Nature and the natural world: general interest Books

Book SynopsisAn authoritative guide to the birds of Cyprus.Cyprus is a great place for birding, and one of the most popular places for birders to visit in Europe. It holds populations of a number of regional scarcities that are very hard to see elsewhere, plus a number of endemic subspecies, and the jewels in the crown three full endemics, Cyprus Wheatear, Cyprus Scops Owl and Cyprus Warbler, the latter of which graces the jacket of this Helm field guide to the island. Detailed plates are allied to concise identification text, with accurate maps stemming from Colin Richardson''s decades-long programme of population-mapping on the island. Together, these elements make this the definitive guide to Cyprus's birds, one that no visitor to this beautiful island can be without.Trade ReviewThis is an impressive book; authoritative and meticulously researched it represents a major advance for Cyprus ornithology and will surely become essential for the ever-increasing number of visiting and resident birders. -- Peter Flint * British Birds *A great addition to the Helm Field Guide series and an essential purchase for any birder wanting a compact, light-weight piece of literature to help explore the birding mecca that is Cyprus. * Ibis *I find this field guide well thought out, attractive in appearance, user-friendly, authoritative, well-researched and representing a major step forward for ornithology on the island. For the many visiting birders, who may wish to bring only one book, this is all they will need. -- Peter Flint * Cyprus Bird Report *Table of ContentsForeword Introduction Taxonomy, nomenclature and sequence Illustrations and identification text Bird topography Voice Status, distribution and habitat Maps Important dams and reservoirs Code of conduct and submitting records Bird killing in Cyprus Birdwatching sites Species Accounts (1-95) References and Further Reading Checklist of the birds of Cyprus Index

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Book SynopsisCovering 20 species recognized since 2002, this edition illustrates 462 known mammal species in the United States and Canada - each in beautiful color and accurate detail. With distribution maps, updated common and scientific names, and track and scat illustrations, this volume is useful for identifying North American mammals.Trade ReviewPraise for the first edition: "Will be welcomed by amateur naturalists and field biologists."--Science Praise for the first edition: "Makes all other field guides for mammals of the United States (exclusive of Hawaii) and Canada obsolete."--Jerry R. Choate, Journal of Mammalogy Praise for the first edition: "Sets new standards in field guides. A must for any biological traveller to the US or Canada, as well as for residents."--Adrian Barnett, New Scientist "Probably the easiest to use of the field guides to the mammals of North America."--Ian Palsen, Birdbooker Report "When it comes to field guides, Princeton University Press has long held a position of honor and respect among both professional and amateur naturalists for consistently providing exceptional levels of accuracy and attention to detail. With its new and updated illustrations, revised identification information, and the addition of twenty recently recognized species to its contents, the new second edition of Mammals of North America by Roland Kays and Don Wilson more than upholds this well-earned reputation."--John Riutta, The Well-read Naturalist "This is an excellent, handy field guide in the Princeton Field Guides series."--Robert Hoopes, Wildlife Activist "This is a perfect guide for naturalists of all ages and skill levels... [A] wonderfully compact and easy to use field guide."--Birdfreak.com "This is a truly indispensable guide for the experienced mammal watcher as well as a real treat to the novice... With 112 color plates covering 462 species of North American mammals, the guide is up-to-date, accurate, handsome and handy. If you only have one reference to your local furry friends, be sure this one is on your book shelf."--Cathy Taibbi, Wildlife Conservation Examiner, Examiner.com "Many people with a 'nose for nature' want to identify whatever they see and certainly for North America this would be the book to have in your pocket... This book is aimed at both professional mammalogists and amateur naturalists and would be great for travellers."--Helen Ashton, Reference ReviewsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments 6 Introduction 7 Species Included 8 What Is a Species? 8 What Information Is Included? 8 What Information Is Not Included? 10 Further Reading 10 Recommended Internet Resources 10 Using This Book to Identify a Mammal 11 Quick Mammal ID Chart 12 How Are Mammals Related? 16 Mammal Measurements and Anatomy 17 Species Plates 18 Glossary 240 Index 242

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Book SynopsisIn ''The Voyage of the Beagle'' Charles Darwin chronicles the landmark expedition which would forever alter the course of scientific thought. First published in 1839, The Voyage of HMS Beagle remains a foundational text in the fields of biology, geology, and anthropology, inspiring subsequent generations of scientists and scholars.And his descriptions of the diverse flora, fauna, and geological formations he encountered laid the groundwork for his revolutionary theory of evolution by natural selection.This facsimile edition has been reproduced from a copy of the generously illustrated 1891 edition held by the Library of the Natural History Museum, which includes Darwin? s preface to 1845 second edition.Darwin? s account is structured as a detailed travelogue, cataloguing his observations, discoveries, and reflections during his travels, which encompass South America, the Galá pagos Islands, Australia, and beyond.

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Book SynopsisTHE SUNDAY TIMES' BESTSELLER AND SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT BOOK OF THE YEARWINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT CONSERVATION AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE HIGHLAND BOOK PRIZE This is a book about abandoned places: ghost towns and exclusion zones, no man's lands and fortress islands and what happens when nature is allowed to reclaim its place.In Chernobyl, following the nuclear disaster, only a handful of people returned to their dangerously irradiated homes. On an uninhabited Scottish island, feral cattle live entirely wild. In Detroit, once America's fourth-largest city, entire streets of houses are falling in on themselves, looters slipping through otherwise silent neighbourhoods.This book explores the extraordinary places where humans no longer live or survive in tiny, precarious numbers to give us a possible glimpse of what happens when mankind's impact on nature is forced to stop. From Tanzanian mountains to the volcanic Caribbean, the forbidden areas of France to the mining regions of Scotland, Flyn brings together some of the most desolate, eerie, ravaged and polluted areas in the world and shows how, against all odds, they offer our best opportunities for environmental recovery.By turns haunted and hopeful, this luminously written world study is pinned together with profound insight and new ecological discoveries that together map an answer to the big questions: what happens after we're gone, and how far can our damage to nature be undone?More praise for Islands of AbandonmentExtraordinary Just when you thought there was nowhere left to explore, along comes an author with a new category of terrain Dazzling' SPECTATORA haunting look at how nature fights back Beautiful, evocative' SUNDAY TIMESFlyn's brave, thorough book sets out to explore places where angels fear to tread The result is fascinating, eerie and strange There is some thrilling writing here' KATHLEEN JAMIE, NEW STATESMANWonderful' ADAM NICOLSONExhilarating' DAILY TELEGRAPHTrade Review‘Extraordinary … Just when you thought there was nowhere left to explore, along comes an author with a new category of terrain – not scenes where man has never trod, but places where he has been and gone … Dazzling’Spectator ‘Exhilarating … A story of the extraordinary resilience of life in some of the most desolate, ravaged and polluted landscapes on earth’Daily Telegraph ‘Fascinating and brain-energising. It is full of detail and colour that sends one googling, to look up pictures and find out more. It is also an optimistic book … I’ll cling to that bit of unfashionable hope’The Times ‘Brave, thorough … The result is fascinating, eerie and strange … There is some thrilling writing here, a fine way with the telling detail, and a plea for radical revisioning of what we mean by “nature” and “wild”’Kathleen Jamie, New Statesman ‘Consistently rewarding, eloquently provocative … a brave book, in more ways than one’New Humanist ‘Scintillating … she writes beautifully … Flyn's research is meticulous, but what makes the book so extraordinary is the originality of her thought’The Herald ‘A thoughtful, fascinating read’Independent ‘Brilliant … Flyn paints vivid pictures … both clear and compelling’Daily Telegraph, five stars ‘Filled with understanding and adventure … Written with a beautiful attention to detail and a generous and imaginative frame of mind. The wonderful and surprising thing is how much reassurance and sense of possibility comes out of it at every turn’Adam Nicolson ‘Certainly a book of the year for me’ Sebastian Faulks ‘Cal Flyn takes us on a mercurial expedition into the strange lands of human surrender … Thoughtful, careful, fascinating, poignant, mysterious, surreal, compelling, pace pitch-perfect. I could go on … and on’Keggie Carew, author of Dadland

