Why Fish Don't Exist

Why Fish Don't Exist PDF Author: Lulu Miller
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501160370
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post * NPR * Chicago Tribune * Smithsonian A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder.​ “At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish…comes up for air, and realizes she’s in love. That’s how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten.” —The New York Times Book Review David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—which sent more than a thousand discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life’s work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish that he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool—a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.

Why Fish Don't Exist

Why Fish Don't Exist PDF Author: Lulu Miller
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501160370
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book Here

Book Description
A Best Book of 2020: The Washington Post * NPR * Chicago Tribune * Smithsonian A “remarkable” (Los Angeles Times), “seductive” (The Wall Street Journal) debut from the new cohost of Radiolab, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder.​ “At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish…comes up for air, and realizes she’s in love. That’s how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten.” —The New York Times Book Review David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—which sent more than a thousand discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life’s work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish that he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool—a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don’t Exist is a wondrous fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail.

The Philosophy of Despair

The Philosophy of Despair PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : California
Languages : en
Pages : 60

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Book Description
Distillation of the wisdom of the ages looking at mankind's essential feebleness and finitude in an infinite and inscrutable universe. The author argues that neither optimism nor pessimism makes sense, only wisdom in the form of knowing what to do next.

California and the Californians

California and the Californians PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : California
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
Assessment of California life and the character of its citizens.

The Blood of the Nation

The Blood of the Nation PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Degeneration
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description


Animal Life

Animal Life PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Zoology
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description


The Human Harvest

The Human Harvest PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher: Dissertations-G
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description


The Strength of Being Clean

The Strength of Being Clean PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Conduct of life
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description


The Call of the Twentieth Century

The Call of the Twentieth Century PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Conduct of life
Languages : en
Pages : 96

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Book Description


The Mysterious Death of Jane Stanford

The Mysterious Death of Jane Stanford PDF Author: Robert W. P. Cutler
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804747936
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
Jane Stanford, the co-founder of Stanford University, died in Honolulu in 1905, shortly after surviving strychnine poisoning in San Francisco. The inquest testimony of the physicians who attended her death in Hawaii led to a coroner’s jury verdict of murder—by strychnine poisoning. Stanford University President David Starr Jordan promptly issued a press release claiming that Mrs. Stanford had died of heart disease, a claim that he supported by challenging the skills and judgment of the Honolulu physicians and toxicologist. Jordan’s diagnosis was largely accepted and promulgated in many subsequent historical accounts. In this book, the author reviews the medical reports in detail to refute Dr. Jordan’s claim and to show that Mrs. Stanford indeed died of strychnine poisoning. His research reveals that the professionals who were denounced by Dr. Jordan enjoyed honorable and distinguished careers. He concludes that Dr. Jordan went to great lengths, over a period of nearly two decades, to cover up the real circumstances of Mrs. Stanford’s death.

The Fishes of North and Middle America

The Fishes of North and Middle America PDF Author: David Starr Jordan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fishes
Languages : en
Pages : 1032

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Book Description