Natural History
In this debut essay collection, Laura Marris reframes environmental degradation by setting aside the conventional, catastrophic framework of the Anthropocene in favor of that of the Eremocene, the age of loneliness, marked by the dramatic thinning of wildlife populations and by isolation between and among species. She asks: how do we add to archives of ecological memory? How can we notice and document what's missing in the landscapes closest to us?
Filled with equal parts alienation and wonder, each essay immerses readers in a different strange landscape of the Eremocene. Among them are the Buffalo airport with its snowy owls and the purgatories of commuter flights, layovers, and long-distance relationships; a life-size model city built solely for self-driving cars; the coasts of New England and the ever-evolving relationship between humans and horseshoe crabs; and the Connecticut woods Marris revisits for the first time after her father's death, where she participates in the annual Christmas Bird Count and encounters presence and absence in turn. Vivid, keenly observed, and driven by a lively and lyrical voice, The Age of Loneliness is a moving examination of the dangers of loneliness, the surprising histories of ecological loss, and the ways that community science--which relies on the embodied evidence of "ground truth"--can help us recognize, and maybe even recover, what we've learned to live without.
1st edition, published by the Bird Research Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, 1943. Illustrated w/paintings by Major Allan Brooks & Edward R. Kalmbach, photos by Frank Dufresne, Olaus J. Murie, & author, pen sketches by C.G. Mitchell, J.R. Moodey, & L.B. Towle. Scientific and anecdotal results of the Hooper Bay Expedition to study "the richest breeding ground of noncolonial Arctic birds that has ever been discovered...This expedition appears to be the largest party of bird students to penetrate the Arctic. There were five ornithologists, who were assisted by 50 families of bird-minded Eskimos. Data were secured on more than 1500 noncolony nests, and the home habits of 60 different boreal birds..." (flap). 40 plates.
Dust jacket in protective mylar cover; price clipped; very little shelf wear to top edges & corners; brown boards stamped w/gilt decoration & lettering on cover & spine; front endpapers illustrated w/photo; rear endpapers w/map of expedition; binding tight; text clean & bright. VG+/VG+
The classic multimillion copy bestseller
Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients. For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye. In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth. James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages.
The basis for the PBS Masterpiece series and the second volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series.
Millions of readers have delighted in the wonderful storytelling and everyday miracles of James Herriot in the fifty years since his animal stories were first introduced to the world. All Things Bright and Beautiful is the beloved sequel to Herriot's first collection, All Creatures Great and Small, and picks up as Herriot, now newly married, journeys among the remote hillside farms and valley towns of the Yorkshire Dales, caring for their inhabitants--both two- and four-legged. Throughout, Herriot's deep compassion, humor, and love of life shine as we laugh, cry, and delight in the portraits of his many varied animal patients and their equally varied owners.
In Back to Eden, Frank Porter rediscovers the plants that once covered our landscapes and teaches us the secrets of how to propagate and grow these botanical treasures. This book is for beginners, as well as the experienced. Here you'll:
Learn how to establish a native plant garden.
Read about the silent garden invaders.
Discover how to make a rain garden.
Grow your garden without fertilizer.
Understand the importance of using native grasses and plants.
From the time they lived on the island of Corfu, Gerald Durrell's family hoped he'd outgrow his love of animals. Instead he became a zoologist and worldwide conservation hero.
In 1945, young zoologist, Gerald Durrell, finally came to work at his first actual zoo; Whipsnade Zoo--then a new concept in open-range animal exhibits--where Durrell joined in as a student keeper with Albert the lion, Babs the polar bear, and a baby deer among his first charges. In this entertaining history, he recaptures all the passion that permeated those early years, while conveying his insight into and affection for four-footed creatures. The book is full of larger-than-life animal characters: the bear who sang operatic arias with one paw clasped to his breast, his bosom friend Billy the goat, playful zebras, and a host of equally endearing and memorable critters. This is Durrell at his best. Fans of the PBS Masterpiece series, The Durrells in Corfu, know Gerald Durrell as a young boy with endless curiosity about animals. This is where that interest led. Durrell's great life work, the Wildlife Preservation Trust International, was still ahead in his future. Beasts in My Belfry is a wonderfully entertaining memoir for anyone who loves animals and a life lived with great purpose.