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Book SynopsisA lively and endlessly fascinating deep-dive into nature and the many groundbreaking human inventions inspired by the wild. "Delightful."—The Guardian "Fans of Helen Scales won't want to miss this."—Publishers Weekly STARRED Review When astronomers wanted a telescope that could capture X-rays from celestial bodies, they looked to the lobster. When doctors wanted a medication that could stabilize Type II diabetic patients, they found their muse in a lizard. When scientists wanted to drastically reduce emissions in cement manufacturing, they observed how corals construct their skeletons in the sea. This is biomimicry in action: taking inspiration from nature to tackle human challenges. In Nature’s Wild Ideas, Kristy Hamilton goes behind the scenes of some of our most unexpected innovations. She traverses frozen waterfalls, treks through cloudy forests, discovers nests in the Mojave desert, scours intertidal zones and takes us to the deepest oceans and near volcanoes to introduce us to the animals and plants that have inspired everything from cargo routing systems to non-toxic glues, and the men and women who followed that first spark of “I wonder” all the way to its conclusion, sometimes against all odds. While the joy of scientific discovery is front and center, Nature’s Wild Ideas is also a love letter to nature—complete with a deep message of conservation: If we are to continue learning from the creatures around us, we must protect their untamed homelands.Trade Review"Hamilton is an intrepid story gatherer. . .This may be Hamilton's first book, but she writes like a well-informed veteran."—Winnipeg Free Press"Delightful... It takes a skilled journalist like Hamilton to bring highly technical vignettes of scientific innovation to life with such warmth and wit."—The Guardian “An impressive look at the myriad human innovations that have been derived from animals and plants. … Fans of Helen Scales won’t want to miss this.”—Publishers Weekly STARRED review "This extraordinary book tells the story of tens of the ways in which scientists are working to learn from nature to solve humanity's grand challenges.The book is exceptional; there is nothing quite like it. One is left eager to look for other, new solutions, of which there will be many given that there are millions (and some argue trillions) of species on Earth and that we have so far learned the lessons from just a few." —Rob Dunn, author of A Natural History of the Future and Never Home Alone "Kristy Hamilton’s Nature’s Wild Ideas is replete with beautifully crafted sentences and with genuinely insightful observations that inspire readers to stop, take a breath—and think. Very few people can write on this level.” —Wendy Williams, author of The Language of Butterflies and the New York Times bestseller The Horse “As an engineer and educator teaching a core competency course called "Bioinspiration" at a liberal arts college, I highly recommend this book as a must-read for everyone including my students to learn from the brilliance of nature's problem-solving skills and cherish it as an unlimited source of inspiration now and forever.”—Rafael (Yong-Ak) Song, Program Head, Bioengineering, New York University Abu Dhabi "Witty and delectable, Kristy’s writing takes complex issues and boils them down into bite-sized, digestible portions. Her writing takes us on a journey around the planet (and beyond!) as we explore our own evolutionary histories, and the many species whose lineage continue to influence humanity’s greatest technological innovations. From the Rocky Mountains in Montana to the mussel-laden waters of Washington State, Nature’s Wild Ideas enriches and engages our senses to make us, the reader, feel as if we are a fly on the wall of Kristy’s extensive research and reporting."—Madison Dapcevich, Science Journalist and Staff Writer for Snopes "A truly remarkable debut. Hamilton's masterfully crafted anthology—a paean to nature's ingenuity and to the scientists who study it—is that rarest of literary gems: a book that's as exhilarating as it is humbling. These stories are a kaleidoscopic joy to behold, the sort you will dwell on long after you put this book down."—Dr. Robin George Andrews, Volcanologist, award-winning science journalist and author of Super Volcanoes I simply loved this collection of stories describing the incredible advancements in technology, medicine, and engineering that humans have made by closely observing the intricacies and brilliance of natural design. Kristy’s writing style is delightfully engaging and instilled with curiosity and a sense of wonder. Like a detective, she unravels the major milestones of each story taking the reader through the often painstaking and circuitous processes, and ultimate thrill, of scientific discovery. I highly recommend Nature’s Wild Ideas, it will make you look at the natural world around you in a completely different light!—Kim Bernard, Associate Professor at Oregon State University "Looking for ideas? Look around you in Nature! Hamilton's book is fresh and easy to read, guiding readers on a journey of some of humanity’s great discoveries that were inspired by Nature. Unique and empowering—this book invites anyone with a curious mind to have a closer look at how natural systems have evolved to solve problems."—Dr. Dimitri Deheyn, Research Scientist of Marine Biology at UC San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography “Nature's Wild Ideas is a whimsical look into the biology that has inspired some of our most ingenious inventions, and a call to action to rebuild a better world.”—Gina Rae La Cerva, author of Feasting Wild "In Nature's Wild Ideas, Kristy Hamilton delivers a multi-course feast of biomimicry delights. Dip into a single chapter and the exquisite blend of invention, ecology, history, multi-species wonders and inspiration is so rich and satisfying, you will read on, long past the moment you thought you would be satiated."—Elin Kelsey, PhD. author of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis "It's rare to find literature that you would want to share with your seven-year-old as well as your work colleagues and friends! Hamilton's work is engaging from the first word; masterfully connecting ecology, history, social sciences and many other disciplines into a thoughtful, engaging learning opportunity. Makes learning from nature feel like the ultimate innovators manual!" —Shirley-Ann Augustin-Behravesh, a Senior Global Futures Scientist at Arizona State University"Delightful... It takes a skilled journalist like Hamilton to bring highly technical vignettes of scientific innovation to life with such warmth and wit."—The Guardian

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Book SynopsisFor many of us, thinking about the future conjures up images of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road: a post-apocalyptic dystopia stripped of nature. Richard Louv, author of the landmark bestseller Last Child in the Woods, urges us to change our vision of the future, suggesting that if we reconceive environmentalism and sustainability, they will evolve into a larger movement that will touch every part of society. This New Nature Movement taps into the restorative powers of the natural world to boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds. Supported by groundbreaking research, anecdotal evidence, and compelling personal stories, Louv offers renewed optimism while challenging us to rethink the way we live.Richard Louv's new book, Our Wild Calling, is available now.

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Book SynopsisA matchless handbook for decades, this classic work has been the natural history bible for countless teachers and others who seek information about their environment. Written originally for those elementary school teachers who knew little of common plants and animals, and even less about the earth beneath their feet and the skies overhead, this book is for the most part as valid and helpful today as it was when first written in 1911and revised in the spirit of its authors by a group of naturalists in 1939. After all, dandelions, toads, robins, and constellations have changed little since then! And modern society''s concern with the quality of life and the impact of people on soil, water, and wildlife makes this book even more relevant. Nature-study, as used in this handbook, encompasses all living things except humans, as well as all nonliving things such as rocks and minerals, the heavens, and weather. Of the living things described, most are common in the northeastern states, and Trade ReviewDid you know that this classic was still in print? Focused on the northeast U.S., this book describes a wonderful diversity of basic natural history. * Ecology *Quality field guides will enrich your nature encounters. A comprehensive resource is Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study. -- Malinda S. Zellman * Bay Area Parent *Although many readers in the chemical, biological and physical disciplines will profit by the publication of this book, I feel that biologists stand to gain the most. For most biological scientists this book will open up a new scientific world... Chemists, physical chemists and chemical physicists who are considering entering the biological field will also find the book helpful because of the large amount of biological data and the large number of applications to biological processes reviewed. Highly recommended! —The Quarterly Review of BiologyWhere else but in this 3-lb., 900-page paperback can students find so many answers to their endless questions - about animals, plants, rocks and minerals, climate and weather, and about the skies at night - that is, about one's environment? No other natural history handbook has been as popular with grade school, high school, and college students. First appearing in 1911, it has been republished dozens of times, for the most part with little change other than updating. —Science Books and FilmsTable of ContentsPART I: THE TEACHING OF NATURE-STUDY What Nature-Study Is; What Nature-Study Should Do for the Child; Nature-Study as a Help to Health; What Nature-Study Should Do for the Teacher; When and Why the Teacher Should Say" I Do Not Know!"; Nature-Study, the Elixir of Youth; Nature-Study as a Help in School Discipline; Relation of Nature-Study to Science; Nature-Study Not for Drill; The Child Not Interested in Nature-Study;When to Give the Lesson; Length of the Lesson; The Nature-Study Lesson Always New; Nature-Study and Object Lessons; Nature-Study in the Schoolroom; Nature-Study and Museum Specimens; Lens, Microscope, and Field Glass as Helps; Uses of Pictures, Charts, and Blackboard Drawings; Uses of Scientific Names; The Story as a Supplement to the Nature-Study Lesson;The Nature-Study Attitude toward Life and Death; Should the Nature-Study Teacher Teach How to Destroy Life?; The Field Notebook; The Field Excursion; Pets as Nature-Study Subjects; Correlation of Nature-Study with Language Work; Correlation of Nature-Study and Drawing; Correlation of Nature-Study with Geography; Correlation of Nature-Study with History; Correlation of Nature-Study with Arithmetic; Gardening and Nature-Study; Nature-Study and Agriculture; Nature-Study Clubs;How to Use This BookPART II: ANIMALS Birds; Fishes; Amphibians; Reptiles; Mammals; Insects; Insects of the Fields of Woods; Insects of the Brook and Pond; Invertebrate Animals other than InsectsPART III: PLANTS How to Begin the Study of Plants; Some Needs of Plants; How to Teach the Names of the Parts of a Flower and of the Plant; Teach the Use of the Flower; Flower and Insect Partners; Relation of Plants to Geography; Seed GerminationWild Flowers; Weeds; Garden Flowers; Cultivated Crop Plants; Trees; Flowerless PlantsPART IV: EARTH AND SKY The Brook; Rocks and Minerals; The Soil; The Magnet; Climate and Weather; Water Forms; The SkiesIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[This book] will remain with me as a comparative reference guide that contains very many high quality images, a book that that will slip easily into my birding library."--Phil Slade, Another Bird Blog "An encyclopedic photographic guide that is essential for everyone birding anywhere in the subcontinent."--Sam Crowe, The Birdzilla BlogTable of ContentsIntroduction 4 Descriptive Text 14 Vagrants And Doubtful Species 712 Acknowledgements 724 Bibliography 727 Descriptive Parts Of A Bird 732 A Glossary Of Ornithological Terms 733 Checklist: Birds Of The Indian Subcontinent 736 Index 773 Maps 789

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Book SynopsisA guide to the natural world of the Caribbean islands. It contains 600 vivid color images featuring 451 species of plants, birds, mammals, fish, seashells, and more.Trade Review"A fun all-on-one naturalist's guide to many of the plants, animals, and sea creatures that one may encounter in the Greater and Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean region... The species accounts contains many interesting tidbits on natural history and conservation."--Jeff Wells, Birds of Aruba site "This delightful pocket guide is a must-read for anyone planning a trip to the Caribbean region."--Lisa Miller, Reference ReviewsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments 4 Introduction 4 Goal 4 Geographic Coverage 4 Species Coverage 5 Species Accounts 5 The Islands 8 Geography 8 Climate 8 Biogeography 8 Lost Faunas 10 Habitats 13 Hurricanes and Their Influence on Habitats and Wildlife 15 Folklore 16 Environmental Threats and Conservation 17 Environmental Threats 17 Conservation in Practice 26 Species Accounts Terrestrial Life 29 Plants 30 Terrestrial Mammals 92 Birds 100 Terrestrial Reptiles 196 Amphibians 212 Freshwater Fish and Shrimp 220 Terrestrial Invertebrates 222 Marine Life 229 Conserving the Marine Environment of the Caribbean and the World: A Global Imperative, by The Honorable Freundel Stuart, Q.C., M.P., Prime Minister of Barbados 230 Marine Mammals 232 Marine Reptiles 236 Marine Fish 238 Marine Plants and Invertebrates 268 Seashells (Mollusks) 280 References and Additional Reading 292 Glossary 296 Photograph, Illustration, and Text Edit Credits 297 Index 300

