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The octopus and the orangutan: more true tales of animal intrigue, intelligence, and ingenuity
Par Eugene Linden. 2002
More anecdotes from zookeepers, trainers, and veterinarians provide further evidence of the higher mental capabilities of animals. Includes a broad…
range of behaviors and new species, even an octopus reputed to pick the lock on its cage. The author explores the nature of intelligence in both animals and humans. Companion to The Parrot's Lament (BR 13191). 2002Chance in the house of fate: a natural history of heredity
Par Jennifer Ackerman. 2001
Former National Geographic staff writer explores genetic links between humans and other forms of life--even yeast. Ackerman's narrative blends scientific…
explanations of heredity and her own personal experiences, including her sister's mental retardation. 2001An empire of plants: people and plants that changed the world
Par Toby Musgrave. 2002
Discusses the role of seven plants--tobacco, sugar cane, cotton, tea, poppies (opium), cinchona tree bark (quinine), and rubber--and how they…
influenced the rise of imperialism, overseas trade, and social changes. Also portrays the adventurers, merchants, and slaves who were engaged in the development of this economy. 2000The snow geese: a story of home
Par William Fiennes. 2002
In this combination travelog and memoir, Fiennes reflects on the metaphorical aspects of a journey from Houston northward into Canada,…
following the annual migration of snow geese. Convalescing after several operations, this young British author read Paul Gallico's The Snow Goose (BR 14168) and developed his therapeutic plan to track the birds' flight. 2002Oaxaca journal
Par Oliver Sacks. 2002
Record of the author's observations while on a botanical tour with the American Fern Society in southern Mexico in 2000.…
Describes his travel companions, his impressions of this first trip to the area, and the foliage of particular plants. 2002Wild solutions: how biodiversity is money in the bank
Par Andrew J Beattie. 2001
Ecologists explain why the pioneering science of biological diversity and the preservation of ecosystems matter. By studying the interdependence of…
plants, animals, and bacteria, scientists find environmentally sound solutions to problems. Discusses how seemingly insignificant species may in the future meet critical human needs in medicine, agriculture, and other areas. 2001Dirt under my nails: an American farmer and her changing land
Par Marilee Foster. 2002
Deep, rich detail colors a celebration of the author's decision to return to a career on the family farm in…
Sagaponack, New York (on eastern Long Island), after attending college in Wisconsin. Contrasts the area's natural beauty, described in seasonal progression from winter to fall, with the negative effects wrought by encroaching development. 2002Private lives of garden birds
Par Calvin Simonds. 2002
Naturalist and professor of ethology blends science and personal anecdotes to examine the behaviors of eleven common backyard bird species.…
Includes entries on the social organization of crows, the independence of female hummingbirds, and how to recognize individual blue jays by their facial expressions. 2002What evolution is
Par Ernst Mayr. 2001
In a presentation for the general reader, an eminent professor of comparative zoology explains the underlying concepts and twentieth-century developments…
of evolutionary theory. Mayr reviews the evidence for evolution and examines the complexities of disputed issues. Discusses mankind's history, increased brain size, and altruistic behavior. 2001American bison: a natural history
Par Dale F Lott. 2002
Inspired by his childhood experiences growing up in the Montana National Bison Range, behavioral ecologist Lott explores the nature of…
bison. He examines the social relationships between bison and their coexistence with other species and discusses prairie ecology while contemplating the future of a species that once faced extinction. 2002Floods, droughts, and climate change
Par Michael Collier. 2002
Writers with the U.S. Geological Survey present an introduction to Earth's climate. Describing patterns of prevailing wind and ocean currents,…
they emphasize that weather is not a product of isolated events, but of related phenomena. They also discuss El Niño, La Niña, and global warming. 2002A groundbreaking, freshly-researched examination of one of the most dramatic and consequential marriages in history: Henry VIII's long courtship, short…
