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eBook
Enchanted by Daphne: the life of an evolutionary naturalist
Grant, Peter R.
Princeton University Press
, 2023
; English
; 361 Pages
Enchanted by Daphne is legendary ecologist Peter Grant’s personal account of his remarkable life and career. In this revelatory book, Grant takes readers from his childhood in World War II–era Britain to his ongoing research today in the Galápagos archipelago, vividly describing what it’s like to do fieldwork in one of the most magnificent yet inhospitable places on Earth. This is also the story of two brilliant and courageous biologists raising a family together while balancing the demands of professional lives that would take them to the far corners of the globe.
In 1973, Grant and his wife, Rosemary, embarked on a journey that would fundamentally change how we think about evolution. Over the next four decades, they visited the Galápagos every year to observe Darwin’s famous finches on the remote, uninhabited island of Daphne Major. Documenting how eighteen species have diversified from a single ancestral species, they demonstrated that we could actually see and measure evolution in a natural setting. Grant recounts the blind alleys and breathtaking triumphs of this historic research as he and Rosemary followed in Darwin’s footsteps—and ushered in a new era in ecology.
A wonderfully absorbing portrait of a life in science, Enchanted by Daphne is an unforgettable chronicle of the travels and discoveries of one of the world’s most influential naturalists.
Grant, Peter R.
Princeton University Press
, 2023
; English
; 361 Pages
Enchanted by Daphne is legendary ecologist Peter Grant’s personal account of his remarkable life and career. In this revelatory book, Grant takes readers from his childhood in World War II–era Britain to his ongoing research today in the Galápagos archipelago, vividly describing what it’s like to do fieldwork in one of the most magnificent yet inhospitable places on Earth. This is also the story of two brilliant and courageous biologists raising a family together while balancing the demands of professional lives that would take them to the far corners of the globe.
In 1973, Grant and his wife, Rosemary, embarked on a journey that would fundamentally change how we think about evolution. Over the next four decades, they visited the Galápagos every year to observe Darwin’s famous finches on the remote, uninhabited island of Daphne Major. Documenting how eighteen species have diversified from a single ancestral species, they demonstrated that we could actually see and measure evolution in a natural setting. Grant recounts the blind alleys and breathtaking triumphs of this historic research as he and Rosemary followed in Darwin’s footsteps—and ushered in a new era in ecology.
A wonderfully absorbing portrait of a life in science, Enchanted by Daphne is an unforgettable chronicle of the travels and discoveries of one of the world’s most influential naturalists.
eBook
Clavreul, Denis; Sibley, David Allen (With a Foreword by); Martha Le Cars
Princeton University Press
, 2022
; English
; 257 Pages
In the nineteenth century, ornithologist and painter John James Audubon set out to create a complete pictorial record of North American birdlife, traveling from Louisiana and the Florida Keys to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the cliffs of the Yellowstone River. The resulting work, The Birds of America, stands as a monumental achievement in American art. Over a period of sixteen years, recording his own journey in journals and hundreds of original paintings, renowned French watercolorist Denis Clavreul followed in the naturalist’s footsteps.
In the Footsteps of Audubon brings together some 250 of Clavreul’s stunning watercolors along with illuminating selections from Audubon’s journals and several of his paintings. With pencil and brush in hand, Clavreul turns his naturalist’s eye and painterly skill to the landscapes that Audubon encountered on his travels, and to the animals and plants that Audubon depicted in his art. A passionate ornithologist, Clavreul sketches birds in the wild with rare dexterity, bringing them vividly to life on the page. He documents his encounters along the way with people who live with nature, many of whom are passionately engaged in preserving it, drawing on his insights as both a biologist and an artist to connect the past, present, and future.
A spellbinding, richly evocative journey, In the Footsteps of Audubon is an invitation to see the natural world as Audubon saw it—and to see with new eyes what it has become today.
