Nature and the natural world: general interest Books
Whittles Publishing Running South America: With My Husband and Other
Book SynopsisRunning marathons back-to-back, sleeping by the side of the road, giving presentations to remote schools that had never been visited by their own kinsfolk, this is the remarkable story of personal endurance that gives an engrossing insight into the people and wildlife of South America. It is the story of two everyday runners, Katharine and David, who decided to take on a continent and learn how to run again - barefoot, pushing their bodies and minds to levels they had never considered possible in a bid to become the first in the world to run the length of South America, to give a voice to the wildlife and wildernesses they adore.Running laid them bare, stripped them of the shell people journey within, so all they had to rely on was their own bare feet. Yet this very vulnerability provided the key to unlocking communities who would fling open their doors, tuck them under their wings and whisper their secrets. Amazing animals accompanied them: gigantic vaulting stick-insects; cackling macaws who wheeled and pirouetted in the sky, desperately trying to gain a better view of them; and a giant anteater whom they stalked through a snake-infested swamp, so they could stand within an arm's length as he devoured termites upon the end of his long sticky tongue. It was also an animal, if one of the most diminutive, that nearly succeeded in ending their dreams of conquering the continent - an ant! But when their joints and muscles were screaming, when they couldn't stand the sight of one another and when prickly heat, blisters and tropical ulcers infested their skin, it was the wildlife and wildernesses that pulled them through. Day after day, for months on end, running from freezer through desert and into the biggest rainforest on earth, they survived hurricane-force winds, near 100% humidity, swarms of biting insects and some of the most crime-ridden places on the planet. The expedition nearly cost them their marriage, health, sanity and lives. But somehow, they made it to the other end of the continent, 6,504 miles and 15 months later, when they splashed into the warm and much-dreamed of Caribbean Sea.Trade Review`...Katharine relates the story of the run in fascinating details and with frankness and humour. She is also...a quality artist, which is demonstrated in the beautiful sketches of wildlife throughout the book. Running South America is an enthralling book and without doubt one of the best I have read’. Wildlife Detective, The blog of Alan Stewart -------------------- `...Katharine and David Lowrie (both 39) have made a journey that makes many a marathon runner be envious of envy or awe. ... If you are travelling in nature for so long as Katharine and David experienced numerous funny and absurd, but also dangerous moments. In her book...Katharine describes the various adventurous moments’. TravelBook -------------------- `...reading Katharine’s powerful and exciting book about her remarkable adventure is certainly a white-knuckle experience. It takes you deep into the heart of a mysterious continent where you are invited to watch the landscape unfold on a human scale one step at a time. It is a thrilling account punctuated by bizarre encounters with incredible native wildlife...’ Daily Express -------------------- `This really is an inspiring book ...a lovely book which will have you flinging off your shoes and embracing life’. Burnley Express, Rebecca Hay -------------------- `If ever a feat of daring and endurance deserved a book it was the adventure on which Katharine and David Lowrie embarked’. Chronicle Live -------------------- 'I am awe-inspired and deeply impressed'.--Dean Karnazes, World Ultra Marathon Runner 'A gruelling and challenging run for a vitally important cause... an extraordinary marathon'.--HRH Prince of Wales
£18.99
Whittles Publishing Untangling the Knot, Belugas and Bears: My
Book SynopsisThe beginning of the author's adventure with a camera - filming wildlife across the world for the BBC Natural History Unit and other major TV companies - began in 1978 when he joined the RSPB's film unit. Untangling the Knot gives an in-depth look into what is involved in capturing the sequences needed for a natural history film, using comprehensive diaries and over 200 photographs. Mike describes the stresses of international flying with 20 cases of film equipment, sometimes alone, to distant corners of the world. The hardships of living and working for weeks in remote regions, avoiding tropical diseases, the onslaught of forest insects, long hours of waiting from dawn to dusk, and of frustration and disappointment when the elements or circumstances conspired against him. There are times of great elation too, when animal behaviour never seen before is captured on film. Working with top biologists and highly-experienced pilots was an essential partnership in understanding the subject to be filmed, often in remote regions where the challenge was reaching the subject in rainforest canopies, on remote islands or in featureless arctic tundra. In a career spanning 35 years, several of the programmes in which he was involved have won major awards. He describes filming Attenborough in Paradise in New Guinea with Sir David Attenborough as a career highlight, where he filmed behaviour of Birds of Paradise that had never been seen before. His last programme, Jewelled Messengers was the fulfilment of an ambition to make the ultimate film on hummingbirds with producer Paul Reddish, using the latest high-speed, high-definition cameras, and which was shot mainly in Brazil and Ecuador. The story concludes when he realizes his dream of visiting the Ross Sea region of the Antarctic. Mike considers himself lucky to have worked in so many spectacular regions of the world and this book enables readers to travel with him and share his incredible experiences.
£19.90
The Dovecote Press Downs, Meadows and Pastures
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£8.16
The Dovecote Press Woodlands
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£8.16
Whittles Publishing Seton Gordon's Scotland: An Anthology
Book SynopsisSeton Gordon was only a boy when he began exploring the Cairngorms, fascinated by its wildlife and seeking to photograph all he saw - he later became a pioneer naturalist, photographer and folklorist. He wrote about the land that is Scotland, her flora and fauna, her people, her spirits, her often violent past. He took the earliest pictures of golden eagles at their eyries and throughout the first half of the 20th century came to know Scotland's remotest corners, amassing a unique photographic record, recording the changing social life of the islands, collecting a mass of folklore and historical stories, lecturing and writing both for regular publications and in 27 books. Like John Muir, he was a wanderer and a guide. We walk with him through pinewoods, to eyries, to the corries of the Cairngorms, we follow him trying to recreate the greenshank's song on his bagpipe chanter; and see him holding a snowball windward of a nesting dotterel to cool its panting.Welcomed in croft or palace, a keen piper, inevitably dressed in kilt and bunnet, Seton Gordon was one of the age's great characters. This selection from his writings gives a fascinating insight of the man and his great versatility. The author, himself a Scottish outdoors enthusiast and well-known author, has been a lifelong admirer of Seton Gordon and his books and has created a book to treasure.Trade Review'...it is a kaleidoscope of a way of life in the first half of the 20th century, a contribution of great importance. There are customs, myths, fairy stories and legends to fascinate anyone in the HIghlands and Islands and beyond. ...An utterly fascinating book'. Highland News'...Hamish Brown's compilation of Seton Gordon's work ...will be highly acclaimed in many circles, and rightly so. It covers a large area of Scotland and contains an abundance of material to keep the reader's attention, chapter after chapter'. Stornoway GazetteTable of ContentsThe Cairngorms; The Length of the Land; The Outer Hebrides; Ways That Are Gone; Birds Above All; Hill Days; Western Isles; The Unrestful Past; Bird Notes; A Vanished World; Epilogue
£18.99
Merlin Unwin Books A Job for all Seasons: My Small Country Living
Book SynopsisSmallholders often learn the hard way but author Phyllida Barstow had been immersed in animal husbandry as a child, so her experiences here are well-informed and witty. First-hand account of her smallholding in Gloucestershire with a chapter each on chickens, goats, horses, sheep, peacocks, alpacas and more!