union, and brutal execution of Anne Boleyn. Hunting the Falcon is the story of how Henry VIII's obsessive desire for Anne Boleyn changed him and his country forever. John Guy and Julia Fox, two of the most acclaimed and distinguished historians of this period, have joined forces to present Anne and Henry in startlingly new ways. By closely examining the most recent archival discoveries, and peeling back layers of historical myth and misinterpretation and distortion, Guy and Fox are able to set Anne and Henry's tragic relationship against the major international events of the time, and integrate and reinterpret sources hidden in plain sight or simply misunderstood. Among other things, they dispel lingering and latently misogynistic assumptions about Anne which anachronistically presumed that a sixteenth-century woman, even a queen, could exert little to no influence on the politics and beliefs of a patriarchal society. They reveal how, in fact, Anne was a shrewd, if ruthless, politician in her own right, a woman who steered Henry and his policies, often against the advice he received from his male advisers—and whom Henry seriously contemplated making joint sovereign. Hunting the Falcon sets the facts–and some completely new finds–into a far wider frame, providing an appreciation of this misunderstood and underestimated woman. It explores how Anne organized her "side" of the royal court on novel and (in male eyes) subversive lines compared to her queenly predecessors, adopting instead French protocol by which the sexes mingled freely in her private chambers. Men could share in the women's often sexually charged courtly "pastimes" and had liberal access to Anne, and she to them—encounters from which she gained much of her political intelligence and extended her authority, and which also sowed the seeds of her own downfall. An exhilarating feat of historical research and analysis, Hunting the Falcon is also a thrilling and tragic story of a marriage that has proved of enduring fascination over the centuries. But in the hands of John Guy and Julia Fox, even the most knowledgeable reader will encounter this story as if for the first timeThe condor's shadow: the loss and recovery of wildlife in America
Par David Wilcove. 1994
An ecologist discusses the state of America's wildlife including the loss of species and habitats. Provides an overview of how…
humans have altered the landscape, beginning with Native Americans in pre-colonial times. Describes the destruction of ecosystems and the environmental movement's conservation efforts. 1999Seventy-five articles selected from the popular magazine's 109-year existence. Although heavily illustrated, the periodical contains scholarly articles about the planet…
and its people. Contributors include Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Lindberg, Maya Angelou, Tad Szulc, and Shelby FooteColumns from the New York Times weekly science section dealing with natural catastrophes including volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Discusses disasters…
from the past, such as the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, as well as future threats like asteroids hitting the earth. For senior high and older readers. 2000Into the porcupine cave and other odysseys: adventures of an occasional naturalist
Par William Warner. 1999
Nature essays that depict outdoor wonders around the world. The author reminisces about summers he spent exploring New Jersey's Barnegat…
Bay in his youth, the coral reefs of Peleliu seen during his service in World War II, and solo hiking in the Maine wilderness at midlife. 1999Ecoviews: snakes, snails, and environmental tales
Par Whit Gibbons. 1998
Vignettes about the ecology of animals, plants, and habitats demonstrate the wealth of biodiversity on Earth. Discusses wasps, turtles, ants,…
snakes, and other species encountered by an ecologist doing fieldwork in Australia and North America. Presents natural history facts in the context of environmental issuesVulcan's fury: man against the volcano
Par Alwyn Scarth. 1999
Depicts fifteen volcanic eruptions across a wide geographical and historical spectrum with emphasis on the aftermaths and how people were…
affected. Spans the centuries from A.D. 79 (Vesuvius) to 1991 (Pinatubo) in discussing volcanos around the globe. Contains eyewitness reports from survivors. 1999Despicable species: on cowbirds, kudzu, hornworms, and other scourges
Par Janet Lembke. 1999
Fourteen natural history essays contemplating a dozen species that are loathed or scorned by humans: the sandbur, gray squirrel, starling,…
horsefly, opossum, centipede, and fruit fly among others. The author points out that all life is interconnected and humans need to better appreciate the diversity of the natural world. 1999Thirty-eight natural history essays about landscapes, birds, beasts, insects, and fish by such writers as Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Henry…
David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Annie Dillard, Daniel Defoe, Rachel Carson, John James Audubon, Theodore Roosevelt, J.H. Fabre, and Vladimir Nabokov. 1998