Clavreul, Denis; Sibley, David Allen (With a Foreword by); Martha Le Cars
Princeton University Press
, 2022
; English
; 257 Pages
In the nineteenth century, ornithologist and painter John James Audubon set out to create a complete pictorial record of North American birdlife, traveling from Louisiana and the Florida Keys to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the cliffs of the Yellowstone River. The resulting work, The Birds of America, stands as a monumental achievement in American art. Over a period of sixteen years, recording his own journey in journals and hundreds of original paintings, renowned French watercolorist Denis Clavreul followed in the naturalist’s footsteps.
In the Footsteps of Audubon brings together some 250 of Clavreul’s stunning watercolors along with illuminating selections from Audubon’s journals and several of his paintings. With pencil and brush in hand, Clavreul turns his naturalist’s eye and painterly skill to the landscapes that Audubon encountered on his travels, and to the animals and plants that Audubon depicted in his art. A passionate ornithologist, Clavreul sketches birds in the wild with rare dexterity, bringing them vividly to life on the page. He documents his encounters along the way with people who live with nature, many of whom are passionately engaged in preserving it, drawing on his insights as both a biologist and an artist to connect the past, present, and future.
A spellbinding, richly evocative journey, In the Footsteps of Audubon is an invitation to see the natural world as Audubon saw it—and to see with new eyes what it has become today.
eBook
Chimpanzee memoirs : stories of studying and saving our closest living relatives
Ross, Stephen; Hopper, Lydia; Schuerman, Dawn
Columbia University Press
, 2022
; English
; 213 Pages
Chimpanzees fascinate people for many reasons. We are struck by the apes’ resemblance to humanity, as seen in their use of tools and their complex social lives, and we are moved by the threats that human activity poses to them. Our awareness of our closest living relatives testifies to the efforts of the remarkable people who study these creatures and work to protect them. What motivates someone to dedicate their lives to chimpanzees? How does that reflect on our own species? This book brings together a range of chimpanzee experts who tell powerful personal stories about their lives and careers. It features some of the world’s preeminent primatologists—including Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal—as well as representatives of a new generation from varied backgrounds. In addition to field scientists, the book features anthropologists, biologists, psychologists, veterinarians, conservationists, and the director of a chimpanzee sanctuary. Some grew up in the English countryside, others in villages in Congo; some first encountered chimpanzees in a zoo, others in the forests surrounding their homes. All are united by a common purpose: to study and understand chimpanzees in order to protect them in the wild and care for them in zoos and sanctuaries. Contributors share what inspired them, what shaped their career choices, and what motivates them to strive for solutions to the many challenges that chimpanzees face today.
Ross, Stephen; Hopper, Lydia; Schuerman, Dawn
Columbia University Press
, 2022
; English
; 213 Pages
Chimpanzees fascinate people for many reasons. We are struck by the apes’ resemblance to humanity, as seen in their use of tools and their complex social lives, and we are moved by the threats that human activity poses to them. Our awareness of our closest living relatives testifies to the efforts of the remarkable people who study these creatures and work to protect them. What motivates someone to dedicate their lives to chimpanzees? How does that reflect on our own species? This book brings together a range of chimpanzee experts who tell powerful personal stories about their lives and careers. It features some of the world’s preeminent primatologists—including Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal—as well as representatives of a new generation from varied backgrounds. In addition to field scientists, the book features anthropologists, biologists, psychologists, veterinarians, conservationists, and the director of a chimpanzee sanctuary. Some grew up in the English countryside, others in villages in Congo; some first encountered chimpanzees in a zoo, others in the forests surrounding their homes. All are united by a common purpose: to study and understand chimpanzees in order to protect them in the wild and care for them in zoos and sanctuaries. Contributors share what inspired them, what shaped their career choices, and what motivates them to strive for solutions to the many challenges that chimpanzees face today.
Audiobook
Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals
Zaleski, Laurie; Moon, Erin
Blackstone Publishing
, 2022
; English
An inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals
Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie's dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a fifteen-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey.