£12.34
Luath Press Ltd Nature's Peace: Landscapes of the Watershed: A
Book SynopsisIn 2005 Peter Wright walked the 1,200 km length of the Watershed in 64 days. Walking along the very spine of Scotland he was struck by the magnificence and diversity of the landscapes which his original and little publicised route exposed him to. Nature’s Peace celebrates these landscapes as never before through stunning photographs, taking the reader on an imaginary journey from the English border in the south to the Shetland Isles and Unst at the very northern tip of Britain. Wright brings his journey to life with vivid descriptions of the land’s history and discussions about its future.
£15.29
September Publishing Among the Summer Snows: In Search of Scotland's
Book SynopsisAs the summer draws to a close, a few snowbeds - some as big as icebergs - survive in the Scottish Highlands. Christopher Nicholson's Among the Summer Snows is both a celebration of these great, icy relics and an intensely personal meditation on their significance. A book to delight all those interested in mountains and snow, full of vivid description and anecdote, it explores the meanings of nature, beauty and mortality in the twenty-first century.Trade Review'This is the kind of beautiful writing that transcends form - in this case nature writing - to arrive somewhere improbable and compelling.' Paul Evans, Guardian | 'A beautiful book about love and loss, fragility and chance, the wide world and the near world...full of intense light and colour, extraordinary glimpses, moving insights and subtle humour.' Richard Kerridge, author of Cold Blood | 'A ravishingly lovely book.' Keggie Carew author of Dadland | 'What shines through is a love of wild places without the need to conquer summits or tick lists. It is a love affair that is addictive ... and [Nicholson] expresses it in such a beautiful way in this unusual and evocative narrative.' Active Outdoors | 'A glorious little book, beautifully produced by an independent publisher.' The Telegraph | 'Haunting, moving, silent, and profoundly beautiful.' The Great Outdoors | 'Lyrical and elegiac, this debut is a tender account of an unusual fascination with the remaining snows of the Scottish Highlands. Nicholson offers us a wry, self-aware take on the relationship between humans and the changed (and changing) natural world.' Helen Mort, chair of Boardman Tasker Award judges | 'Made me laugh and cry within just a few pages... left me humbled as he revealed a range of other interconnected wonders I never knew about.' Books in Scotland | 'Destined to become a classic of mountain literature. Superb.' Chris Townsend, The Great Outdoors | 'His moving journey makes compelling reading. Occasionally amusing, seldom maudlin or self-pitying, and ultimately uplifting, this quest for meaning offers solace for anyone with a penchant for pondering the mysteries of life, love and loss during solitary wanderings through the wilderness.' Mark Sutcliffe, Countryfile
£8.54
Carnegie Publishing Ltd Cumbrian Contrasts: A Vision of Countryside
Book SynopsisThis is nature writer Jan Wiltshire's second book, following the highly successful About Scout Scar. Cumbrian Contrasts celebrates the wonder of one of the most beautiful, diverse and precious parts of the British Isles. From the source of rivers high in the fells, through moorland solitudes to the urban fringe, and down to estuaries and the coast, the author paints a vivid portrait of a landscape and its wildlife. Words and images come together as a story which reveals the magic of the natural world. There are fossils, butterfl ies and flora at Smardale. Eider duck breed on Walney Island with its shingle flora, and natterjack toads mate on the Duddon Estuary. Skylark soar in song flight over Whitbarrow and there are dark green fritillary butterflies and frog orchid on Scout Scar. There's always something new to discover. This is writing that really makes you feel as if you are there, experiencing the beautiful, strange and rare in varied habitats. If you love the countryside and enjoy books that inspire, inform and entertain, then Cumbrian Contrasts will delight.
£12.34
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh World World of Plants: Stories of Survival
Book SynopsisWorld of Plants: Stories of Survival tells the story of 100 plants from the Living Collection at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, that are endangered or threatened in the wild. Featuring images and descriptions of each plant, details of their origins, the threats they face, and the work being done to save them.
£17.09
Briza Publications,South Africa Garden Succulents
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£26.96
Ugly Duckling Presse Of Forests and Of Farms : On Faculty and Failure
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£9.50
World Poetry Books John Scotus Eriugena At Laon & Other Poems
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£17.09
World Poetry Books Cold Fire
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£13.49
Winter Editions Via
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£15.20
Atria Books Counting Sheep: Reflections and Observations of a
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£12.34
Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale Effin' Birds: A Field Guide to Identification
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£14.44
Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale Mushrooms of Cascadia
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£21.85
Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden Biologie des Geistesblitzes - Speed up your mind!