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Book SynopsisIt's easy to see why you fell in love with the idea of adopting a Pomeranian. Distinguished by its vivacity, intelligence, extroversion, and fierce loyalty to its family, this tiny canine can make an excellent companion...for the right person.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Pomeranians: What’s Not to Love? Chapter 1: Catching Pomer-mania. Chapter 2: What’s in a Pom? Chapter 3: In Search of Your Soul Mate. Chapter 4: The Final Selection: Picking Your Perfect Partner. Part II: When Your House Becomes Your Pom’s Home. Chapter 5: Prepare to Be Pomerized! Chapter 6: Coming Home. Chapter 7: Starting Off on the Right Paw: The First Few Days. Part III: Caring for Your Pom from Head to Paw. Chapter 8: Eating Out of the Pom of Your Hand. Chapter 9: Primping Your Pom. Chapter 10: Maintaining Your Pom’s Health and Happiness. Chapter 11: Doctoring Your Dog. Chapter 12: Traveling with a Pom Pilot (Or Leaving Him in Others’ Care). Part IV: Training Your Pom with TLC. Chapter 13: Saving the Carpets: Housetraining. Chapter 14: Mastering Manners and Basic Commands. Chapter 15: Dealing with Doggy Delinquents. Part V: The Part of Tens. Chapter 16: Ten Cool Activities to Do with Your Pom. Chapter 17: Ten Fun Facts about Poms. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe environmental classic that redefined the way we think about the natural world—an urgent call for preservation that’s more timely than ever.   “We can place this book on the shelf that holds the writings of Thoreau and John Muir.”—San Francisco Chronicle   These astonishing portraits of the natural world explore the breathtaking diversity of the unspoiled American landscape—the mountains and the prairies, the deserts and the coastlines. Conjuring up one extraordinary vision after another, Aldo Leopold takes readers with him on the road and through the seasons on a fantastic tour of our priceless natural resources, explaining the destructive effects humankind has had on the land and issuing a bold challenge to protect the world we love.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review[This] translation makes it easy to see why Arsenyev maintains a fan base among Russian readers: his travelogue is both romantic and closely observed, and he is an appealing narrator, courageous but more than willing to admit faults and share credit. * The New Yorker *Excellent and accessible . . . Slaght follows in Arsenyev's snowy, muddy footsteps — preserving, but also teaching others to identify and appreciate what is unique. Thus the pleasure of reading his new translation lies in the details, which are abundant but never frivolous. * LA Review of Books *A translation that, in its fluency and readability, stands comparison with English-language classics of the genre. . . . Slaght has done Arsenyev proud. The smooth translation doesn't read like one: it is seamless and colloquial while remaining entirely in tune with the style of period in which it was written. * Asian Review of Books *Arsenyev's narrative in Jonathan Slaght's fine translation should inspire us all to treasure and protect these remarkable places. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsForeword: The Unknown Arsenyev / Ivan YegorchevPreface to the 1921 EditionTranslator's AcknowledgementsTranslator's IntroductionPart I: The 1902 Expedition1. The Glass Valley2. Meeting Dersu3. The Boar Hunt4. The Incident at a Korean Village5. The Lower Reaches of the Lefu6. The Blizzard at Lake Khanka7. Parting Ways with DersuPart II: The 1906 Expedition8. The 1906 Expedition—Preparations and Equipment9. At the Departure Site10. Up the Ussuri11. From Chzhumtayza to the Village Zagornaya12. The Route across the Mountains to the Village of Koksharovka13. The Fudzin River Valley14. Through the Taiga15. The Great Forest16. Across the Sikhote-Alin to the Sea17. The Villages of Fudin and Permskoye18. Saint Olga Bay19. Trip to the Sydagou River20. Adventure on the Arzamasovka River21. Saint Vladimir Bay22. The Tadusha River23. Dersu Uzala24. Amba25. The Li-Fudzin26. The Path along the Noto River27. An Accursed Place28. Return to the Sea29. Up the Tyutikhe River30. The Red Deer Rut31. The Bear Hunt32. From the Mutukhe River to Seokhobe33. An Encounter with the Khunkhuz34. Fire in the Forest35. The Winter Expedition36. To the Iman37. A Dangerous River Voyage38. Plight39. From Vagunbe to Parovoza40. The Final TripAppendix I: Historical and Current Names of Landmarks and SettlementsAppendix II: Biographical InformationBibliographyIndex of Plants and AnimalsIndex

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Book SynopsisCovers all the larger mammals of Tanzania, including marine mammals and some newly discovered species. This title features plates with side-by-side photographic comparisons of species that are easily confused, as well as species checklists for every national park.Trade Review"The information is up-to-date, accurate and inclusive. Whether you plan to visit Tanzania or a neighbouring country or simply like to learn something about mammals around the world, you'll like this one."--Geoff Carpentier, North Durham Nature Newsletter "[A] fantastic field guide... The compact, dense paperback is perfect for field use... There are also very helpful sections on where/how to watch mammals in Tanzania and on national parks and protected areas. This exemplary field guide is among the best this reviewer has seen; he would not leave for Tanzania without it."--Choice "[T]his new guide is an excellent addition to the literature and a 'must buy' for both the seasoned safari-goer and the first-timer."--Mark Gillies, Audley Traveller "This book is an absolute must for a person going on a safari in Tanzania. It is better than the other mammal guides I own or have seen. It will set you up on where to look. It will help you separate similar species and it will add wonder to your trip."--Roy John, Canadian Field-Naturalist "I would ... recommend this book as a valuable addition to your field guide collection, whether you are resident in the region or a visitor."--Nigel Hunter, SwaraTable of ContentsForeword 7 Preface 8 Acknowledgements 9 Conservation in Tanzania 10 How to use this book 12 Watching mammals in Tanzania 16 Tanzania's major vegetation types 20 Overview of mammalian families included in the book 24 THE SPECIES ACCOUNTS (see the following pages for a full list of species) 25 Terrestrial mammals AARDVARK: Tubulidentata 26 ELEPHANT-SHREWS: Macroscelidea28 HYRAXES: Hyracoidea 32 ELEPHANT: Proboscidea 38 PRIMATES: Primates 40 RODENTS: Rodentia 84 HARES AND RABBITS: Lagomorpha 88 HEDGEHOGS: Erinaceomorpha 92 PANGOLINS: Pholidota 94 CARNIVORES: Carnivora 100 ODD-TOED UNGULATES: Perissodactyla 168 EVEN-TOED UNGULATES: Artiodactyla 172 Marine mammals DUGONG: Sirenia 246 CETACEANS: Cetacea 248 CARNIVORES: Carnivora 261 Species comparison spreads 262 National Parks and major protected areas of Tanzania 269 Glossary 306 Photographic credits 309 Recommended further reading and references 312 Index 317

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Book SynopsisOver sixty years after Virginia Woolf drowned in the River Ouse, Olivia Laing set out one midsummer morning to walk its banks, from source to sea. Along the way, she explores the roles that rivers play in human lives, tracing their intricate flow through literature, mythology and folklore.Lyrical and stirring, To the River is a passionate investigation into how history resides in a landscape - and how ghosts never quite leave the places they love.Trade ReviewA beautifully written, elegant and subtle debut * * Financial Times * *A gentle, wise and riddling book -- ROBERT MACFARLANEMagical . . . By turns lyrical, melancholic and exultant, To the River just makes you want to follow Olivia Laing all the way to the sea -- PHILIP HOARE * * Daily Telegraph * *A beautifully written meditation on landscape * * The Sunday Times * *Wonderfully allusive . . . The book's subject and structure fuse pleasingly, weaving and meandering, pooling into biographical, mythical or historical backwaters * * Observer * *Without wanting to sound gushing, her writing at its sublime best reminds me of Richard Mabey's nature prose and the poetry of Alice Oswald . . . Laing seems to lack a layer of skin, rendering her susceptible to the smallest vibrations of the natural world as well as to the frailties of the human psyche * * The Times * *Has a Sebaldian edge to it that lifts it out of memoir and biography and into something far more tantalizing and suggestive * * Guardian * *This hugely accomplished first book draws on local lore and history, a vast range of research and some soaring lyrical writing * * Sunday Times * *Olivia Laing joins the best nature writers . . . Laing is a brilliant wordsmith and this is a beautifully accomplished book * * Independent * *Brave, distinctive, and deeply intelligent . . . The book has an intense, humming, cumulative effect * * Literary Review * *

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Book SynopsisA charming memoir exploring the history, landscape and people of rural France, told through the eyes of a Parisian-born Englishman, writer and poet. Adam Thorpe''s home for the past 25 years has been an old house in the Cévennes, a wild range of mountains in southern France. Prior to this, in an ancient millhouse in the oxbow of a Cévenol river, he wrote the novel that would become the Booker Prize-nominated Ulverton, now a Vintage Classic. In more recent writing Thorpe has explored the Cévennes, drawing on the legends, history and above all the people of this part of France for his inspiration. In his charming journal, Notes from the Cévennes, Thorpe takes up these themes, writing about his surroundings, the village and his house at the heart of it, as well as the contrasts of city life in nearby Nîmes. In particular he is interested in how the past leaves impressions--marks--on our landscape and on us. What do we find in the grass, earth and stTrade ReviewIn an altogether different class ... beautifully written, full of wisdom about the balance struck by humanity and the natural world ... Adam Thorpe, a self-described "curator of time", has written a grand little book. I might have added that no holidaymaker this year in France, or further afield, should be without it. But why wait until July or August? Don't postpone the treat. Buy now; this book is a real joy. * The Tablet *A marvellously astute, wry and affectionate account of France and the French – mercifully free of whimsy – and, moreover, written in pitch-perfect English prose. A delight. -- William BoydPart history and part memoir, Notes from the Cévennes is a marvellous evocation of the forgotten Languedoc, and an affectionate portrait of a country and a people. -- Sigrid Rausing * Editor of Granta *A powerful story of cooperation and conflict, both between ourselves and Nature. Living in two places, the ancient pastoral retreat of the Cévennes, and the Roman cosmopolitanism of Nimes, Adam has all the gifts of novelist, correspondent, historian and poet. -- Colin Greenwood * Radiohead *His novels are concerned with how the past and the present, reality and fiction elide into each other, particularly through landscape; and Thorpe, in this series of tightly controlled, involving vignettes, finds evidence of this everywhere he looks … Gleaming with polished insights, this sensitive book is both a warning, plea and salutary reminder that even the tiniest action affects the universal. France profonde, indeed. * Spectator *Erudite and beguiling * The Times *Thorpe has dizzying range as well as style * Daily Mail *[A] deeply engaging book, part chatty memoir, part profound perception of the evidence of previous human existences ... He has, in short, lived a life to which he was not born but which he has taken up and made his own, something many people dream about but few are able to emulate * Times Literary Supplement *Thorpe’s memoir is not part of any herd. Nor does it belong in the fast-and-loose category of potboilers about swapping English life for continental idylls … It is erudite, firmly embedded in its own soil and yet evasive … affectionate, appreciative and perceptive * Observer *Beautifully written and produced, a pure pleasure: learned and attentive and rich in description and full of humour that is genuinely affectionate without being remotely patronising * Irish Times *By turns comic and pensive, Notes from the Cévennes is an absorbing and beautifully composed collection of vignettes, recording Adam Thorpe’s encounters, adventures and meditations over half a lifetime in France … Mr Thorpe captures so well the dark history of France, the conflict of religion, politics and land * Country Life *This absorbing book is written in prose as bright and bracing as the waters of the rivers in which Thorpe loves to swim. Despite the warts-and-all picture, it made me want to pack my bags and head south. * Literary Review *Thorpe allows a sense of folk magic to permeate, and his characters feel rustic in a timeless way because he transmits a real appreciation of the wild and how humans justify our interactions with other beasts … A gentle homage to rural life. * New Statesman *Table of Contents1 Gossamer Threads 2 The Poppet 3 Coming Into Shot 4 Wartime Shrines 5 Our Baker is Missing 6 Reprisal in the Oxbow 7 The Psychological Castle 8 Taking the Postman Hostage 9 Resident Tombs 10 A Flat Above the Cafe 11 All that Rough Muskc 12 Erudition 13 A Local Custom 14 Disaster Area 15 Martins in the Roof 16 A Visit from the City Police 17 Arches and Bulls 18 Defending Wolves 19 A Catastrophe 20 Floodwaters 21 The Ballot 22 Paws, Fingers and Thighs 23 Taking Our Tread 24 Epilogue Footprints Acknowledgements

