Search results for ""Author Richard Fortey""

A very enjoyable book that brilliantly blends science, insight and passion' TRISTAN GOOLEYThe secret world of fungi is another kingdom. They do things differently there. Diverse beyond our wildest imaginations, fungi don't obey rules. They pop up unbidden and often dressed in curious reds and greens.They do not seem of this world, yet fungi underpin all the life around us: the wood wide web' links the trees by a subterranean telegraph; fungi eat the fallen trunks and leaves to recycle the nutrients that keep the wood alive; they feed a host of beetles and flies, which in turn feed birds and bats. Fungi produce the most expensive foods in the world but also offer the prospect of cheap protein for all; they cure disease, and they both cause disease and kill; they are the specialists to surpass all others; their diversity thrills and bewilders.Professor Richard Fortey has been a devoted field mycologist all his life. He has rejoiced in the exuberant variety and profusion of mushrooms sinc

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'Truth and courage are what memoirs need and this one has them both in spades … The unforgotten boy: that is what makes this a book a revelation' ADAM NICOLSON ‘Wonderful, absolutely beguiling … I learnt a lot and really loved it’ RICHARD HOLMES ‘Gloriously evocative’ DAILY MAIL What makes a scientist? Charming, funny and wise, in this memoir Richard Fortey shows how restless curiosity about the natural world led him to become a leading scientist and writer, with adventures and misadventures along the way. From a garden shed laboratory where he manufactured the greatest stink in the world to a tent high in the Arctic in pursuit of fossils, this is a story of obsession and love of nature, flavoured with the peculiarities and restrictions of post-war Britain. Fortey tells the story of following his father down riverbanks to fish for trout, and also of his father's shocking death. He unfolds his early passions – fungi, ammonite hunting and eyeing up bird's eggs. He evokes with warmth and wit how the natural world started out as his playground and refuge, then became his life's work. Much more than a story about science alone, this memoir gives an unforgettable portrait of a young, curious mind, and shows how luck and enthusiasm can create a special life.

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The paperback of the Sunday Times bestseller that reveals how the earth became the shape it is today. This book will change the way you see the world – permanently. The face of the earth, criss-crossed by chains of mountains like the scars of old wounds, has changed constantly over billions of years. Its shape records a remote past of earthquakes, volcanos and continental drift, and the ongoing subtle shifts that bring our planet alive. Richard Fortey introduces us to the earth’s distinct character, revealing the life that it leads when humans aren’t watching. He follows the continual movement of seabeds, valleys, mountain ranges and ice caps and shows how everything – our culture, natural history, even the formation of our cities – has its roots in geology. In Richard Fortey’s hands, geology becomes vital and exhilarating and unmistakably informs our lives in the most intimate way.

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A magisterial exploration of the natural history of the first four thousand million years of life on and in the earth, by one of Britain’s most dazzling science writers. What do any of us know about the history of our planet before the arrival of man? Most of us have a dim impression of a swirling mass of dust solidifying to form a volcanic globe, briefly populated by dinosaurs, then by woolly mammoths and finally by our own hairy ancestors. This book, aimed at the curious and intelligent but perhaps mildly uninformed reader, brilliantly dispels such lingering notions forever. At the end of the book we understand the complexity of the history of life on earth, and the complexity of how it has come to be understood, as, perhaps, from no other single volume. The result is enthralling.

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"Richard Fortey is without peer among science writers."—Bill Bryson In his accessible introduction to the study and meaning of fossils, the world-renowned paleontologist Richard Fortey provides a comprehensive guide to all aspects of fossils and their use in reconstructing the history of life on Earth. Extensively illustrated in full color throughout, this fifth edition of Fossils includes the most recent advances in our understanding of the fossil record and the significance of new fossil finds.Fortey clearly explains what fossils are, how they form, how to identify them, and how they help us to understand Earth's geological past and the emergence of life. Drawing on all the latest research, including recent developments in molecular paleontology, he discusses evolution and extinction, the economic uses of fossil-derived products such as oil and coal, and offers practical advice for making a fossil collection. Fossils will appeal to everyone who shares an interest in the history of life on our planet.

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Generations of children have been captivated by the exploits of Jemima Puddle-Duck, Squirrel Nutkin, Peter Rabbit and the host of other characters conjured up by Beatrix Potter. Packed with original artwork, Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature, looks at secrets to her success and celebrates her wider life and legacy - her passions and accomplishments - that stretch far beyond the pages of her storybooks. Charting her life, from her childhood in South Kensington, London to her later years in the Lake District, Annemarie Bilclough and Emma Laws show how Potter's exceptional affinity with nature from an early age ensured the success of her stories - underneath the costumes were real, believable, animals. Sara Glenn highlights Potter's entrepreneurial talents whilst Lucy Shaw takes readers on a Victorian holiday. Contributions from Richard Fortey and James Rebanks reveal her work in the field of mycology and transformation into a farmer, and Liz Hunter MacFarlane discusses her profound impact on the preservation of the Lake District landscape. Naturalist, creative pioneer, storyteller, determined entrepreneur - Potter has been described as 'a many-sided genius' and Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature allows readers a tantalising glimpse into the life of this extraordinary woman.

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This beautiful book explores the beloved writer’s achievements as a storyteller, artist, and naturalist.Beatrix Potter’s universe of characters—Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Jemima Puddleduck—have delighted audiences for over a century. A creative pioneer and determined entrepreneur, she combined scientific observation with imaginative storytelling to create some of the world’s best-loved children’s books. This volume showcases Potter’s charming charac-ters against the backdrop of her exquisite botanical drawings, humorous illustrated letters to friends, Lake District landscapes, and rarely seen photographs. Beatrix Potter’s endearingly hand-painted world of animals and gardens made her one of the most celebrated children’s book authors of all time, yet this is but one facet of her creative life. Drawn to the picturesque English countryside after a London childhood, Potter had a passion for nature that influenced her many achievements as a naturalist, artist, storyteller, and later in life as a fervent conservationist and “gentlewoman” farmer. This book sheds light upon the connections between her art, entrepreneurial success, and legacy in preservation.

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For more than 250 million years, the primeval oceans of the Paleozoic teemed with trilobites. These hardy invertebrates evolved into an astonishing array of separate species—more than 25,000 at last count—and much remains unknown about these once-ubiquitous creatures. Fossil enthusiasts are captivated by trilobites’ diversity and adaptability, enthralled by the possibility of catching a glimpse of a transcendently strange past.Andy Secher—one of the most prolific trilobite collectors in the world—takes readers on an entertaining and enlightening journey to the distant epoch when these ancient arthropods swarmed through the seas. The Trilobite Collector’s Guide presents a series of “Top Ten” lists covering everything from celebrated Cambrian localities and world-class fossil shows to invaluable collecting tips and ways to spot a fake trilobite. These brisk and often witty chapters enumerate trilobites in all their beauty and strangeness, from the most common to the ridiculously rare, the outrageously old to the last in line. The Trilobite Collector’s Guide showcases more than 350 full-color photographs, mostly of stunning specimens from Secher’s personal collection, that put trilobites’ staggering variety and complexity on full display. Engaging and informative, this book lets readers see the world of trilobites as it’s never been seen before.

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