12 books found
Winner of the Commonwealth Prize New York Times Book Review—Notable Fiction 2002 Entertainment Weekly—Best Fiction of 2002 Los Angeles Times Book Review—Best of the Best 2002 Washington Post Book World—Raves 2002 Chicago Tribune—Favorite Books of 2002 Christian Science Monitor—Best Books 2002 Publishers Weekly—Best Books of 2002 The Cleveland Plain Dealer—Year’s Best Books Minneapolis Star Tribune—Standout Books of 2002 Once upon a time, when the earth was still young, before the fish in the sea and all the living things on land began to be destroyed, a man named William Buelow Gould was sentenced to life imprisonment at the most feared penal colony in the British Empire, and there ordered to paint a book of fish. He fell in love with the black mistress of the warder and discovered too late that to love is not safe; he attempted to keep a record of the strange reality he saw in prison, only to realize that history is not written by those who are ruled. Acclaimed as a masterpiece around the world, Gould’s Book of Fish is at once a marvelously imagined epic of nineteenth-century Australia and a contemporary fable, a tale of horror, and a celebration of love, all transformed by a convict painter into pictures of fish.
Describes variuous techniques involved in nature photography--in particular, the art of surprising and fooling birds and insects through camouflage and other means.
by British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology, Richard Lydekker
1921
A journey through the history, biology, and culture of the misunderstood cormorant
by Richard Francis Burton
2023 · Good Press
In "The Complete Works of Sir Richard Francis Burton (Illustrated & Annotated Edition)," readers are presented with a richly curated compilation of Burton's diverse writings, ranging from travelogues and anthropology to poetry and sexual ethnography. Characterized by his adventurous spirit and linguistic prowess, Burton's style is both erudite and engaging, seamlessly blending first-person narratives with meticulous research. This collection not only captures the essence of 19th-century exploration and colonial attitudes but also invites readers to reflect on the complexities of cultural encounters and the intricacies of human nature. Sir Richard Francis Burton was a polymath, an explorer, and a pivotal figure in the Victorian era's expanding understanding of the world. His extensive travels across the globe, from the Middle East to Africa, equipped him with unique insights into different cultures. His distinguished career was marked by his efforts to challenge societal norms, notably in his writings on sexuality and mythology, which were often ahead of their time, reflecting his deep curiosity and unyielding quest for knowledge. This illustrated and annotated edition is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersections of adventure, literature, and cultural studies. Burton's works are not merely historical artifacts; they remain timeless explorations of the human condition, making this collection an invaluable resource for scholars and casual readers alike.
The story of bold adventurers who risked death to discover strange life forms in the farthest corners of planet Earth. Beginning with Linnaeus, a colorful band of explorers made it their mission to travel to the most perilous corners of the planet and bring back astonishing new life forms. They attracted followers ranging from Thomas Jefferson, who laid out mastodon bones on the White House floor, to twentieth-century doctors who used their knowledge of new species to conquer epidemic diseases. Acclaimed science writer Richard Conniff brings these daredevil "species seekers" to vivid life. Alongside their globe-spanning tales of adventure, he recounts some of the most dramatic shifts in the history of human thought. At the start, everyone accepted that the Earth had been created for our benefit. We weren't sure where vegetable ended and animal began, we couldn't classify species, and we didn't understand the causes of disease. But all that changed as the species seekers introduced us to the pantheon of life on Earth—and our place within it.