Afte coming off of a long mystery jag, I’ve decided to switch literary gears for a bit. I’m looking for an interesting, well-written book on natural history that would appeal to an intelligent non-scientist (me). Books in that vein which I’ve read and enjoyed include The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, A Book of Bees by Sue Hubbell, and The Flamingo’s Smile by Stephen J. Gould. Any thoughts?
Well, an obvious plug: if you enjoyed The Flamingo’s Smile, you’d probably also enjoy all of the other umpteen books based on Gould’s Natural History essays (Hen’s teeth and Horses’ Toes, Ever Since Darwin, Bully for Brontosaurus, Dinosaur in a Haystack, The Panda’s Thumb, Eight Little Piggies, and The Lying Stones of Marrakech, just to name a few off the top of my head).
Warner Shedd’s Owls Aren’t Wise & Bats Aren’t Blind is a good read (and debunks a number of incorrect “facts” about assorted wildlife).
Clan Apis (ignore the “recommended reading level”)
Some good recommendations over on the recent “books about evolution” thread, too.
David Attenborough’s other “Life of” books, too, come to think of it: The Life of Birds and The Life of Mammals.
The Life of Birds looks intriguing. I’ll have to see if my library has a copy. I may also pick up a copy for a Father’s Day present, too. My dad has a half a dozen feeders in his yard, and loves his backyard birds.
Many thanks, y’all!
I would highly recommend several by John McPhee. He written many more, but these are just the ones that I have read.
Annals of the Former World -North American history told through geography.
The Control of Nature-He investigates areas where we have attempted to change the course of Nature. One them is in Lousiana. The Mississippi is changing course, threatening New Orleans. The Corp of Engineers is trying hold back the waters.
The Founding Fish-History as it relates to fish, the American Shad in particular
Oh! Oh! Oh! An opportunity to recommend a couple of my favorite books!
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Malcolm Durrell and the sequels Birds, Beasts and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods. I haven’t read the last one, but these are wonderful and wacky stories of a boy’s enchantment with the people and nature of the Greek island of Corfu. I listened to the first one, unabridged, on tape on a long, long car trip and had an embarrassing amount of giggle fits.
The books are charming! I highly recommend them!
Ellen, I read My Family and Other Animals a few years ago, and really liked it, but I didn’t realize there were sequels. Thanks!