Author: Stephen Moss
Publisher: Faber & Faber
ISBN: 178335092X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 268
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Book Description
Swallow and starling, puffin and peregrine, blue tit and blackcap. We use these names so often that few of us ever pause to wonder about their origins. What do they mean? Where did they come from? And who created them? The words we use to name birds are some of the most lyrical and evocative in the English language. They also tell incredible stories: of epic expeditions, fierce battles between rival ornithologists, momentous historical events and touching romantic gestures. Through fascinating encounters with birds, and the rich cast of characters who came up with their names, in Mrs Moreau's Warbler Stephen Moss takes us on a remarkable journey through time. From when humans and birds first shared the earth to our fraught present-day coexistence, Moss shows how these names reveal as much about ourselves and our relationship with the natural world as about the creatures they describe.
Author: Stephen Moss
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473577365
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 166
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Book Description
From the bestselling author of The Robin, The Wren and The Twelve Birds of Christmas. With around 700,000 breeding pairs, the swallow is one of the most familiar birds in Britain. Though we consider the swallow to be 'our' bird, we also share this beloved creature with millions of others across the globe. Whilst we see it on a daily basis for half the year, the swallow then flies south to Africa, living on only in our memory in the long, dark winter. In The Swallow Stephen Moss documents a year of observing the swallow close to home and in the field to shed light on the secret life of this extraordinary bird. We trace the swallow's life cycle and journey, including the epic 12,000-mile round trip it takes every year, to enable it to enjoy a life of almost eternal sunshine, and the key part the swallow plays in our traditional and popular culture. With beautiful illustrations throughout, this captivating year-in-the-life biography reveals the hidden secrets of this charismatic and beautiful bird. PRAISE FOR STEPHEN MOSS: 'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham 'Inspired, friendly and blessed with apparently limitless knowledge' Peter Marren 'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail
Author: Stephen Moss
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 216
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Book Description
A celebration of the world's favourite birds, as nominated by birders and conservationists worldwide
Author: William Atkins
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 0385539894
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 368
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Book Description
Winner of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year (UK) "William Atkins is an erudite writer with a wonderful wit and gaze and this is a new and exciting beast of a travel book."—Joy Williams In the classic literary tradition of Bruce Chatwin and Geoff Dyer, a rich and exquisitely written account of travels in eight deserts on five continents that evokes the timeless allure of these remote and forbidding places. One-third of the earth's surface is classified as desert. Restless, unhappy in love, and intrigued by the Desert Fathers who forged Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert, William Atkins decided to travel in eight of the world's driest, hottest places: the Empty Quarter of Oman, the Gobi Desert and Taklamakan deserts of northwest China, the Great Victoria Desert of Australia, the man-made desert of the Aral Sea in Kazkahstan, the Black Rock and Sonoran Deserts of the American Southwest, and Egypt's Eastern Desert. Each of his travel narratives effortlessly weaves aspects of natural history, historical background, and present-day reportage into a compelling tapestry that reveals the human appeal of these often inhuman landscapes.
Author: Elizabeth Knowles
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191650560
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 208
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Book Description
Have you ever wondered how you can find out more about a word: Where did it come from? How has its meaning altered? How can it be pronounced? What is its relationship to other words? Language is not fixed, but is an evolutionary process: words develop and change, in meaning, association, and pronunciation, as well as in many other ways. Exploring the routes taken by the words we choose to investigate leads us on fascinating journeys. How to Read a Word, written by the noted lexicographer Elizabeth Knowles, shows us how we might delve into the origins, associations, and evolution of words, and is primarily concerned with the following two points: what questions can be asked about a word? And how can they be answered? Utilising the unrivalled resources and the language-monitoring programs of the Oxford English Dictionary, the book leads you through the various stages of investigation into the myriad aspects of individual words, from etymology to date of first use and regional distribution, and from spelling and pronunciation to shifts in meaning. Supported by many examples of investigation into specific words, and featuring a full index, a wide selection of useful online resources, and reams of useful tips for avoiding common pitfalls, it is both a thought-provoking and practical handbook, providing readers with the essential tools to confidently interrogate the words by which they are surrounded. How to Read a Word is the perfect gift for anyone who is fascinated by the development and intricacies of the English language.
Author: Stephen Moss
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472932366
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 241
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Book Description
This RSPB-endorsed book answers all those burning questions about birds that beginners and experts alike may ask themselves as they go about their birding. How do ducks keep their feet from freezing in winter? Why don't swallows stay in Africa? Are birds really dinosaurs, or were dinosaurs really birds? And do birds have knees? Taking a 'questions and answers' approach, each specific question leads to an answer which expands the theme under discussion, so that all aspects of bird life and the hobby of birding are covered. The scientifically rigorous answers together form an impressive and fascinating body of bird-related information. This highly readable book will intrigue anyone with an interest in birds.
Author: Rosamund Young
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0525557334
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 162
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Book Description
"Within a day of receiving this book, I had consumed it... Absorbing, moving, and compulsively readable."—Lydia Davis In this affectionate, heart-warming chronicle, Rosamund Young distills a lifetime of organic farming wisdom, describing the surprising personalities of her cows and other animals At her famous Kite's Nest Farm in Worcestershire, England, the cows (as well as sheep, hens, and pigs) all roam free. They make their own choices about rearing, grazing, and housing. Left to be themselves, the cows exhibit temperaments and interests as diverse as our own. "Fat Hat" prefers men to women; "Chippy Minton" refuses to sleep with muddy legs and always reports to the barn for grooming before bed; "Jake" has a thing for sniffing the carbon monoxide fumes of the Land Rover exhaust pipe; and "Gemima" greets all humans with an angry shake of the head and is fiercely independent. An organic farmer for decades, Young has an unaffected and homely voice. Her prose brims with genuine devotion to the wellbeing of animals. Most of us never apprehend the various inner lives animals possess, least of all those that we might eat. But Young has spent countless hours observing how these creatures love, play games, and form life-long friendships. She imparts hard-won wisdom about the both moral and real-world benefits of organic farming. (If preserving the dignity of animals isn't a good enough reason for you, consider how badly factory farming stunts the growth of animals, producing unhealthy and tasteless food.) This gorgeously-illustrated book, which includes an original introduction by the legendary British playwright Alan Bennett, is the summation of a life's work, and a delightful and moving tribute to the deep richness of animal sentience.
Author: Rebecca Stott
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393057454
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 344
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Book Description
Tells the story of the part played by Darwin's eight-year study of barnacles and how the examination of this tiny marine organism contributed to the development of his theory of evolution.
Author: Fiona Sampson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781908213518
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
A book about farming, wildlife, culture and the personal experience of living in limestone country.
Author: Tim Birkhead
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674006669
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 300
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Book Description
Birkhead reveals a world in which males and females vie with each other as they strive to maximize their reproductive success. Color illustrations.