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Book Synopsis'An ode to the ocean, and the generations of women drawn to the waves or left waiting on the shore' Guardian In Salt On Your Tongue, Charlotte Runcie explores what the sea means to us, and particularly what it has meant to women through the ages. In mesmerising prose, she explores how the sea has inspired, fascinated and terrified us, and how she herself fell in love with the deep blue.This book is a walk on the beach with Turner, with Shakespeare, with the Romantic Poets and shanty-singers. It's an ode to our oceans - to the sailors who brave their treacherous waters, to the women who lost their loved ones to the waves, to the creatures that dwell in their depths, to beachcombers, swimmers, seabirds and mermaids. Navigating through ancient Greek myths, poetry, shipwrecks and Scottish folktales, Salt On Your Tongue is about how the wild untameable waves can help us understand what it means to be human.Trade ReviewThis motherhood memoir-cum-nature journal about the connection between women and the sea is bracing and poetic . . . Throughout, her prose is defined by cool confidence and unshowy clarity, allowing its more poetic observations, of which there are plenty, to glimmer like glass pebbles . . . Just like her favourite kind of blustery beach, it's strewn with pocketable treasures * * Observer * *Women and water are the subjects of Charlotte Runcie's seductive history . . . Intoxicating . . . Runcie is a fine guiding star: wise, curious, sensitive to language and landscape . . . At its best her writing hauntingly captures the whispered wave and wash of the sea * * The Times * *An ode to the ocean, and the generations of women drawn to the waves or left waiting on the shore . . . A wide, eclectic cast of characters wash in and out on the tide of her poetic prose * * Guardian * *A seductive, estuarine merging of personal memoir and scholarly reportage . . . Runcie has a beachcomber's mind and a poet's turn of phrase * * Daily Telegraph * *A very beautiful book about myth and motherhood - a memoir that intertwines effortlessly and poetically with tales of the sea. Salt On Your Tongue has a rare magic to it -- SOPHIE MACKINTOSH, Booker-longlisted author of THE WATER CURERuncie has combined an exploration of Scotland's seascape with the story of her pregnancy and the birth of her daughter . . . Breathless, intimate . . . Very much in the vein of bestsellers The Outrun by Amy Liptrot and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald * * Mail on Sunday * *A wise and wonderful book, charting intensely personal moments against the constant yet ever-changing sea. A story of birth, loss, memory and motherhood, spliced with vivid observations of the natural world and collected myth, lore and legend, Charlotte Runcie's voice is by turns practical and poetic, objective and beguiling. An utterly immersive read -- JESS KIDD, author of HIMSELF and THE HOARDERAn intensely personal paean to the sea. Runcie interweaves her experience of an unplanned first pregnancy with her attraction to the seashore and the stories of women who traditionally waited for ships to come home -- Ruth Scurr * * Spectator, Books of the Year * *A lyrical exploration of the complex relationship between women, the sea and their own reproductive biology . . . Her description of childbirth - in all its visceral, growling, bloody intensity - is astonishingly powerful . . . . Beguiling * * Herald * *An expectant mother's diary is also a treasure trove of lore and legend and a moving tribute to the grandmother who inspired a lifelong love of beachcombing . . . A lyrical, impassioned and curious book . . . Elegantly done -- Stuart Kelly * * Scotland on Sunday * *

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Book Synopsis'An anthology to treasure and return to' ELINOR CLEGHORN'Uniquely compelling, dynamic and powerful' LUCY JONES'Deeply affecting' TOM SHAKESPEARE'Promises to change the landscape of nature writing' LIZZIE HUXLEY-JONESA first-of-its-kind anthology of nature writing by authors living with chronic illness and physical disabilityWITH A FOREWORD BY SAMANTHA WALTONThrough twenty-five pieces, the writers of Moving Mountains offer a vision of nature that encompasses the close up, the microscopic, and the vast.From a single falling raindrop to the enormity of the north wind, this is nature experienced wholly and acutely, written from the perspective of disabled and chronically ill authors.Moving Mountains is not about overcoming or conquering, but about living with and connecting, shifting the reader's attention to the things easily overlooked by those who move through the world untroubled by the body that carries them.Contributors: Isobel Anderson, Kerri Andrews, Polly Atkin, Khairani Barokka, Victoria Bennett, Feline Charpentier, Cat Chong, Eli Clare, Dawn Cole, Lorna Crabbe, Kate Davis, Carol Donaldson, Alec Finlay, Jamie Hale, Jane Hartshorn, Hannah Hodgson, Sally Huband, Rowan Jaines, Dillon Jaxx, Louise Kenward, Abi Palmer, Louisa Adjoa Parker, Alice Tarbuck, Nic WilsonTrade ReviewBringing together startlingly original voices, Moving Mountains invites us not only to look at nature, but to live alongside it in community and collaboration. Privileging the experiences, perceptions, and perspectives of disabled and chronically ill writers and poets, this anthology is both an urgent call for justice, and an endlessly moving exploration of what it means to be human. Compelling, challenging, contemplative and curious, Moving Mountains is an anthology to treasure and return to -- Elinor Cleghorn * author of UNWELL WOMEN *Moving Mountains is a rich gift of much-needed stories and cosmologies that help us see the earth, our world and interdependence, and our ideas of "nature" and the "natural" with greater clarity. I found each of the narratives uniquely compelling, dynamic and powerful. Beautifully curated and edited with a moving introduction by Louise Kenward, Moving Mountains is a generative and profound anthology that I know I will return to - and it will help us untangle ourselves from many of the modern myths which separate and sever -- Lucy Jones * author of LOSING EDEN and MATRESCENCE *Personal involvements with nature are exposed in this deeply affecting collection, which will stay with you -- Tom ShakespeareSome of my favourite writers and artists are collected here. Together they present a strong argument for the expansion of nature writing into the realm of illness and disability - whether from bed, chair, balcony or close neighbourhood. What if your illness and/or disability - or for that matter ableism and lack of access - restricts your capacity to "immerse" yourself in nature? What can experiencing nature through an unsteady, uneven body reveal? In Eli Clare's words, a world that "relishes crookedness, wholeness and brokenness" -- Alice Hattrick * author of ILL FEELINGS *An important, vital, questing collection of words, stories and experiences of wild green space which asks what it means to lose oneself in nature and explores how acquaintance with living landscapes both urban and rural can earth, galvanise and inspire. An anthology to open eyes, minds and hearts, I loved it -- Dan Richards * author of HOLLOWAY and OUTPOST *A stunning anthology that promises to change the landscape of nature writing. Challenging who gets to write about nature, Moving Mountains is an ambitious, beautiful collection of work -- Lizzie Huxley-Jones * author and editor of STIM *Moving Mountains is a stunning book that captures the experience of living with a disability or chronic illness. Through the beautifully described narratives I felt seen, known and far less alone. Moving Mountains raises the voices of disabled authors but it offers insights to everyone, because illness impacts us all -- Claire Wade * author of The Choice *This is a beautiful collection of stories & poems by a variety of authors. The authors will feel like they are old friends sharing their deepest thoughts with you. As someone living with chronic illness, it was comforting and validating to be heard through these stories too -- Jeannie Di Bon * Hypermobility Movement Therapist *Nature might not heal disabled bodies, but it does connect and soothe. Just like this beautiful, raw book did for me -- Rachel Charlton-DaileyNature and pain have always been caught up together; in this lively anthology, nature and pain shine light on one another and both come out transformed -- Noreen Masud * author of A FLAT PLACE *This polyphonic exploration of bodies, minds and the natural world brings together fascinatingly diverse writing to create something magical. A collection that fuses fierce strength with lyricism, vulnerability with exciting prose, it's a moving testament to resilience and hope, and to celebrating joy wherever we can find it -- Lulah Ellender * author of GROUNDING *

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Book SynopsisThis revised edition of the classic guide Keeping a Nature Journal has a fresh look, with full-colour art and expanded sections on journaling styles, drawing techniques, and how nature journaling can be a valuable means of self-expression and a tool for fostering mindfulness and connection with the natural world. Originally published in 2000 with endorsements from E.O. Wilson and Jane Goodall, Clare Walker Leslie's Keeping a Nature Journal was at the forefront of the nature observation and journaling movement. Leslie's approach has long been acclaimed for its accessible style of teaching people to see, witness, and appreciate the wonders of nature, and her classic guide is still used by individuals, groups, and educators ranging from elementary school teachers to college-level instructors. The third edition features more of Leslie's step-by-step drawing techniques, a new selection of pages from her own journals (which she's kept for 40 years), and an expanded range of prompts for observing particular aspects of the natural world in any location. With an emphasis on learning to see and observe, Leslie shows how drawing nature doesn't require special skills, artistic ability, or even nature knowledge, and it is a tool everyone can use to record observations and experience the benefits of a stronger connection to the natural world. AUTHOR: Clare Walker Leslie is a nationally known wildlife artist, author, and educator. For more than 30 years, she has been connecting people of all ages to nature using drawing, writing, and observation of the outdoors. Her books include the bestsellers Keeping a Nature Journal and The Nature Connection, as well as The Curious Nature Guide, Nature Journal, and Drawn to Nature. She lives with her husband and family in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Granville, Vermont. SELLING POINTS: Update of a classic bestseller. First published in 2000, Keeping a Nature Journal has 126,000 copies in print and is widely acclaimed as a classic guidebook on the topic. Since its first printing, author Clare Walker Leslie has become a prominent, passionate advocate, teacher, and practitioner of nature journaling as she's travelled and taught workshops around the world. Provides people of all ages with an accessible way to connect with nature. From forest bathing to nature-deficit disorder, evidence of the health and emotional benefits gained by developing a connection to nature is stronger than ever, for both adults and children. Leslie has developed drawing and observation instructions, prompts, and guidance that effectively engage people of all ages and abilities - no special artistic skill or nature knowledge required. New features include expanded drawing instructions and more inspiration from the author's personal notebooks. This third edition features new selections from the author's own nature journals, which she's kept daily for more than 40 years, along with her easy-to-follow drawing techniques and expanded sections on mindfulness, reflective writing, and citizen science.