Book SynopsisDenken Sie, das Gehirn ist eine perfekte Rechenmaschine, die evolutionäre Krone aller Informationssysteme, die komplexeste Struktur des Universums, präziser und leistungsfähiger als jeder Computer? Vergessen Sie das sofort! Das Gehirn ist ein Haufen voller eitler, fauler und selbstverliebter Zellen, die sich ständig verrechnen und dabei noch permanent von ihren Nachbarn abgelenkt werden.Da hält man es kaum für möglich und doch geschieht das Wunder: Das Gehirn funktioniert! Sehr gut sogar, denn Menschen sind im Gegensatz zu rechnenden Maschinen ausgesprochen kreativ.„Wie das?“, mag man fragen und dieses Buch gibt die Antwort darauf. Fachlich fundiert und locker aufbereitet berichtet der deutsche Science Slam-Meister 2012 Henning Beck über das Zusammenspiel von Nerven- und ihren Helferzellen, erklärt, was ein Geistesblitz überhaupt ist, wie er entsteht und was die Hirnforschung zum Thema Kreativität zu sagen hat.Trade Review “... die zahlreichen Bilder machen das Buch zu einem Erlebnis und gewähren dem Leser Einblick in verschiedenste Methoden der Zellbiologie. Der humoristische Grundton macht die Lektüre zu einer guten Unterhaltung, die zugleich den eigenen Wissenshorizont erweitert. Ein Buch, das man gerne auch zur Entspannung lesen kann, und das einen mehr als einmal zum Schmunzeln bringt ...“ (Kerstin Rauwolf, in: Junge Wissenschaft, Heft 101, 2014, S. 69)Mit amüsantem Plauderton und witzigen Grafiken versteht es der Autor, sein Fach dem Leser nahezubringen. Auch wenn sich Beck für die "manchmal doch recht drastischen Simplifizierungen" entschuldigt, fehlt es seinem Werk nicht an Tiefgang.Spektrum.de, 07.10.2013Table of ContentsDie Einleitung.- Das Gehirn.- Die Zellen.- Der Nervenimpuls.- Der Geistesblitz.- Der Schluss.- Glossar.- Literatur.- Index.
£17.99
Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG No fungi no future: Wie Pilze die Welt retten
Book SynopsisDas Buch für naturwissenschaftlich interessierte Leser, die sich Gedanken machen über die anstehenden Probleme einer zahlenmäßig rasch zunehmenden Weltbevölkerung. Das Buch klärt über den bisher allgemein kaum bekannten Nutzen der sogenannten Großpilze auf. Es sind Pilze, die man sonst von Spaziergängen in Wald und Wiese kennt und die man im Handel kaufen kann. Wie können Großpilze dazu beitragen die Menschheit zu retten?Können Ernährungsprobleme in armen Ländern Afrikas durch Großpilze gelöst werden?Gelingt eine Revitalisierung ganzer geschädigter Wälder?Und was haben Pilze auf dem Mars zu suchen?Diese und weitere spannende Fragen werden im Verlauf der Kapitel beantwortet. Die Leser bekommen Einblicke in die Geheimnisse und Arbeitsweisen einer Wissenschaft, die, wie auch Pilze, im Verborgenen aktiv ist, deren Bedeutung rapide steigt, obwohl sie bisher nur von relativ wenigen Forschern betrieben wird.Table of ContentsVorwort.- 1 Einführung.- 2 Pilze für die Welt.- 3 Wer Pilze isst, lebt länger.- 4 Auch Tiere mögen Pilze.- 5 Pilze, Lebenspartner der Waldbäume.- 6 Pilze als Problemlöser.- Schlusswort.
£23.74
Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden Pocket Guide Geologie im Gelände
Book SynopsisDieses Buch ist ein Bestimmungsatlas, der hilft, Minerale, Gesteine und die wichtigsten Fossilgruppen im Gelände zu erkennen und zu beschreiben. Aber nicht nur das. Zusätzlich wird eine Reihe von wichtigen geologischen Strukturen beschrieben und in zahlreichen Fotos dargestellt. Dadurch werden Sie eingeladen, die Geologie hinter Landschaften und Gesteinen draußen im Gelände aufzuspüren. Denn die Geologie ist eine Wissenschaft, die erst richtig lebendig wird beim Wandern in der Natur, z. B. an der Küste oder durch Nationalparks. Mit wenig Wissen werde Sie die Landschaft anders erleben. Die Gesteine werden quasi lebendig und Sie werden die Geschichte wie ein Buch lesen können und die Vielfalt und Komplexität von geologischen Prozessen verstehen. Solche Prozesse – ein Wechselspiel von Magmatismus, Tektonik, Metamorphose, Klima und Sedimentation – haben die heutige Erdoberfläche geformt. Das Buch wendet sich an die geologisch interessierten Leser und Studierende, denen das Werk als Begleiter bei Ausflügen durch die Natur gute Dienste leisten wird.Table of ContentsÜberblick.- Minerale.- Magmatische Gesteine.- Metamorphe Gesteine.- Sedimentgesteine.- Fossilien & Paläoökologie.
