www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/jonatha... 🌍🐅

Solvitur ambulando is my favourite Latin phrase. It means "it is solved by walking".

Feeling rather chuffed with my American version of #TigersBetweenEmpires brought all the way to London by @jonathanslaght.com. Thank you!

POND WATER (a text from my mum, that I have turned into a poem) Bridget was round my neck All night I thought It was affection But I see from the weather That she was just Sucking the warmth from me She smelled Just like pond water We have the plumber Coming To fit a new shower

Thanks to everyone sharing this post, and indulging my optimist's experiment to see if a book completely ignored by the literary establishment, written by an author with no famous friends and released by a small publisher, with no big marketing budget behind it, can float solely on word of mouth.

Prints my mum did of my cat, Roscoe. AKA the actor, influencer and designer Philippa Islington-Smythe: www.tom-cox.com/at-home-with...

In chapter one of my novel Villager, I described a fictional painting, painted 60+ years ago by a forgotten painter: a psychedelic swirl of moorland landscape, which later became the cover of a fictional psych-folk LP. "Do you fancy having a go at painting this?" I asked my mum. So she did...

signed some tiger and owl books across London today, including @waterstones.bsky.social and @hatchards.bsky.social!

Extreme linoprinting is one of my absolute favourite sports.

The big fiction recommendations from @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social, as 2025 draws to a close: Ian McEwan, RF Kuang, Philip Pullman, Hollie McNish, SenLinYu, and... me. uk.bookshop.org/p/books/ever...

@dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social Tom, thank you so very much, far far better than winning the lottery. Have a great week. Best wishes, Chris

Lest We Forget

Thanks to everyone who entered this. The winner of the signed first edition and linoprint was @js-hyder.bsky.social. If anyone wants to read the book I recommend @blackwells.bsky.social who do free worldwide delivery (& still have a couple of signed ones left): blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...

How fabulous 😀

Admiring the Penguin UK edition of my tiger book with a pint of IPA created by Iron Maiden

With co-guests @drjuliashaw.bsky.social and Juhea Kim this morning after speaking with @adamrutherford.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week in London.We talked tigers, environmental crime, and the power of art to change minds

This was a great conversation!