She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues—horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs—when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother's dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie's mission to save abused and neglected animals.
Funny Farm is Laurie's story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It's the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money, and no resources, dragging three kids behind her and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued.
Zaleski, Laurie; Moon, Erin
Blackstone Publishing
, 2022
; English
An inspiring and moving memoir of the author's turbulent life with 600 rescue animals
Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie's dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a fifteen-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey.
She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues—horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs—when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother's dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie's mission to save abused and neglected animals.
Funny Farm is Laurie's story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It's the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money, and no resources, dragging three kids behind her and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued.
Audiobook
On Assignment: Memoir of a National Geographic Filmmaker
Larison, James R.; Burns, Traber
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
An exciting adventure story with personal drama and high stakes, as well as a glimpse behind the scenes of the highly regarded National Geographic brand
Jim and Elaine Larison spent years studying, exploring, and living in wild places, making more than thirty environmental films, most for the National Geographic Society. These films won more than forty international awards from leading environmental and broadcast organizations. This memoir tells the story behind the adventure and describes the rather substantial personal costs of this career.
While shooting film in Alaska, Jim Larison narrowly survived a devastating airplane crash in the Bering Sea. Later, while filming on the Great Barrier Reef, the Larisons fought off an aggressive twelve-foot tiger shark. Midway through their careers, the Larisons were nearly swept to their deaths by an icefall while filming on Mount Robson. Full of risk and personal conflict, On Assignment is also a touching look at the tender bonds that held the married couple together while they struggled to complete their many film assignments.
The Larisons were changed by what they saw and what they captured on film: the destruction of forests, the death of coral reefs, and global warming.
In the beginning, the Larisons wanted nothing more than to spend time in the wilderness. By the end, they were fighting for its very survival.
Larison, James R.; Burns, Traber
Blackstone Publishing
, 2021
; English
An exciting adventure story with personal drama and high stakes, as well as a glimpse behind the scenes of the highly regarded National Geographic brand
Jim and Elaine Larison spent years studying, exploring, and living in wild places, making more than thirty environmental films, most for the National Geographic Society. These films won more than forty international awards from leading environmental and broadcast organizations. This memoir tells the story behind the adventure and describes the rather substantial personal costs of this career.
While shooting film in Alaska, Jim Larison narrowly survived a devastating airplane crash in the Bering Sea. Later, while filming on the Great Barrier Reef, the Larisons fought off an aggressive twelve-foot tiger shark. Midway through their careers, the Larisons were nearly swept to their deaths by an icefall while filming on Mount Robson. Full of risk and personal conflict, On Assignment is also a touching look at the tender bonds that held the married couple together while they struggled to complete their many film assignments.
The Larisons were changed by what they saw and what they captured on film: the destruction of forests, the death of coral reefs, and global warming.
In the beginning, the Larisons wanted nothing more than to spend time in the wilderness. By the end, they were fighting for its very survival.
eBook
Infamous: Tiger King, the ultimate exotic edition
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2021
; English
; 74 Pages
Over 70-pages of the Tiger King! Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix's seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed "Tiger King." The flamboyant Joe Exotic, a former magician, country singer, and zookeeper with a troubled past, currently sits in jail for planning to murder his rival, Big Cat Rescue owner and animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who he accuses of killing her husband and feeding him to her tigers. Exotic's jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made also led to convictions for violating the Lacey Act. He'll spend twenty-two years in Federal prison unless the government grants his pleas for clemency. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? Where are they? How are they doing today? With PETA's assistance (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), this volume includes information not found in the Netflix documentary. Serving as a prequel and a sequel to the story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and the animals in their care, this graphic novel collects Infamous Tiger King and Infamous Tiger King 2: Sanctuary.