£18.07
Books on Demand Intelligente Evolution: Spurensuche nach dem Sinn des Lebens
£19.60
Books on Demand Mord, Magie und wirre Träume: Die dunkle Seite
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£17.50
Spektrum Akademischen Verlag Biotechnologie in Cartoons
Book SynopsisMärchenhaft und bildend zugleich: Das weltweit allererste Biotechnologie-Buch im lustigen lockeren Cartoon-Stil! Die Story: Eine Sternschnuppe fällt auf die Erde in das Königreich Makronesien. Als König Richard VIII. den Sternenstaub unter dem Super-Mikroskop untersucht, entdeckt er ein nanoskopisch kleines intelligentes Wesen in einem Mikro-Raumschiff ... Professor Nanoroo ist vom Planeten Nano zur Erde gekommen, um die menschliche Biotechnologie zu verstehen. Neugierig kommuniziert er mit den Menschen, fragt allen ein Loch in den Bauch. Nanoroo begegnet brotbackenden und bierbrauenden Hefen; krank- und gesundmachenden Bakterien; Pilzen, die Medikamente gegen Bakterien produzieren. Er erlebt viele Abenteuer, unter anderem rettet er des Königs Bruder vor dem Herzinfarkt, misst den Zuckerspiegel Richards und die Fitness von Rennpferden, sieht Pflanzen bei der Raupenabwehr und kostet vitaminreichen Goldenen Reis. Die wissenschaftlichen Hintergründe der Cartoons werden jeweils sachlich kurz in Boxen erklärt. Wenn Nanoroo am glücklichen Ende von der Erde abfliegt mit dem Versprechen wiederzukommen, haben junge und alte Cartoon-Fans bereits stillvergnügt und spielend die Grundlagen der Biotechnologie begriffen. Trade Review“... ein attraktives Ergänzungswerk für Schüler der Mittel- und Oberstufe. Das Lesen und Durchblättern macht aber auch Erwachsenen Spaß – ob mit oder ohne Biotechnologiekenntnisse.” (Ulrike Abel-Wanek, in: PZ Pharmazeutische Zeitung, Heft 29, 21. Juli 2016)“... Den kurzen Cartoons, mit Sachkenntnis angefertigt vom chinesischen Zeichner Ming-fai Chow, folgen jeweils einige Seiten mit tiefer gehenden Erklärungen und detaillierten Skizzen. Grundbegriffe der Biotechnologie wie Protein, DNS oder Molekül werden gut verständlich erklärt. ... Als Autor diverser Fachbücher und Kolumnen kennt er sich bestens mit der populärwissenschaftlichen Aufarbeitung komplexer Themen aus. Und das beweist er einmal mehr in seinem aktuellen Werk ...” (Sigrid März, in: Laborjournal online, laborjournal.de, 2. März 2016)
£24.97
Spektrum Akademischer Verlag Bewusstsein - ein neurobiologisches Rätsel: Mit
Book Synopsis1 Einführung in die Erforschung des Bewusstseins.- 2 Neuronen, die Atome der Wahrnehmung.- 3 Die ersten Schritte zum Sehen.- 4 Der primäre visuelle Cortex als prototypisches neocorticales Areal.- 5 Was sind die neuronalen Korrelate des Bewusstseins?.- 6 Die neuronalen Korrelate des Bewusstseins befinden sich nicht im primären visuellen Cortex.- 7 Die Architektur der Großhirnrinde.- 8 Jenseits des primären visuellen Cortex.- 9 Aufmerksamkeit und Bewusstsein.- 10 Die neuronalen Grundlagen der Aufmerksamkeit.- 11 Gedächtnisformen und Bewusstsein.- 12 Was man tun kann, ohne sich dessen bewusst zu sein: Der Zombie in uns.- 13 Agnosie, Blindsehen, Epilepsie und Schlafwandeln: Klinische Belege für Zombies.- 14 Einige Spekulationen über die Funktionen des Bewusstseins.- 15 Über Zeit und Bewusstsein.- 16 Wenn der Geist umspringt: Auf den Spuren des Bewusstseins.- 17 Das Gehirn zu spalten, heißt das Bewusstsein zu spalten.- 18 Weitere Spekulationen über Gedanken und den nicht-bewussten Homunculus.- 19 Ein Entwurf des Bewusstseins.- 20 Ein Interview.- Glossar.
£26.59
Jens Peters Publications Philippines Travel Guide
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£22.95
Books on Demand Naturerlebnis - Mähen mit der Sense
£15.50
Die Gestalten Verlag Ask Me About... Dinosaurs: Questions and Answers
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£13.46
Pleasant Place Pleasant Place Issue 4
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£14.99
The University of Chicago Press The Naturalist in Nicaragua
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£35.15
The University of Chicago Press Kindred Nature
Book SynopsisHighlighting the contributions of Victorian and Edwardian women to the study, protection, and writing of nature, this text recovers their works from the misrepresentation they often faced at the time of their composition.
£30.00
The University of Chicago Press Theodore Roosevelt in the Field
Book SynopsisNever has there been a president less content to sit still behind a desk than Theodore Roosevelt. When we picture him, he's on horseback or standing at a cliff's edge or dressed for safari. And Roosevelt was more than just an adventurer-he was also a naturalist and campaigner for conservation. His love of the outdoor world began at an early age and was driven by a need to not simply observe nature but to be actively involved in the outdoors-to be in the field. As Michael R. Canfield reveals in Theodore Roosevelt in the Field, throughout his life Roosevelt consistently took to the field as a naturalist, hunter, writer, soldier, and conservationist, and it is in the field where his passion for science and nature, his belief in the manly, strenuous life, and his drive for empire all came together. Drawing extensively on Roosevelt's field notebooks, diaries, and letters, Canfield takes readers into the field on adventures alongside Roosevelt. From Roosevelt's early childhood observations
£29.45
The University of Chicago Press The Essential Naturalist
Book SynopsisLike nearly various areas of scholarly inquiry, the biological sciences are broken into increasingly narrow fields and subfields, their practitioners divided into ecologists, evolutionary biologists, and more. This title offers a ranging, eclectic collection of writings from more than eight centuries of observations of the natural world.
£127.30
The University of Chicago Press A Natural History of the Chicago Region Center
Book SynopsisInterweaving historical anecdotes and modern-day scientific data, a definitive study of the natural history of Chicago describes the various forces that shaped the region's environment, from Ice Age glaciation to the human settlement of the Midwest, and discusses the various habitats of the region, environmental destruction,.
£30.00
The University of Chicago Press Elk in Winter Phoenix Poets Series PP
Book SynopsisRobert Pack searches for meaning in a seemingly indifferent universe. He locates beauty, consolation, and even happiness in those commitments that we will into fulfillment in awareness of loss.
£24.00
The University of Chicago Press The Passage to Cosmos
Book SynopsisExplorer, scientist, writer, and humanist, Alexander von Humboldt was the most famous intellectual of the age that began with Napoleon and ended with Darwin. This title traces Humboldt's ideas for Cosmos to his 1799 journey to the Americas, where he first experienced the diversity of nature and of the world's people.Trade Review"Walls reclaims for the present a man whose personality and work had a formative influence on the cultural landscape of antebellum America and whose legacy may to good effect be used in addressing current affairs. I recommend The Passage to Cosmos as a fine piece of Humboldt scholarship, a heartfelt plea for environmental holism, and an enjoyable read." (Science)"
£31.35
The University of Chicago Press The Passage to Cosmos
Book SynopsisExplorer, scientist, writer, and humanist, Alexander von Humboldt was the most famous intellectual of the age that began with Napoleon and ended with Darwin. This title traces Humboldt's ideas for "Cosmos" to his 1799 journey to the Americas, where he first experienced the diversity of nature and of the world's people.Trade Review"Walls reclaims for the present a man whose personality and work had a formative influence on the cultural landscape of antebellum America and whose legacy may to good effect be used in addressing current affairs. I recommend The Passage to Cosmos as a fine piece of Humboldt scholarship, a heartfelt plea for environmental holism, and an enjoyable read." (Science)"
£19.00
The University of Chicago Press Views of Nature
Book SynopsisThe legacy of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) looms large over the natural sciences. His 1799-1804 research expedition to Central and South America with botanist Aime Bonpland set the course for the great scientific surveys of the nineteenth century. This book features his influential work - and his personal favorite.