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Book SynopsisOriginally published as: Second edition. (Helm field guides): London: Christopher Helm, 2011.Trade ReviewPraise for the first edition: "Birds of the Hom of Africa is another excellent publication in the Princeton Field Guides series."--Frederic Brock, Wildlife Activist Praise for the first edition: "A welcome addition to the literature on the birds of Africa... [A]n outstanding work."--Emil K. Urban, Augusta State University Praise for the first edition: "This eagerly awaited field guide is the first ever to cover the stunning birds of an outstanding region... With its unrivalled, truly authoritative coverage, Birds of the Horn of Africa is indispensable for birders and ornithologists alike."--C. Hilary Fry, University of Aberdeen Praise for the first edition: "This is one of the best field guides in the world. The writing is of a very high standard, and I am impressed by the overall quality of the plates and attention paid to local subspecies. Birds of the Horn of Africa is the premier field guide to the region."--Keith N. Barnes, editor of The Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho, and SwazilandTable of ContentsIntroduction 9 Acknowledgements 10 How to use this book 11 The plates 11 Species accounts 11 Abbreviations 15 Maps 16 Taxonomy and nomenclature 17 Bird Identification 18 Learning to identify birds 18 Individual variation 19 Moult 20 Bird topography 21 Glossary 23 Geography, climate and habitats 26 Important Bird Areas 30 Organisations and websites 32 Species accounts 33 Ostriches STRUTHIONIDAE34 Albatrosses DIOMEDEIDAE 36 Petrels and shearwaters PROCELLARIIDAE 36-38 Storm-petrels HYDROBATIDAE 40 Tropicbirds PHAETHONTIDAE42 Frigatebirds FREGATIDAE 42 Boobies SULIDAE 44 Pelicans PELECANIDAE 46 Grebes PODICIPEDIDAE 46 Cormorants PHALACROCORACIDAE 48 Darters ANHINGIDAE 48 Finfoot HELIORNITHIDAE 48 Bitterns, herons and egrets ARDEIDAE 50-56 Hamerkop SCOPIDAE 58 Storks CICONIIDAE 58-62 Shoebill BALAENICIPITIDAE 62 Ibises and spoonbills THRESKIORNITHIDAE 64-66 Flamingos PHOENICOPTERIDAE66 Ducks and geese ANATIDAE 68-78 Secretarybird SAGITTARIIDAE 80 Hawks, buzzards and eagles ACCIPITRIDAE 80-112 Falcons FALCONIDAE 114-122 Guineafowl NUMIDIDAE 124 Quails and francolins PHASIANIDAE 124-130 Buttonquails TURNICIDAE 130 Rails, crakes and gallinules RALLIDAE 132-138 Cranes GRUIDAE 140 Bustards OTIDIDAE 142-144 Jacanas JACANIDAE 146 Painted-snipe ROSTRATULIDAE 146 Crab-plover DROMADIDAE 148 Oystercatchers HAEMATOPODIDAE 148 Stilts and avocets RECURVIROSTRIDAE 148 Thick-knees BURHINIDAE 150 Coursers and pratincoles GLAREOLIDAE 152-154 Plovers CHARADRIIDAE 156-164 Sandpipers and allies SCOLOPACIDAE 164-176 Skuas STERCORARIIDAE 178 Gulls LARIDAE 180-184 Terns STERNIDAE 186-192 Skimmers RYNCHOPIDAE 190 Sandgrouse PTEROCLIDAE 194 Pigeons and doves COLUMBIDAE 196-204 Parrots and lovebirds PSITTACIDAE 206 Turacos MUSOPHAGIDAE 208 Cuckoos and coucals CUCULIDAE 210-216 Barn owls TYTONIDAE 218 Typical Owls STRIGIDAE 218-222 Nightjars CAPRIMULGIDAE 224-228 Swifts APODIDAE230-234 Mousebirds COLIIDAE 236 Trogons TROGONIDAE 236 Kingfishers ALCEDINIDAE 238-242 Bee-eaters MEROPIDAE 244-248 Rollers CORACIIDAE 248-250 Wood-hoopoes and scimitarbills PHOENICULIDAE 252-254 Hoopoes UPUPIDAE 254 Hornbills BUCEROTIDAE 256-258 Ground-hornbills BUCORVIDAE 258 Barbets and tinkerbirds CAPITONIDAE 260-264 Honeyguides INDICATORIDAE 266 Woodpeckers and wrynecks PICIDAE 268-270 Larks ALAUDIDAE 272-282 Swallows and martins HIRUNDINIDAE 284-288 Wagtails, pipits and longclaws MOTACILLIDAE 290-296 Cuckooshrikes CAMPEPHAGIDAE 298 Hypocolius HYPOCOLIIDAE 298 Pittas PITTIDAE 300 Bulbuls PYCNONOTIDAE 300-302 Thrushes and chats TURDIDAE 304-322 Warblers SYLVIIDAE 324-342 Cisticolas and allies CISTICOLIDAE 344-352 Flycatchers MUSCICAPIDAE 354-358 Monarch flycatchers MONARCHIDAE358 Wattle-eyes and batises PLATYSTEIRIDAE 360 Babblers TIMALIIDAE 362-364 Tits PARIDAE 366 Treecreepers CERTHIIDAE 366 Penduline-tits REMIZIDAE 368 White-eyes ZOSTEROPIDAE 368 Sunbirds NECTARINIIDAE 370-378 Shrikes LANIIDAE 380-384 Bush-shrikes MALACONOTIDAE 384-390 Nicators INCERTAE SEDIS 390 Helmetshrikes PRIONOPIDAE 392 Orioles ORIOLIDAE 394 Drongos DICRURIDAE 396 Crows CORVIDAE 396-400 Starlings and oxpeckers STURNIDAE 402-410 Sparrows and petronias PASSERIDAE 412-416 Weavers PLOCEIDAE 416-432 Waxbills ESTRILDIDAE 434-444 Whydahs and indigobirds VIDUIDAE 446-448 Canaries and seedeaters FRINGILLIDAE 450-456 Buntings EMBERIZIDAE 456-458 Checklist of the birds of the Horn of Africa 460 Appendix 1: Species endemic to the Horn of Africa 488 Appendix 2: Hypothetical species 491 Appendix 3: LARGE WHITE-HEADED GULL S 492 References and further reading 493 Index 495 Quick index to the main groups of birds 512

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Book SynopsisJoanna Macy is a scholar of Buddhism, systems thinking, and deep ecology whose decades of writing, teaching, and activism have inspired people around the world. In this collection of writings, leading spiritual teachers, deep ecologists, and diverse writers and activists explore the major facets of Macy’s lifework. Combined with eleven pieces from Macy herself, the result is a rich chorus of wisdom and compassion to support the work of our time. “Being fully present to fear, to gratitude, to all that is—this is the practice of mutual belonging. As living members of the living body of Earth, we are grounded in that kind of belonging. Even when faced with cataclysmic changes, nothing can ever separate us from Earth. We are already home.”— Joanna MacyTo learn more, visit www.joannamacy.net.

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Book SynopsisThis larger edition is based on the updated and expanded fifth edition of Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, which has been brought fully up to date by its expert author panel, with additional contributions from two new birding experts. Greatly enhanced, this comprehensive, best-selling guide is sure to maintain its place as one of Africa’s most trusted field guides.