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2021
; English
; 74 Pages
Over 70-pages of the Tiger King! Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix's seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed "Tiger King." The flamboyant Joe Exotic, a former magician, country singer, and zookeeper with a troubled past, currently sits in jail for planning to murder his rival, Big Cat Rescue owner and animal rights activist Carole Baskin, who he accuses of killing her husband and feeding him to her tigers. Exotic's jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made also led to convictions for violating the Lacey Act. He'll spend twenty-two years in Federal prison unless the government grants his pleas for clemency. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? Where are they? How are they doing today? With PETA's assistance (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), this volume includes information not found in the Netflix documentary. Serving as a prequel and a sequel to the story of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, and the animals in their care, this graphic novel collects Infamous Tiger King and Infamous Tiger King 2: Sanctuary.
eBook
Infamous: Tiger King 2: sanctuary, special edition
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2020
; English
; 32 Pages
Special Edition to the sequel of the cult classic comic book biography. Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix’s seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed “Tiger King.” Joe Exotic’s jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made led to a conviction for attempted murder, violations of the Lacey Act, and twenty-two years in Federal prison. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? With the assistance of PETA, TidalWave is proud to present their stories. With Bonus Tiger King activities and games! Featuring a new cover by Jesse Johnson.
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2020
; English
; 32 Pages
Special Edition to the sequel of the cult classic comic book biography. Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix’s seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed “Tiger King.” Joe Exotic’s jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made led to a conviction for attempted murder, violations of the Lacey Act, and twenty-two years in Federal prison. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? With the assistance of PETA, TidalWave is proud to present their stories. With Bonus Tiger King activities and games! Featuring a new cover by Jesse Johnson.
eBook
Infamous : tiger king 2: sanctuary
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2020
; English
; 25 Pages
Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix’s seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed “Tiger King.” Joe Exotic’s jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made led to a conviction for attempted murder, violations of the Lacey Act, and twenty-two years in Federal prison. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? With the assistance of PETA, TidalWave is proud to present their stories.
Frizell, Michael; Paradise, Joe; Davis, Darren G.
TidalWave Productions
, 2020
; English
; 25 Pages
Viewers worldwide were riveted by Netflix’s seven-episode reality series exploring the infamous and self-proclaimed “Tiger King.” Joe Exotic’s jaw-dropping antics and the bewildering choices he made led to a conviction for attempted murder, violations of the Lacey Act, and twenty-two years in Federal prison. But what happened to the animals at his GW Zoo? With the assistance of PETA, TidalWave is proud to present their stories.
eBook
Tucker, Mary Evelyn; Grim, John; Angyal, Andrew
Columbia University Press
, 2019
; English
; 360 Pages
Thomas Berry (1914–2009) was one of the twentieth century’s most prescient and profound thinkers. As a cultural historian, he sought a broader perspective on humanity’s relationship to the earth in order to respond to the ecological and social challenges of our times. This first biography of Berry illuminates his remarkable vision and its continuing relevance for achieving transformative social change and environmental renewal.
Berry began his studies in Western history and religions and then expanded to include Asian and indigenous religions, which he taught at Fordham University, Barnard College, and Columbia University. Drawing on his explorations of history, he came to see the evolutionary process as a story that could help restore the continuity of humans with the natural world. Berry urged humans to recognize their place on a planet with complex ecosystems in a vast, evolving universe. He sought to replace the modern alienation from nature with a sense of intimacy and responsibility. Berry called for new forms of ecological education, law, and spirituality, as well as the creation of resilient agricultural systems, bioregions, and ecocities. At a time of growing environmental crisis, this biography shows the ongoing significance of Berry’s conception of human interdependence with the earth as part of the unfolding journey of the universe.
Tucker, Mary Evelyn; Grim, John; Angyal, Andrew
Columbia University Press
, 2019
; English
; 360 Pages
Thomas Berry (1914–2009) was one of the twentieth century’s most prescient and profound thinkers. As a cultural historian, he sought a broader perspective on humanity’s relationship to the earth in order to respond to the ecological and social challenges of our times. This first biography of Berry illuminates his remarkable vision and its continuing relevance for achieving transformative social change and environmental renewal.