£76.00
Columbia University Press The Natural History of the Bible
Book SynopsisDaniel Hillel follows events in the Hebrew Bible to reveal the complex interplay between the ancient Israelites and their natural and cultural environments. More than just affecting their material existence, the diverse environmental character of the ancient Near East profoundly shaped the evolution of Jewish culture and beliefs and, ultimately, of Western civilization as a whole.Trade ReviewThis is a book to supplement and fill in details of natural history that are generally absent or neglected in standard hisotrical studies. It is well illustrated and the bibliography is extensive. The Master's Seminary Journal That environmental factors affect our daily lives is disputed by no one. But can environment, climate and topology play a part in the development of a religious community? Hillel, professor emeritus of environmental studies at the University of Massachusetts and senior research scientist at Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research, says yes. He comes to the subject immersed in the lore of ancient Israel, from his grandfather's instruction to his own years living in modern Israel. He sees the Jewish belief system as an amalgam of ideas emerging from an interplay of human beings with both the land and its peoples, "absorb[ing] all the cultural strands... from all the ecological domains of the ancient Near East... and assimilat[ing] them into their own culture." He divides sacred history into seven "domains," dispensations based not on some theological construct but rather on the terrain in which the Israelites lived. What emerges is a largely naturalistic explanation of Israel's beliefs and laws, with a strong emphasis on the impact of culture and environment on the evolving Jewish religion. Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way. (Jan.) Publisher's Weekly Hillel recounts, in a richly detailed and beautifully told manner, the origins of the Hebrew Bible in a new and satisfying way.Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly With all the commentaries and books on the Hebrew Scriptures that have appeared over the years, it would seem nearly impossible to write something unique and illuminating. Yet this is precisely what Hillel has done by providing an environmental and ecological analysis of the text. Library Journal Engrossing... Hillel offers new perspectives on biblical views of the environment. Wispas The results are fascinating. -- Edward Rothstein New York Times Hillel... offers us a quintessential resource for understanding the role of nature in Jewish cultural and religious movements. -- Daneil Orenstein Jerusalem Report Hillel takes a fresh and invigorating approach to biblical exegesis... A detailed ecological analysis of the Bible. -- Josie Glausiusz Forward Hillel's contribution is truly distinctive, insightful and provocative. -- Sandee Brawarsky The Jewish Week [The Natural History of the Bible] should be of equal interest to the student of ecology and the student of theology. -- Sir Ghillean Prance The Times Higher Education Supplement A highly stimulating new take on an old question, and deserves to be widely read. -- John Barton Times Literary Supplement It definitely belongs on the shelves of those interested in the development of biblical culture. -- Rabbi Rachel Essermang The Reporter Daniel Hillel's The Natural History of the Bible is a very good read and deserves a place on the shelf. -- Alon Tal Environmental History Fascinating because of its fine prose, important because of its scope. Kansas City Star An informed and readable entrance into a profound world. -- Harvey E. Goldberg The European Legacy The Natural History of the Bible is one beautiful book. -- Jeanne Kay Guelke Environmental Ethics I highly recommend this book. -- Rabbi Louis A. Rieser Church and Synagogue Libraries Daniel Hillel has done a magnificent job and contributed substantially both to Biblical scholarship and to the understanding of the ecology of the area. But he goes much deeper than simply interpreting the Bible's ecological setting. Hillel allows us to understand better the minds of those who were recording the events in Egypt, the return to Canaan, David and Solomon, and the various interpretations of Jerusalem, as well as the meaning of these events. So well presented and so informative. -- Peter H. Raven, Home Secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science A refreshing, detailed and stimulating account of an important aspect of ancient Israelite development. -- Hilary Marlow Journal of Jewish Studies For anyone concerned about the origins of the Hebrew Bible... this is a fascinating book that can be highly recommended. -- Antoinette Bosco The American Catholic Hillel's rational accounts of natural phenomena in the Hebrew scriptures and his thesis about the formation of montheism will assist anyone who wishes to extend understanding of the Bible as a foundational text for Western civilization and to comprehend the relationship between faith formation and place. -- James W. Hood Friends JournalTable of ContentsAcknowledgments A Note on Translation Chronology Prologue 1. Environment and Culture 2. The Ecological Context 3. The First Riverine Domain 4. The Pastoral Domain 5. The Second Riverine Domain 6. The Desert Domain 7. The Rainfed Domain 8. The Maritime Domain 9. The Urban Domain 10. The Exile Domain 11. The Overarching Unity Epilogue Appendixes 1. On the Historical Validity of the Bible 2. Perceptions of Humanity's Role on God's Earth 3. Selected Passages Regarding the Seven Domains Notes Bibliography Index
£87.40
Columbia University Press Poetics of Liveliness Molecules Fibers Tissues
Book SynopsisAda Smailbegović shows how twentieth- and twenty-first-century writers have intermingled scientific methodologies with poetic form to reveal unfolding processes of change. Poetics of Liveliness moves across scales to explore the realms of molecules, fibers, tissues, and clouds.Trade ReviewIn a remarkable feat of interdisciplinary scholarship, this book plumbs the depths and scans the horizons of what it means to write on, in, of, and with “life” through a poetry and poetics of experimentation. Science meets poetry meets the ongoing unknown in a redefinition of environmental poetics—bravo! -- Cary Wolfe, author of Ecological Poetics; or, Wallace Stevens’s BirdsSmailbegović addresses the entwined relations between contemporary North American poetry and developments in philosophy, art, and science. She argues that each of these fields or practices address the same kinds of complexity in the world, both enabling language to emerge from the world (whether in human or animal form) and materiality to complexify and elaborate itself chemically and evolutionarily. -- Elizabeth Grosz, author of The Incorporeal: Ontology, Ethics, and the Limits of MaterialismWriting as a poet versed in biology, physics, and meteorology, Smailbegović explains minute and slow-moving material phenomena as acutely as she does poetic nuance. Rather than unveil worlds normally imperceptible at human scale, her “edge