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Book SynopsisA guide to the beetles of the United States and Canada east of the Mississippi River. It covers 1,400 species in all 115 families east of the Mississippi River. It presents information on identification, natural history, collecting, and geographic range for each species and family.Trade ReviewHonorable Mention for the 2015 National Outdoor Book Awards, Nature Guidebooks, NOBA Foundation "If you are interested in beetles, then this is a must have."--Roberta Gibson, Wild about Ants "Few entomologists are also skilled at writing for a general audience, but Evans makes it seem effortless. He has a real gift for simplifying concepts so that they are not intimidating to an amateur naturalist yet not condescending to veteran entomologists. The introductory section is as well-illustrated as the remainder of the book, and explains many puzzling physical features of beetles... In short, this is the most compact, affordable, comprehensive, and useful beetle book to come along since I can't remember when."--Bug Eric "'Beetle-maniacs' will adore this beautifully illustrated, comprehensive volume written by the renowned entomologist Arthur Evans. Those who don't realize beetles are such a fascinating topic will be happily surprised."--Catriona Tudor Erler, New York Journal of Books "Anyone east of the Mississippi with more than a passing interest in insects will want a copy. Now."--Bill Cannon, Scientist's Bookshelf "Stunning."--Dan Tallman's Bird Blog "Beetles of Eastern North America is an excellent book that will be much loved by field naturalists and entomologists alike, especially given its very modest price."--Robert F. Foster, Canadian Field-Naturalist "This guide is detailed, easy to use and nicely illustrated. It will open your eyes to these interesting little creatures, many of which are stunningly colorful and beautiful."--R. E. H., Wildlife ActivistTable of ContentsPreface 7 Acknowledgments 8 How to Use This Book 9 Classification 9 Key to Families 9 Family Diagnoses 9 Species Accounts 9 Species Identification 10 Introduction to Beetles 11 Beetle Anatomy 11 Behavior and Natural History 19 When and Where to Find Beetles 33 Observing and Photographing Beetles 36 Beetle Conservation and the Ethics of Collecting 38 Collecting and Preserving Beetles 39 Making a Beetle Collection 45 Keeping and Rearing Beetles in Captivity 49 Taking an Active Role in Beetle Research 52 Illustrated Key to the Common Beetle Families of Eastern North America 53 Beetles of Eastern North America 59 Reticulated beetles (Cupedidae) 60 Telephone-pole beetles (Micromalthidae) 61 Minute bog beetles (Sphaeriusidae) 62 Ground, tiger, and wrinkled bark beetles (Carabidae) 63 Whirligig beetles (Gyrinidae) 94 Crawling water beetles (Haliplidae) 96 Burrowing water beetles (Noteridae) 97 Predaceous diving beetles (Dytiscidae) 99 Water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae) 105 Clown beetles (Histeridae) 110 Minute moss beetles (Hydraenidae) 114 Featherwing beetles (Ptiliidae) 115 Primitive carrion beetles (Agyrtidae) 117 Round fungus beetles (Leiodidae) 118 Burying and carrion beetles (Silphidae) 120 Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) 124 Stag beetles (Lucanidae) 142 Bess beetles (Passalidae) 145 Enigmatic scarab beetles (Glaresidae) 146 Hide beetles (Trogidae) 147 Earth-boring scarab beetles (Geotrupidae) 149 Sand-loving scarab beetles (Ochodaeidae) 152 Scavenger and pill scarab beetles (Hybosoridae) 153 Bumble bee scarabs (Glaphyridae) 155 Scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae) 156 Plate-thigh beetles (Eucinetidae) 178 Minute beetles (Clambidae) 179 Marsh beetles (Scirtidae) 180 Cicada parasite beetles (Rhipiceridae) 183 Metallic wood-boring or jewel beetles (Buprestidae) 184 Pill or moss beetles (Byrrhidae) 195 Riffle beetles (Elmidae) 196 Long-toed water beetles (Dryopidae) 198 Travertine beetles (Lutrochidae) 200 Minute marsh-loving beetles (Limnichidae) 201 Variegated mud-loving beetles (Heteroceridae) 202 Water penny beetles (Psephenidae) 203 Ptilodactylid beetles (Ptilodactylidae) 204 Chelonariid beetles (Chelonariidae) 206 Callirhipid beetles (Callirhipidae) 207 Artematopodid beetles (Artematopodidae) 208 Rare click beetles (Cerophytidae) 209 False click beetles (Eucnemidae) 210 Throscid beetles (Throscidae) 211 Click beetles (Elateridae) 213 Net-winged beetles (Lycidae) 229 Glowworms (Phengodidae) 233 Fireflies, lightningbugs, and glowworms (Lampyridae) 234 False soldier and false firefly beetles (Omethidae) 237 Soldier beetles (Cantharidae) 238 Tooth-neck fungus beetles (Derodontidae) 243 Wounded-tree beetles (Nosodendridae) 244 Jacobsoniid beetles (Jacobsoniidae) 245 Skin beetles (Dermestidae) 246 Endecatomid beetles (Endecatomidae) 249 Bostrichid beetles (Bostrichidae) 250 Death-watch and spider beetles (Ptinidae) 252 Ship-timber beetles (Lymexylidae) 258 Bark-gnawing beetles and cadelles (Trogossitidae) 259 Checkered beetles (Cleridae) 263 Soft-winged flower beetles (Melyridae) 271 Fruitworm beetles (Byturidae) 274 Cryptic slime mold beetles (Sphindidae) 275 False skin beetles (Biphyllidae) 276 Pleasing fungus and lizard beetles (Erotylidae) 277 Root-eating beetles (Monotomidae) 281 Silken fungus beetles (Cryptophagidae) 283 Silvanid flat bark beetles (Silvanidae) 285 Flat bark beetles (Cucujidae) 288 Parasitic flat bark beetles (Passandridae) 289 Shining flower and shining mold beetles (Phalacridae) 290 Lined flat bark beetles (Laemophloeidae) 291 Short-winged flower beetles (Kateretidae) 293 Sap beetles (Nitidulidae) 295 Cybocephalid beetles (Cybocephalidae) 304 Palmetto beetles (Smicripidae) 305 Bothriderid beetles (Bothrideridae) 305 Minute bark beetles (Cerylonidae) 307 Handsome fungus beetles (Endomychidae) 308 Lady beetles (Coccinellidae) 311 Minute hooded and fungus beetles (Corylophidae) 320 Minute brown scavenger beetles (Latridiidae) 322 Hairy fungus beetles (Mycetophagidae) 323 Archeocrypticid beetles (Archeocrypticidae) 325 Minute tree-fungus beetles (Ciidae) 326 Polypore fungus beetles (Tetratomidae) 327 False darkling beetles (Melandryidae) 329 Tumbling flower beetles (Mordellidae) 333 Ripiphorid beetles (Ripiphoridae) 338 Zopherid beetles (Zopheridae) 340 Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) 344 Synchroa bark beetles (Synchroidae) 359 False longhorn beetles (Stenotrachelidae) 360 False blister beetles (Oedemeridae) 362 Blister beetles (Meloidae) 365 Palm and flower beetles (Mycteridae) 369 Conifer bark beetles (Boridae) 371 Dead log beetles (Pythidae) 372 Fire-colored beetles (Pyrochroidae) 373 Narrow-waisted bark beetles (Salpingidae) 376 Antlike flower beetles (Anthicidae) 377 Ischaliid beetles (Ischaliidae) 382 Antlike leaf beetles (Aderidae) 382 False flower beetles (Scraptiidae) 384 Disteniid longhorn beetles (Disteniidae) 387 Longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) 388 Megalopodid leaf beetles (Megalopodidae) 428 Orsodacnid leaf beetles (Orsodacnidae) 429 Leaf and seed beetles (Chrysomelidae) 429 Pine flower snout beetles (Nemonychidae) 457 Fungus weevils (Anthribidae) 458 Cycad weevils (Belidae) 462 Leaf-rolling and thief weevils, and toothnose snout beetles (Attelabidae) 462 Straight-snouted and pear-shaped weevils (Brentidae) 466 Weevils, and snout, bark and ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae) 469 Appendix: Classification of the Beetles Covered in This Book 501 Glossary 523 Selected References and Resources 527 Photo and Illustration Credits 530 Index 537

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Wales Creative Nonfiction Book of the Year 2019; Rediscover the light in the dark...; 'A treasure of a book, wonderfully attentive in outlook and generous in spirit.' - Amy Liptrot; As November stubs out the glow of autumn and the days tighten into shorter hours, winter's occupation begins. Preparing for winter has its own rhythms, as old as our exchanges with the land. Of all the seasons, it draws us together. But winter can be tough.; It is a time of introspection, of looking inwards. Seasonal sadness; winter blues; depression - such feelings are widespread in the darker months. But by looking outwards, by being in and observing nature, we can appreciate its rhythms. Mountains make sense in any weather. The voices of a wood always speak consolation. A brush of frost; subtle colours; days as bright as a magpie's cackle. We can learn to see and celebrate winter in all its shadows and lights.; In this moving and lyrical evocation of a British winter and the feelings it inspires, Horatio Clare raises a torch against the darkness, illuminating the blackest corners of the season, and delving into memory and myth to explore the powerful hold that winter has on us. By learning to see, we can find the magic, the light that burns bright at the heart of winter: spring will come again.; __________; 'The natural world has life and light on even the coldest darkest days of winter and that is Clare's salvation.' - Susan Hill, Daily Mail Christmas Books; 'Magical, moving and deeply atmospheric' - Patrick Barkham; A Guardian 'best book of 2018'Trade Review"[Clare] is a fine observer, and the lushness of his prose offers a striking contrast with the stark lineaments of the winter landscape, both physical and spiritual." - Jane Shilling, Evening Standard; "This is a very powerful book indeed .... Supremely well-written ... Clare is a brilliantly inventive prose stylist, and some of his descriptive writing here is so good it makes you stop and smile and immediately read it again." - Roger Cox, The Scotsman; "Vivid, luminous prose" - The Observer; "Magical, moving and deeply atmospheric - this is a hymn to nature, to the north and to the hardest of seasons" - Patrick Barkham; "A treasure of a book, wonderfully attentive in outlook and generous in spirit" - Amy Liptrot; "Enchanting" - Emma Mitchell; "Cosy as a log fire, bracing as a moorland squall ... a potential life-saver for those of us who - like Clare himself - are wont to enter a state of low morale come November ... When the mercury plummets, forget hygge, save on scented candles, and read this instead" - Caroline Sanderson, The Bookseller; "This sensuous evocation of winter darkness is a startlingly honest escape from seasonal depression. Horatio Clare beams through his own despair by exposing the intimacy of family love in the fiercely shafting light of his glittering prose." - John Lister-Kaye; "An enthralling book of beauty and pain, tenderness and imaginative absorption ... [Horatio Clare is a] prose-poet of mesmerising lyricism" - Juliet Nicolson, Spectator; "Thoughtful, careful writing that speaks from the heart ... ideal for curling up with during the darker days, especially if you suffer at all from the winter blues. ... This is a quiet celebration of life" - New Welsh Review; "Lyrical and beautiful" - Kate Blincoe; "A beautifully written book that struck a chord with me on many occasions ... insightful and thought provoking" - Books and Me blog; "The Light in the Dark is a moving and poetic look at this time of year and one book I rejoice in. This is a torch to guide us through the dark winter days until spring's first rays of light warm us" - John Fish, The Last Word Book Review; "Inspiring ... If you're a fan of Matt Haig, I would definitely recommend this too" -- Buttercupreview; "Throughout the book there's a real magical quality to the imagery... I found that I spent some time going back over particular sentences because they were so lovely ... There is much to reflect upon in this winter journal, particularly if you too struggle with darker days" -- Jaffareadstoo; "A beautiful, moving and poignant meditation on the changing of the seasons. It gave me solace as the nights draw in ever faster and left me with a sense of hope for the spring to come. I adored reading this book and I know it will be one I read again in the years to come. I'll definitely be buying copies for friends and I'll be recommending it every chance I get. It's a beautiful book and one I won't forget!" - RatherTooFondofBooks.com; "As we all approach another winter, this book may provide not only solace, but an exemplar for those whose personal shadows are amplified in dark times. The lesson, `Look outwards' is a good one" - Peter Reason, Shiny New Books; "This was such a stunning read, full of wonderful imagery and beautiful writing... Horatio Clare made me realise that there is beauty to be found outside in the depths of winter, if I will seek it out" - Secret Library Book Blog; 5* - "Clare's writing is taut, sparse and charged with emotion" - Half Man Half Book; "It is a book to be read aloud ... There is no end to the irrepressible courage that has made this book possible. It is a triumph over affliction by a great writer and when the light returns and he knows he is coming through, my heart is full and I am cheering" - Sue Brooks, Caught by the River

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Book SynopsisA beautifully designed book full of creative ideas and fun activities to get your children outdoors, with a foreword by Chris Packham. Spending time outdoors and interacting with the elements gives our senses a host of stimuli that cannot be recreated indoors. Whether you're splashing in muddy puddles, making shelters, foraging blackberries, playing hide and seek or watching birds, experiencing the natural world reduces stress, makes us feel alive and lays critical foundations for a healthy developing brain. Learning with Nature is ideal for parents, teachers and youth workers looking to enrich children's learning through nature and teach them to enjoy and respect the great outdoors. Written by experienced Forest School practitioners, it is packed with more than 100 tried and tested games and activities suitable for groups of children aged between 3 and 16, which aim to help children develop key practical and social skills and gain a better awareness of the world. The booTrade ReviewLearnlng with Nature is a valuable resource to anyone with a passion to create this connection between children and the outside world. With 100 different game and activity ideas, forest school leaders, families, home schoolers, cubs, brownie, scout and guide leaders would all find something here. * Caroline Bennett, Westonbirt Magazine *This book will be invaluable to all gardeners who enjoy creating opportunities to get their younger family and friends excited about being in a garden. I thoroughly recommend it. * The Gardening Times *All three authors are experienced practitioners, and the book speaks with real authority.... The result is a book of outdoor ideas that just beg to be tried. * Make Wealth History *This is a truly inspirational book that will get you and your children running to be outside. * Cathi Pawon, Juno *A creative and easy to read guide of games and activities for the great outdoors which are suitable for all ages, from children of nursery age right through to adults. ... 6 out of 6 stars. * Sandra Kent, Families Magazine *Whether you are a parent or educator, Learning with Nature is full of ideas for fun in the great outdoors. It caters for children and young people of all ages and abilities – and comes with clear instructions and illustrations. So grab a copy, get your boots on, fill your backpack and head to your nearest wild (or not so wild) space for some playful adventures. * Tim Gill, Author of No Fear: Growing Up In A Risk Averse Society *I recommend this book to you all, so ‘get out, play and connect’! * John Cree, Chair of the Forest School Association *This wonderful new book aims to connect children with nature. Through a broad range of outdoor activities and games, young people are encouraged to engage their senses and interact with nature. This not only leads to a better understanding of the natural world but can also contribute to much broader agendas such as personal and social development. Most importantly, the activities are fun. It is through enjoyment and understanding that people will want to conserve and care for their environment and so I encourage everyone to give the book a try. * Andy Naylor, John Muir England Award Manager *This book enables key outdoor experiences to happen. It includes an exciting ‘toolkit’ of well-structured, engaging activities that will inspire, excite and encourage children to reconnect with nature – and to have a whole load of fun in the process! * Amanda Elmes, Learning, Outreach and Volunteer Lead, South Downs National Park Authority *Table of ContentsForeword by Chris Packham Introduction Looking after nature GAMES - Warm-ups - Plants and trees - Animals and birds - Sensory awareness - Team building - Wandering NATURALIST ACTIVITIES - Tool safety - Wild facts - Birds - Animals - Plants - Trees SEASONAL ACTIVITIES - Teas through the seasons - Spring - Summer - Autumn - Winter SURVIVAL ACTIVITIES - Foraging wild plants - Fire safety - Shelter - Water - Fire - Wild food Afterword by Jon Cree Author biographies Resources and bibliography Nature organisations Photograph credits Index