Berry began his studies in Western history and religions and then expanded to include Asian and indigenous religions, which he taught at Fordham University, Barnard College, and Columbia University. Drawing on his explorations of history, he came to see the evolutionary process as a story that could help restore the continuity of humans with the natural world. Berry urged humans to recognize their place on a planet with complex ecosystems in a vast, evolving universe. He sought to replace the modern alienation from nature with a sense of intimacy and responsibility. Berry called for new forms of ecological education, law, and spirituality, as well as the creation of resilient agricultural systems, bioregions, and ecocities. At a time of growing environmental crisis, this biography shows the ongoing significance of Berry’s conception of human interdependence with the earth as part of the unfolding journey of the universe.
Audiobook
Natural Rivals: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the Creation of America's Public Lands
Clayton, John; Powers, Richard
Blackstone Publishing
, 2019
; English
This dynamic examination traces the lives of two of the most influential figures and their dueling approaches on America's natural landscape.
John Muir, the most famous naturalist in American history, protected Yosemite, cofounded the Sierra Club, and is sometimes called the Father of the National Parks. A poor immigrant, self-taught, individualistic, and skeptical of institutions, he had an idealistic belief in the spiritual benefits of holistic natural systems that led him to a philosophy of preserving wilderness unimpaired.
Gifford Pinchot founded the US Forest Service and advised his friend Theodore Roosevelt on environmental policy. Raised in wealth, educated in privilege, and interested in how institutions and community can overcome failures in individual virtue, Pinchot's pragmatic belief in professional management led him to a philosophy of sustainably conserving natural resources.
When these rivaling perspectives meet, what happens? For decades, the story of their relationship has been told as a split between the conservation and preservation philosophies, sparked by a proposal to dam a remote Yosemite valley called Hetch Hetchy. But a decade before that argument, Muir and Pinchot camped together alongside Montana's jewel-like Lake McDonald in what was at the heart of a region not yet consecrated as Glacier National Park.
At stake in 1896 was the new idea that some landscapes should be collectively, permanently owned by a democratic government. Although many people today think of public lands as an American birthright, their very existence was then in doubt and dependent on a merger of the talents of these two men. Natural Rivals examines a time of environmental threat and political dysfunction not unlike our own and reveals the complex dynamic that gave birth to America's rich public lands legacy.
Clayton, John; Powers, Richard
Blackstone Publishing
, 2019
; English
This dynamic examination traces the lives of two of the most influential figures and their dueling approaches on America's natural landscape.
John Muir, the most famous naturalist in American history, protected Yosemite, cofounded the Sierra Club, and is sometimes called the Father of the National Parks. A poor immigrant, self-taught, individualistic, and skeptical of institutions, he had an idealistic belief in the spiritual benefits of holistic natural systems that led him to a philosophy of preserving wilderness unimpaired.
Gifford Pinchot founded the US Forest Service and advised his friend Theodore Roosevelt on environmental policy. Raised in wealth, educated in privilege, and interested in how institutions and community can overcome failures in individual virtue, Pinchot's pragmatic belief in professional management led him to a philosophy of sustainably conserving natural resources.
When these rivaling perspectives meet, what happens? For decades, the story of their relationship has been told as a split between the conservation and preservation philosophies, sparked by a proposal to dam a remote Yosemite valley called Hetch Hetchy. But a decade before that argument, Muir and Pinchot camped together alongside Montana's jewel-like Lake McDonald in what was at the heart of a region not yet consecrated as Glacier National Park.
At stake in 1896 was the new idea that some landscapes should be collectively, permanently owned by a democratic government. Although many people today think of public lands as an American birthright, their very existence was then in doubt and dependent on a merger of the talents of these two men. Natural Rivals examines a time of environmental threat and political dysfunction not unlike our own and reveals the complex dynamic that gave birth to America's rich public lands legacy.