work” tracks partial contact between actants moving past and through one another at different speeds. Offering a feminist account of the pliability or softness of matter, Poetics of Liveliness reads as an incipient, emergent organism in its own right, slowly and recursively proceeding by multiplying surfaces of responsiveness. -- Anne-Lise François, author of Open Secrets: The Literature of Uncounted ExperiencePoetics of Liveliness has two muses. One, Gertrude Stein, is named; the other, William Blake, is the “unnamed form” animating this book of wonders. Meshing handwork to brainwork, Blake’s multimedia inventions release from “the merely natural” a body of knowledge—and knowledge of bodies—that is larger, more minutely organized, and more alive than our philosophy had dreamt of. Smailbegović proves herself a member of Blake’s tribe, not just its ethnographer. Her study addresses poetry and poetics, new and old ontology, science, technology, and media studies, and ecopoetics. -- Marjorie Levinson, author of Thinking Through Poetry: Field Reports on Romantic LyricSmailbegovic’s book serves as connective tissue between a scientific treatment of literature and a deeper consideration of what it means to think with the nonhuman in all scales and on all levels of sentience. * ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment *Poetics of Liveliness is an essential read for anyone who’s interested in the connections between science and literature, and in the tremendous potential they hold for the future of critical theory and for its immediate present. * Textual Practice *[A] valuable and original contribution to interdisciplinary studies . . . it will be appealing not only to literary scholars, but also to a broader audience of philosophers, ecologists, new materialists, and possibly even to the scientific community, from entomologists to physicists. Because of its strong theoretical foundations, Poetics of Liveliness will surely act as a catalyst for future inquiries into the study of material ecologies. * H-Environment, H-Net Reviews *Poetics of Liveliness operates . . . scalarly, moves fluidly between the realms of the very small and the very large, revealing relationships between multifaceted, nonhuman material assemblages, while Smailbegović’s expertise in a variety of scientific fields buttresses the author’s ability to build the necessary information networks as she moves through the diverse levels of those relationships. * Jacket2 *For readers intrigued by the material turn (and its discontents), and no less for readers curious about what lies at the forefront of materialist-poetic experimentation today, Poetics of Liveliness should not be missed. * American Literary History *[Smailbegović's] project is to break down reified discourses of materiality by means of a poetics as lively as the nonhuman things it describes, or decorates. It is a significant, serious, yet playful account of how, in the hands of these poet-naturalists, metaphor can be used strategically to liberate readers and their reading matter alike. * Modernism/modernity *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPart I: Textures of Change Introduction: Poetic Cosmologies1. Soft Matter2. Poetry and SciencePart II: Poetic Laboratories of Matter 3. Molecules: From Code to Shape4. Fibers: Edge Textures and Nonhuman Scales of Sense5. Tissues: Histological Landscapes and the Substances of Character6. Clouds: Cloud-Writing and the Movement of QualitiesCoda: Toward a Haptic PoeticsNotesWorks CitedIndex
£76.00
Columbia University Press Poetics of Liveliness
Book SynopsisAda Smailbegović shows how twentieth- and twenty-first-century writers have intermingled scientific methodologies with poetic form to reveal unfolding processes of change. Poetics of Liveliness moves across scales to explore the realms of molecules, fibers, tissues, and clouds.Trade ReviewIn a remarkable feat of interdisciplinary scholarship, this book plumbs the depths and scans the horizons of what it means to write on, in, of, and with “life” through a poetry and poetics of experimentation. Science meets poetry meets the ongoing unknown in a redefinition of environmental poetics—bravo! -- Cary Wolfe, author of Ecological Poetics; or, Wallace Stevens’s BirdsSmailbegović addresses the entwined relations between contemporary North American poetry and developments in philosophy, art, and science. She argues that each of these fields or practices address the same kinds of complexity in the world, both enabling language to emerge from the world (whether in human or animal form) and materiality to complexify and elaborate itself chemically and evolutionarily. -- Elizabeth Grosz, author of The Incorporeal: Ontology, Ethics, and the Limits of MaterialismWriting as a poet versed in biology, physics, and meteorology, Smailbegović explains minute and slow-moving material phenomena as acutely as she does poetic nuance. Rather than unveil worlds normally imperceptible at human scale, her “edge work” tracks partial contact between actants moving past and through one another at different speeds. Offering a feminist account of the pliability or softness of matter, Poetics of Liveliness reads as an incipient, emergent organism in its own right, slowly and recursively proceeding by multiplying surfaces of responsiveness. -- Anne-Lise François, author of Open Secrets: The Literature of Uncounted ExperiencePoetics of Liveliness has two muses. One, Gertrude Stein, is named; the other, William Blake, is the “unnamed form” animating this book of wonders. Meshing handwork to brainwork, Blake’s multimedia inventions release from “the merely natural” a body of knowledge—and knowledge of bodies—that is larger, more minutely organized, and more alive than our philosophy had dreamt of. Smailbegović proves herself a member of Blake’s tribe, not just its ethnographer. Her study addresses poetry and poetics, new and old ontology, science, technology, and media studies, and ecopoetics. -- Marjorie Levinson, author of Thinking Through Poetry: Field Reports on Romantic LyricSmailbegovic’s book serves as connective tissue between a scientific treatment of literature and a deeper consideration of what it means to think with the nonhuman in all scales and on all levels of sentience. * ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment *Poetics of Liveliness is an essential read for anyone who’s interested in the connections between science and literature, and in the tremendous potential they hold for the future of critical theory and for its immediate present. * Textual Practice *[A] valuable and original contribution to interdisciplinary studies . . . it will be appealing not only to literary scholars, but also to a broader audience of philosophers, ecologists, new materialists, and possibly even to the scientific community, from entomologists to physicists. Because of its strong theoretical foundations, Poetics of Liveliness will surely act as a catalyst for future inquiries into the study of material ecologies. * H-Environment, H-Net Reviews *Poetics of Liveliness operates . . . scalarly, moves fluidly between the realms of the