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Book SynopsisZambia and Malawi are home to 240 known snake, lizard, terrapin, tortoise and crocodile species. Snakes and other Reptiles of Zambia and Malawi is the first field guide to describe every species of reptile known to occur in this region – including 14 endemics and several new discoveries. Comprehensive descriptions of each order, suborder, family, genus and species. Species descriptions cover identifying features, behaviour, prey and predators, reproduction, range, and danger to humans. Accounts are supported by stunning colour photographs and up-to-date distribution maps that draw on over 16,000 recorded observations. Dichotomous identification keys guide users to the correct genus and species. Introduction includes clear diagrams of morphological features and unpacks the region’s biogeography and diverse habitat types, different venom types and the basic principles of snakebite treatment. This comprehensive field guide – the first of its kind for the region – will appeal to both experienced herpetologists and nature enthusiasts in general. Sales points: Definitive guide to the 240 known reptile species of Zambia and Malawi; authoritative text by leaders in the field; up to date, including several new discoveries; supported by excellent colour photographs; accessible to both scientists and laypersons.

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Book SynopsisHumans are the most inquisitive, emotional, imaginative, aggressive and baffling animals on the planet. But how well do we really know ourselves?How to Be Animal offers a radical take on what it means to be human and argues that at the heart of our psychology is a profound struggle with being animal. Tracing the history of this thinking through to its far-reaching effects on our lives, and drawing on a range of disciplines, Challenger proposes that being an animal is a process, beautiful and unpredictable, and that we have a chance to tell ourselves a new story; to realise that if we matter, so does everything else.Trade ReviewThe best critique of the myth of human exceptionalism I have read. Clearly and beautifully written, compellingly argued and packed with powerful and moving stories, it shows how the fact that we humans are animals has been denied and repressed, with profoundly damaging consequences for the way we live and for the planet. But this brilliant book is not only a critique. By showing that being human means being animal, it reveals how much joy in life we can gain if we recognise and accept the truth about ourselves. Read and digest this book, and you will not only be wiser but also happier -- JOHN GRAY * * author of Feline Philosophy * *Melanie Challenger's wonderful book teaches me this: our blazing continuity with the depth of time and the whole of life. It is a huge, complex and triumphant thing: challenging, but also celebratory, courageous, mournful and apprehensive. Her language is lovely: exact and lyrical and sparklingly full of suggestion and implication. It is a hymn to generosity. I know it will be something I will return to again and again -- ADAM NICOLSON * * author of The Seabird's Cry * *This is a brilliant book that, like many brilliant books, explores what it means to be human. The difference here is that the author answers this by highlighting one central human dilemma: we are an animal in denial that we are actually an animal -- MATT HAIG * * Observer * *What an interesting book! The recognition that we are animals should come less as a slap in the face than as a welcome reminder of the great resources that can come from paying attention to the ways we and our various cousins handle our journeys on this difficult but beautiful planet -- BILL McKIBBEN * * author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? * *With this book, Melanie Challenger fearlessly plunges into the biggest question of our time: how can we rediscover our animal selves, before it is too late? How can we discover our true place in the wider world we are destroying? Each of us has to answer this question for ourselves. This book is a guide for you on the journey -- PAUL KINGSNORTHErudite, lyrical, delightfully troubling and full of unexpected convergences. A wonderful exploration of the tensions that beset the human animal trying to find our way. I was entranced by this beautiful weave of history, biology and philosophy -- DAVID GEORGE HASKELL * * author of The Forest Unseen * *Deepened my understanding of the world . . . An illuminating, beautifully written and unique philosophical inquiry by a wide-ranging and original thinker and a powerful call for a new ethic for our relationship with the rest of the living world . . . Quite simply, a rare and important marvel -- LUCY JONES * * author of Losing Eden * *A provocative, incisive and worried book, carried off with no small degree of élan . . . an excellent primer to the problems we have caused and that we face * * Scotsman * *Provocative . . . Challenger [writes] with the logic of a researcher and the lyricism of a poet * * Herald * *Blending personal experience with scientific observation, Challenger has a talent for making the known seem unexpected or unsettling * * Irish Times * *

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Book SynopsisHow did we get here? All cultures have a creation story, but a little over 150 years ago Charles Darwin introduced a revolutionary new one. We, and all living things, exist because of the action of evolution on the first simple life form and its descendants.We now know that it has taken 3.8 billions of years of work by the forces of evolution to turn what was once a lump of barren rock into the rich diversity of into plants, animals and microbes that surround us. In the process, evolution has created all manner of useful adaptions, from biological computers (brains) to a system to capture energy from the sun (photosynthesis). But how does evolution actually work? In Evolution, leading biologists and New Scientist take you on a journey of a lifetime, exploring the question of whether life is inevitable or a one-off fluke, and how it got kick-started. Does evolution have a purpose or direction? Are selfish genes really the driving force of evolution? And is evolution itself evolving?ABOUT THE SERIESNew Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE HIGHLAND BOOK PRIZE 2022Reflecting on family, identity and nature, Belonging is a personal memoir about what it is to have and make a home. It is a love letter to nature, especially the northern landscapes of Scotland and the Scots pinewoods of Abernethy - home to standing dead trees known as snags, which support the overall health of the forest.Belonging is a book about how we are held in thrall to elements of our past. It speaks to the importance of attention and reflection, and will encourage us all to look and observe and ask questions of ourselves.Beautifully written and featuring Amanda Thomson's artwork and photography throughout, it explores how place, language and family shape us and make us who we are.Trade ReviewOutstanding -- ROBERT MACFARLANEA beautifully written meditation on rural surroundings and her place within them * * Sunday Times * *Amanda Thomson's new book manages to carve out a distinctive niche for itself . . . This is a passionate book and infused with a sense of rootedness -- STUART KELLY * * The Scotsman * *In recent years rural landscapes have turned into battlegrounds, and nature writing has become increasingly polemical. Belonging is a quiet book of questions in a genre full of answers, but it is all the more powerful and beautiful for this -- PATRICK GALBRAITH * * TLS * *Deservedly shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize; a thoughtful blend of memoir, family history, artistic scrapbook and nature journal in a compelling collage. [ . . . ] There's also an all-encompassing belief in the importance of listening, looking and learning from the world around us * * Observer * *One of the best things I have read in ages . . . Quiet and beautiful and powerful -- ALYS FOWLERThomson writes of the natural in a way I have yet to encounter before. There is no real hoo-haa, no flowery description of which to speak yet somehow, I came away with that ache inside me - that renewed obsession with the world that is only borne of a very particular kind of writing - poetic, loving, raw . . . Like no other -- KERRI Ní DOCHARTAIGH * * Caught by the River * *I rather enjoyed Amanda's very personal history interweaving ideas of family, place, history and nature. I was left feeling that she is the sort of person that I would love to spend an evening engaged in conversation with -- DAVID LINDO, The Urban BirderWhether writing about nature, about family, about art, or about identity, Amanda Thomson brings a careful and a thoughtful attention to the page. She shows how the threads of a life - its passions and preoccupations - are intricately entangled, each illuminating and complicating the other -- MALACHY TALLACKA book that digs deep . . . Vivid * * Herald * *In belonging, Thomson invites us to think about what living with the land really means: not just beautiful and wild places, but cities, suburbs, old houses, the places that shape us in childhood and beyond, too. This is an evocative, intimate journey through the ways we find home - in family, place, history and language -- JESSICA J. LEELyrical * * Country Living * *A finely-wrought meditation on nature, identity and the tender hold of the past -- SAMANTHA WALTON, author of EVERYBODY NEEDS BEAUTY and THE LIVING WORLDTender, searching and dialectically alert, this glorious book is a primer on noticing, a map of intersectional consciousness. Each passage pulses with incandescent turns of wonder and pain, like wingbeats stirring the air. In strikingly original takes on Scottish history, environmentalism, Black feminist theory, artmaking, list-making, memory and memoir, Thomson crafts a cadence that is as wise as it is vitally alive. Reading it, I felt like I belonged. What a gift: to see and love the world even as it hurts, even as it changes -- MARGOT DOUAIHY, author of SCORCHED GRACEA highly original, beautifully written and timely account -- STEPHEN MOSS