very small and the very large, revealing relationships between multifaceted, nonhuman material assemblages, while Smailbegović’s expertise in a variety of scientific fields buttresses the author’s ability to build the necessary information networks as she moves through the diverse levels of those relationships. * Jacket2 *For readers intrigued by the material turn (and its discontents), and no less for readers curious about what lies at the forefront of materialist-poetic experimentation today, Poetics of Liveliness should not be missed. * American Literary History *[Smailbegović's] project is to break down reified discourses of materiality by means of a poetics as lively as the nonhuman things it describes, or decorates. It is a significant, serious, yet playful account of how, in the hands of these poet-naturalists, metaphor can be used strategically to liberate readers and their reading matter alike. * Modernism/modernity *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPart I: Textures of Change Introduction: Poetic Cosmologies1. Soft Matter2. Poetry and SciencePart II: Poetic Laboratories of Matter 3. Molecules: From Code to Shape4. Fibers: Edge Textures and Nonhuman Scales of Sense5. Tissues: Histological Landscapes and the Substances of Character6. Clouds: Cloud-Writing and the Movement of QualitiesCoda: Toward a Haptic PoeticsNotesWorks CitedIndex
£23.75
Columbia University Press Questioning Borders
Book SynopsisQuestioning Borders explores recent ecoliterature by Han and non-Han Indigenous writers of China and Taiwan, analyzing relations among humans, animals, ecosystems, and the cosmos in search of alternative possibilities for creativity and consciousness.Trade ReviewIn this groundbreaking book, Robin Visser explores the shifting incarnations of the border as a territorial gateway, a contact zone, a liminal terrain, and an imaginary portal. She delves into the intersection of ethnic, cultural, political—and especially ecological—dynamics that inform cartographies and cosmologies of Sinophone states. A fantastic work. -- David Der-wei Wang, author of Why Fiction Matters in Contemporary ChinaA comprehensive and illuminating comparison of Chinese and Indigenous literatures on the border ecologies of China and Taiwan. Questioning Borders sheds light on the power dynamics of China as a settler-colonialist regime in which Indigenous ecocriticism confronts the Chinese imperial geography of center and periphery, which underpins both China’s development strategies and even the most radical Chinese ecoliteratures. -- Uradyn E. Bulag, author of Collaborative Nationalism: The Politics of Friendship on China’s Mongolian FrontierThis illuminating book offers deep insights into the tensions, interactions, and reciprocity among diverse ecologies, ethnicities, humans, and nonhumans. Robin Visser’s brilliant analysis of ecoliterature by Han and Indigenous authors makes this book a must-read for students of environmental humanities. -- Ban Wang, author of At Home in Nature: Technology, Labor, and Critical Ecology in Modern ChinaVisser’s Questioning Borders provides a timely critical intervention that destabilizes the historically established borders and center-periphery relationship within the cultural and political imaginaries of the Hanspace. It offers rich textual studies on Indigenous ecoliteratures in China and Taiwan. A must-read for those interested in Chinese, Sinophone, global, and transnational Indigenous ecocriticism. -- Chia-ju Chang, editor of Chinese Environmental Humanities: Practices of Environing at the MarginsQuestioning Borders radically approaches contemporary literatures of the Chinese world via critical discourses of ecocriticism, global Indigenous studies, and decolonization theory. Incorporating diverse Han majority and ethnic minority writing, the volume charts the emergent Chinese cosmology of the present dynamic era and stimulates deep yet far-ranging conversations. An exciting book. -- Mark Bender, editor of The Borderlands of Asia: Culture, Place, PoetryGroundbreaking . . . Visser’s breathtaking scope is both incredibly ambitious and highly effective. One of the most significant contributions of Questioning Borders is its systematic examination, for the first time in English-language scholarship, of authors writing about nature from less-studied ethnic groups in the field of modern Chinese literature. -- Cheng Li * ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Ecoliteratures Inhabiting Borders1. Beijing Westerns and Hanspace Elixirs in Southwest China2. Grassland Logic and Desert Carbon Imaginaries in Inner Mongolia3. Sacred Routes and Dark Humor in Grounded Xinjiang4. Cosmic Ecologies and Transcendent Tricksters on the Tibetan Plateau5. Island Excursions and Indigenous Waterways in Activist TaiwanEpilogue: Indigenous Entanglements in Techno HypersubjectivityAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex
£93.60
Columbia University Press Questioning Borders
Book SynopsisQuestioning Borders explores recent ecoliterature by Han and non-Han Indigenous writers of China and Taiwan, analyzing relations among humans, animals, ecosystems, and the cosmos in search of alternative possibilities for creativity and consciousness.Trade ReviewIn this groundbreaking book, Robin Visser explores the shifting incarnations of the border as a territorial gateway, a contact zone, a liminal terrain, and an imaginary portal. She delves into the intersection of ethnic, cultural, political—and especially ecological—dynamics that inform cartographies and cosmologies of Sinophone states. A fantastic work. -- David Der-wei Wang, author of Why Fiction Matters in Contemporary ChinaA comprehensive and illuminating comparison of Chinese and Indigenous literatures on the border ecologies of China and Taiwan. Questioning Borders sheds light on the power dynamics of China as a settler-colonialist regime in which Indigenous ecocriticism confronts the Chinese imperial geography of center and periphery, which underpins both China’s development strategies and even the most radical Chinese ecoliteratures. -- Uradyn E. Bulag, author of Collaborative Nationalism: The Politics of Friendship on China’s Mongolian FrontierThis illuminating book offers deep insights into the tensions, interactions, and reciprocity among diverse ecologies, ethnicities, humans, and nonhumans. Robin Visser’s brilliant analysis of ecoliterature by Han and Indigenous authors makes this book a must-read for students of environmental humanities. -- Ban Wang, author of At Home in Nature: Technology, Labor, and Critical Ecology in Modern ChinaVisser’s Questioning Borders provides a timely critical intervention that destabilizes the historically established borders and center-periphery relationship within the cultural and political imaginaries of the Hanspace. It offers rich textual studies on Indigenous ecoliteratures in China and Taiwan. A must-read for those interested in Chinese, Sinophone, global, and transnational Indigenous ecocriticism. -- Chia-ju Chang, editor of Chinese Environmental Humanities: Practices of Environing at the MarginsQuestioning Borders radically