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Book SynopsisBy the bestselling author of Storyland.Sheer cliffs, salt spray, explosive sea spume, thunderous clouds, icy waves, whales with mountains on their backs, sleet, bitter winds, bleak, impenetrable marshes, howling wolves, forests, the unceasing cries of birds and the death grip of subterranean vaults that have never seen the sun: these are wild landscapes of a world almost familiar.In Wild, Amy Jeffs journeys - on foot and through medieval texts - from landscapes of desolation to hope, offering the reader an insight into a world at once distant and profoundly close to home. The seven chapters, entitled Earth, Ocean, Forest, Beast, Fen, Catastrophe, Paradise, open with fiction and close with reflection. They blend reflections of travels through fen, forest and cave, with retelling of medieval texts that offer rich depictions of the natural world. From the Old English elegies to the englynion and immrama of the Celtic world - stories that largely represent figures whose voices are not generally heard in the corpus of medieval literature: women, outcasts, animals.Illustrated with original wood engravings, evoking an atmospheric world of whales, wolves, caves, cuckoos and reeds, Wild: Tales From Early Medieval Britain will leave readers feeling 'westendream': delight in the wilderness.Trade ReviewA beautiful retelling of British myths and exquisitely illustrated too. -- James Holland on Storyland, Daily Express (Book of the Year)This gorgeous book should live on the bookshelves in every house that cares about "the idea of Britain, what is was and where it came from." -- The Times (On Storyland)Marries words and images to create a special echo of this country's rich past. * The Times *Jeffs is the narrator, providing a reading that is suffused with portent and otherworldliness. Listeners gain a series of folk songs, written and performed by Jeffs, each of which adds a thrilling new dimension to these ancient fables. * Guardian (Audiobook of the Week) *Across seven themed chapters the Storyland author presents an inspiring excavation of the British countryside through diverse medieval texts. * Waterstones (The Best History Books of 2022) *Jeffs teases out nuance, divining moral and metaphorical meaning from each story, and questions ways that this living history of Britain impacts upon our present-day understanding of landscape. The writing throughout is celebratory and evocative. * Art Quarterly *Jeffs has a gift for breathing new life into ancient stories through her lyrical writing, deep research and evocative woodcuts. She connects our mythic history to the landscape with delicacy and humour. Reading Wild feels like being led by the hand through a gnarled, old growth forest, along empty shoreflats, and along the edge of windswept cliffs - and shown how to experience them through medieval eyes. It's a jewel of a book. -- Natalie Lawrence - co-author of Planta Sapiens: Unmasking Plant IntelligenceImmersive . . . Her stories are arranged across seven chapters - Earth, Ocean, Forest, Beast, Fen, Catastrophe and Paradise. Jeffs, a medieval scholar with her own wild streak, introduces each in confident, forceful tones. She also sings six of her songs, accompanied by early musical instruments. Lucy Paterson, who has one of those warm, low,rich voices that can hold you mesmerised, tells the tales. * The Times (Audiobook of the Week) *An extraordinarily multidimensional work, moving seamlessly from creative retellings of the stories to explanations of the texts and where they came from, underpinned all the time by sound academic understanding. Those reading the print version can marvel at the extraordinary black-and-white wood cuttings that break up the chapters, while those enjoying the audiobook version can listen to music inspired by the same tales. * Countryfile Magazine (Best nature and wildlife books for 2023) *This beautiful book . . . takes the reader back into the medieval mind, exploring ancient myths and poems rooted deep in the British landscape. * Wiltshire Life *

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Book Synopsis'A brilliant book [that] shows a way out of the destructive trap of Anthropocentric arrogance.' Vandana Shiva, from the Foreword 'Read this book if you would like to understand the intelligence of living systems.' Dr Denis Noble, University of Oxford ‘A welcoming yet fiercely challenging and provocative read shining a light on the way we look at the science of life.’ LoveReading What is life? This is arguably the fundamental question in all of science, and yet many scientists believe that life can be reduced to mechanistic factors, such as genes and information codes. But in a world as rich and complex as this one, can such an assertion really be true? Biocivilisations is a thrillingly original look at the mystery of life and a recognition of the complex civilisations of bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants and animals that have preceded the human world by billions of years. Dr Predrag Slijepčević, senior lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences at Brunel University, reconsiders the limited scope and timeframe of our current ‘scientific revolution’ and shares how – from the tiniest bacteria to the largest mammals – the living world has long fostered ancient biocivilisations: how ants practice agriculture, how insects perform surgery, how trees conduct research, how slime moulds build networks as complex as our modern transportations systems and more. More than 99.99 percent of life on Earth has existed without humanity and life will continue without humans long into the future. Biocivilisations challenges us to reconsider the limited scope and time-window of our current ‘scientific revolution’ and to fundamentally reimagine what we call ‘life on Earth’ by posing a powerful question: Are we really the intelligent masters over nature we think we are? Trade Review'A prodigious synthesis and a great, ambitious and informative book dovetailing multiple fields in its effort – largely successful I think – to light a match – and then blow on the fires of the coming "Copernican biological revolution."' Dorion Sagan'Read this book if you would like to understand the intelligence of living systems. Civilisation did not just start with Homo sapiens. Life cannot be reduced to pure mechanism.' Dr Denis Noble, Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Oxford; Fellow of the Royal Society; 2022 Lomonosov Grand Gold Medal laureate'In Biocivilisations, Predrag Slijepčević tells stories about animals that create art, insects that do battlefield surgery, trees that perform scientific research, bacteria that create intelligent networks, and whole ecosystems that are organized with an efficiency that surpasses any human supply chain. Maybe you thought humans were the crown of creation. Maybe we humans have to learn humility and respect for the biosphere that birthed us. Maybe our future depends on it.' Josh Mitteldorf, PhD, coauthor of Cracking the Aging Code'Predrag Slijepčević’s Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Life offers a powerful and welcome synthesis of what we ought by now to be happy to call Gaian science. It brings together crucial developments in biological systems thinking – such as symbiogenesis, epigenetics, biosemiotics, Gaia theory and autopoiesis – under a comprehensive vision founded on the cosmological longevity and cognitive acumen of the bacterial microcosm and its planetary offspring: multicellular life in all of its forms and alliances. Biocivilisations vigorously dismantles modern strains of scientific and cultural anthropocentrism and their current avatars peddling the futurist delusions of Singularity buffs and AI transhumanists. Slijepčević’s presentation of these crucial and heady matters is properly technical but consistently readable and deeply documented. His approach to science participates in a poetic spirit he perceives everywhere in a terrestrial biosphere that has risen for over four billion years to collective, eventually cross-kingdom consortia such as the ‘Wood Wide Web’ revealed by the new forest ecology. The environmental constructions of such biocivilisations long precede the human elaboration of its own technosphere. I highly recommend Slijepčević’s Biocivilisations for those who would like to get effectively up to speed on the most cogent contemporary challenges to the physicalist-mechanistic technoscientific mainstream.' Bruce Clarke, Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor of Literature and Science, Texas Tech University, Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology‘Biocivilizations is an unusually thought-provoking and ambitious book. It challenges the reader to abandon several centuries of assumptions about how to describe the living world in purely physical and mechanistic terms, a world governed by an evolutionary process that places human beings at the apex.’ Dr. James A. Shapiro, author of Evolution: A View from the 21st Century'Sentience, cognition and intelligence are emerging as inherent faculties of all life which has evolved on the Earth. Most of these living systems are much older than humanity and obviously are well integrated to support life. In Biocivilisations, Predrag Slijepčević makes clear that the sentient life is essential for the habitability of our planet and that humans should step down from the so-called crown of evolution model in order to appreciate our true position within the complex network of life. Only then will our civilization improve its rather doomed prospects for survival.' Dr František Baluška, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Bonn"Constructed with care, [Slijepčević's] arguments integrate hundreds of examples from the natural world . . . The prose is solid, impassioned, and informed. . . . [and] by defying entrenched and arrogant assumptions about human superiority, the book shows that people have much to learn from creatures like ants and bacteria." Foreword Reviews"Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, and as fascinating as it is informative, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, "Biocivilisations: A New Look at the Science of Life" will have a very special appeal and relevance to readers with an interest in bacteriology, microbiology, evolution, nature and ecology." Midwest Book Review

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Book SynopsisDestress and escape from your busy schedule with this beautiful coloring book featuring 45 nature-inspired scenes you can fill with your favorite colors.Unwind and release your creativity through the beauty and wonder of nature with Pretty Simple Coloring: Nature Scenes. Filled with 45 delightful drawings of plants and animals, this coloring book is the perfect escape no matter how busy your schedule. The beautiful line art illustrations are easy to see and designed to be quickly filled with your favorite colors. Relax and enjoy your coloring time—no matter how long or short—without the worry of straining your eyes or cramping your hand. Make the most of your free time with Pretty Simple Coloring: Nature Scenes.

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1869, John Muir set out from California's Central Valley with a flock of sheep and trekked into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. His journals describe the summer he spent in what would become Yosemite National Park. Celebrating the Sierra's lizards and mountain lions, tall trees and waterfalls, fierce thunderstorms and bears, Muir raises an awareness of nature to a spiritual dimension.John Muir is internationally acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of modern conservation and his vision, passion and integrity continue to inspire readers today - particularly in this, his best-loved book.Trade ReviewMuir's prose is a miracle of immediacy. His books are illuminated by sunshine and starlight. The cold mineral air of the mountains and the resiny reek of coniferous forests lift bracingly off his pages. No other writer is so ceaselessly astonished by the natural world as Muir, or communicates that astonishment more urgently. Muir lived "in an infinite storm of beauty", and his readers live in it with him -- Robert MacfarlaneAn inspirational figure for modern environmentalism . . . his enthusiasm and heart-felt love of nature is immensely impressive. Thankfully the wilderness blooms again in Muir's evocative prose * * Guardian * *Brilliant description is the currency of My First Summer in the Sierra . . . Religious awe and powerful terrestrial awareness mark [Muir's] prose in what is essentially a song to nature's marvels and to our humanness of being * * Scotsman * *The richness of Muir's writing roots deeper into the terrain than any other wilderness writer known to me * * Los Angeles Times * *Muir was a geologist, an explorer, philosopher, artist, author, and editor, and to each of his avocations he devoted that deep insight and conscientious devotion which made him its master * * New York Times * *The great mountain man . . . [John Muir] remains a towering presence in American cultural life, and is internationally acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of modern conservation -- Mark Cocker, author of Crow CountryAs more and more of us grow aghast at what we have done to the world we started with, Muir's reverence and devotion will seem keenly germane, and our regret may be transmuted into a fight for the future -- Edward Hoagland

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Book SynopsisWinter takes us on an intimate tour of the artists, poets, composers, writers, explorers, scientists and thinkers who helped shape a new and modern idea of winter. We learn how literature heralds the arrival of the middle class; how snow science leads to existential questions of God and our place in the world; how the race to the poles marks the human drive to imprint meaning on a blank space. Offering a kaleidoscopic take on the season, Winter is a homage to an idea of a season and a journey through the modern imagination.Trade Review'Gopnik's mind darts about like mercury as he tells his tale' The Times. * The Times *'Often startlingly good ... The perfect fireside companion' Observer. * Observer *'Brilliantly insightful ... Any writer who can take subjects as diverse as Wilson Bentley's snow crystal photographs, Dickens's Christmas stories and the myth that the Inuit have dozens of different words for snow, and find something original and interesting to say about each of them, has to be worth reading' Sunday Times. * Sunday Times *'Makes chilliness worth every minute' The Economist. * Economist *Table of ContentsAuthor's Note. Romantic Winter. Radical Winter. Recuperative Winter. Recreational Winter. Remembering Winter. Bibliography. Permissions. Index.

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