approaches contemporary literatures of the Chinese world via critical discourses of ecocriticism, global Indigenous studies, and decolonization theory. Incorporating diverse Han majority and ethnic minority writing, the volume charts the emergent Chinese cosmology of the present dynamic era and stimulates deep yet far-ranging conversations. An exciting book. -- Mark Bender, editor of The Borderlands of Asia: Culture, Place, PoetryGroundbreaking . . . Visser’s breathtaking scope is both incredibly ambitious and highly effective. One of the most significant contributions of Questioning Borders is its systematic examination, for the first time in English-language scholarship, of authors writing about nature from less-studied ethnic groups in the field of modern Chinese literature. -- Cheng Li * ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Ecoliteratures Inhabiting Borders1. Beijing Westerns and Hanspace Elixirs in Southwest China2. Grassland Logic and Desert Carbon Imaginaries in Inner Mongolia3. Sacred Routes and Dark Humor in Grounded Xinjiang4. Cosmic Ecologies and Transcendent Tricksters on the Tibetan Plateau5. Island Excursions and Indigenous Waterways in Activist TaiwanEpilogue: Indigenous Entanglements in Techno HypersubjectivityAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex
£27.00
MO - University of Illinois Press Ninetynine More Maggots Mites and Munchers
£18.04
University of Illinois Press Exploring Nature in Illinois
Book SynopsisLoaded with full color photographs and evocative descriptions, this book provides a panorama of the state's overlooked natural diversity. It helps you explore fifty preserves, restoration areas, and parks, bringing an expert view to wildlife and landscapes and looking beyond the obvious to uncover the unexpected beauty of Illinois' wild places.Trade Review"The definitive guide to Illinois wildlife."--The News-Gazette “Authors Michael Jeffords and Susan Post do an excellent job of ferreting out the best natural spots in the state. . . . Their passion and love of Illinois comes through in their descriptive and lyrical prose.”--Chicago Book Review "These authors prove in no uncertain terms there is much to explore out-of-doors in Lincoln-land."--Booklist"Very well done! Exploring Nature in Illinois is an enjoyable read providing vivid descriptions of Illinois's special natural places. . . . [Jeffords and Post] know these areas well [and] highlight the history, natural character and resource management--all of which helps the reader develop a better understanding of each place. . . . I look forward to taking their challenge and venturing out throughout the state to listen, look, hike, photograph, paddle and explore Illinois's wild places."--Elizabeth Jones, Assistant Manager, Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge"A truly gorgeous, informative, educational volume."--The Rock River Times“The goal is simple for Michael Jeffords and Susan Post: ‘We feel these special places and events should not be missed by any Illinois citizen with an interest in nature and wild things.’ As a fellow traveler in and appreciator of Illinois' wild places, I truly value the same love that Jeffords and Post show for their native state, and the expertise they bring to the book as biologists (entomologists) makes all our journeys through Illinois’s remaining places richer.”--Dale Bowman, outdoors columnist, Chicago Sun-Times"The reader is transported into the vivid, multisensory landscape of Illinois’ most beloved natural areas. History and biology intertwine on a narrative pathway unabashedly intended to inspire travel. The authors remind us there is still much beautiful wildness to love and protect in Illinois."--Stacy James, Prairie Rivers Network
£17.99
MO - University of Illinois Press Curious Encounters with the Natural World From
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Sitting down with this collection of tales is setting off on a series of adventures in which the reader is enticed to share vicariously one exceptional experience after another. The experiences are presented in succinct, entertaining essays and striking images--some poignant, some humorous, some bordering on the incredible, and all informative. Susan Post and Michael Jeffords speak from decades of professional experience and a lifelong passion for natural history that has endowed them with an exceptional receptiveness for nature's curious events, those events rarely witnessed and those that often pass unnoticed and unappreciated."--James B. Nardi, author of Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners"Michael Jeffords's and Susan Post's book is unique in its rich compilation of entertaining narratives and beautiful photographs of natural history phenomena across the world. Their beautiful descriptions of the adaptations and behaviors of creatures large and small incorporate important issues such as invasion of exotic species, extinction, environmental change, and habitat destruction and will inspire others to look more closely at the natural world."--Bonnie Styles, Director Emeritus, Illinois State Museum System
£17.99
University of Illinois Press Animal Ethics for Veterinarians
Book Synopsis
£19.79
University of Illinois Press Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of
Book SynopsisThe second edition of the Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois offers up-to-date information on the state's 102 species of frogs and toads, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and snakes. Detailed descriptions by the authors include habitats, distinguishing features, behaviors, and other facts, while revised range maps and full-color photographs help users recognize animals in the field. In addition, an identification key and easy-to-navigate page layouts guide readers through extensive background material on each species' population, diet, predators, reproduction, and conservation status. A one-of-a-kind resource, the Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois is a definitive guide aimed at biologists, teachers, students, wildlife specialists, natural resource managers, conservationists, law enforcement officials, landowners, hobbyists, and everyone else eager to explore herpetology and nature in the Prairie State.Trade Review"A fantastic resource for all seeking to study the 102 herpetofauna species found in Illinois." --Midwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation"The second edition of the Guide is an attractive, up-to-date contribution to our understanding of Illinois’ herpetofauna, and is well worth the modest price." --Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society"With thoughtfully revised descriptions, expanded natural history accounts, and updated range maps and photos, this guide offers something for everyone and will be a relevant resource for natural historians and herp enthusiasts alike."--Bill Peterman, The Ohio State University"Regardless of your level of knowledge regarding Illinois's reptiles and amphibians, you'll definitely want a copy of this in your backpack or on your bookshelf. " --Illinois Outdoor News
£17.99
