Nature
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Economist, Smithsonian Magazine, Prospect (UK), Globe & Mail, Esquire, Mental Floss, Marginalian, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every kind of animal, including humans, is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving but a tiny sliver of our immense world. In An Immense World, Ed Yong coaxes us beyond the confines of our own senses, allowing us to perceive the skeins of scent, waves of electromagnetism, and pulses of pressure that surround us. We encounter beetles that are drawn to fires, turtles that can track the Earth's magnetic fields, fish that fill rivers with electrical messages, and even humans who wield sonar like bats. We discover that a crocodile's scaly face is as sensitive as a lover's fingertips, that the eyes of a giant squid evolved to see sparkling whales, that plants thrum with the inaudible songs of courting bugs, and that even simple scallops have complex vision. We learn what bees see in flowers, what songbirds hear in their tunes, and what dogs smell on the street. We listen to stories of pivotal discoveries in the field, while looking ahead at the many mysteries that remain unsolved. Funny, rigorous, and suffused with the joy of discovery, An Immense World takes us on what Marcel Proust called "the only true voyage . . . not to visit strange lands, but to possess other eyes."
WINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL - FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE - FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD - LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/E.O. WILSON AWARD
- Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts
- A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout
- Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Ecology Book is a captivating introduction to what's happening on our planet with the environment and climate change, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you'll discover more than 90 of the greatest ideas when it comes to understanding the living world and how it works, through exciting text and bold graphics. Your Ecological Questions, Simply Explained
How do species interact with each other and their environment? How do ecosystems change? What is biodiversity and can we afford to damage it? This fresh new guide looks at our influence on the planet as it grows, and answers these profound questions. If you thought it was difficult to learn about this field of science, The Ecology Book presents the information in a clear layout. Learn the key theories, movements, and events in biology, geology, geography, and environmentalism from the ideas of classical thinkers in this comprehensive guide.
The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Ecology Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"A beautiful love letter to nature and the world around us."--Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club September '24 Pick)
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR NATURE LOVERS, BIRDERS, AND GARDENERS, WITH ORIGINAL COLOR ART THROUGHOUT * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * INDIE NEXT PICK
From the beloved New York Times opinion writer: a luminous book that traces the passing of seasons, both personal and natural.
In The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl presents a literary devotional: fifty-two chapters that follow the creatures and plants in her backyard over the course of a year. As we move through the seasons--from a crow spied on New Year's Day, its resourcefulness and sense of community setting a theme for the year, to the lingering bluebirds of December, revisiting the nest box they used in spring--what develops is a portrait of joy and grief: joy in the ongoing pleasures of the natural world, and grief over winters that end too soon and songbirds that grow fewer and fewer.
Along the way, we also glimpse the changing rhythms of a human life. Grown children, unexpectedly home during the pandemic, prepare to depart once more. Birdsong and night-blooming flowers evoke generations past. The city and the country where Renkl raised her family transform a little more with each passing day. And the natural world, now in visible flux, requires every ounce of hope and commitment from the author--and from us. For, as Renkl writes, "radiant things are bursting forth in the darkest places, in the smallest nooks and deepest cracks of the hidden world."
With fifty-two original color artworks by the author's brother, Billy Renkl, The Comfort of Crows is a lovely and deeply moving book from a cherished observer of the natural world.
"Unusual and fascinating... Read this book and enter into another world."-- Jane GoodallIn this sensuous and moving memoir, a young man forms a powerful connection with deer while living alone in the woods for seven years.Geoffroy Delorme does not fit in the human world. As a boy, he dreams of transforming into a fox so he can escape into the forest. As he gets older, he disappears into the woods at night, drawn to the rhythms of animal life. One night, an encounter with a deer changes his life: from then on, he knows he wants to live among them. Delorme becomes a creature of the forest. He learns to live without a tent or sleeping bag and forage for whatever food he can find. He blends in with the deer and, slowly, they accept him into their world. He witnesses their births and deaths, courtship and battles, ostracism and friendship over the cycles of their lives. Among the deer, he experiences the beauty, pain, fear, and joy of a life lived as a part of nature, not separate from it.In his final year in the forest, Delorme meets a woman walking through the trees. He knows he can stay in the forest and die with his friends--or he can leave, and speak their truth to a human world that desperately needs to hear it. Deer Man is a moving story of what it's like to be an outsider and how forming connections with the natural world can help us feel less alone. A unique and powerful window into how far one human is willing to go to understand an animal, Deer Man asks us to never take for granted the flora and fauna of our world, and to work for their protection in whatever ways we can.
Forage all across the country with this informative guide to 274 edible plants, presented by expert Green Deane.
Eating wild edibles is in our genes, and it can be healthy fun! It's seasonal, sufficient, varied, and provides plenty of nutrients. It yields the satisfaction born of food independence and competence. There's no packaging, no labeling, no advertising, and no genetic tinkering involved. But which plants should you eat--and when should you eat them?
Let "Green Deane" Jordan guide you with Eat the Weeds. Green Deane teaches foraging classes and runs a popular foraging website (also called Eat the Weeds). Now he's sharing his expertise with you. Eat the Weeds presents 274 wild foods and helps you to find, identify, and harvest them. The book begins with an introduction that includes tips for using this comprehensive book. The weeds are organized alphabetically, and an extensive index further helps you find what you're looking for. Plus, a fascinating and informative table aids in choosing plants based on their notable nutrients!
Perhaps you recognize a shortage in your diet of a specific vitamin and/or mineral. This guide points you to the plants that could remedy it. The information appeals to everyone from foragers, gardeners, and nature-lovers to raw food enthusiasts, vegans, and survivalists. Each entry includes an introduction to the plant and recommended methods for preparing it, as well as its nutritional information. Yes, nearly every featured wild edible includes a full nutrition table! Color photographs and visual descriptions assist you in field identification, and Green Deane's insights are invaluable, whether you're a beginning forager or someone with plenty of experience.
Foraging is a treasure hunt, so eat healthier, save money, and have fun while enjoying Earth's delicious and nutritious bounty.
Your Guide to Watching Clouds and Understanding the Weather
From the soothing sound of rain to the shrill whistle of a blizzard, from the house-shaking rumble of thunder to the violent fury of a hurricane, weather is a fascinating part of our lives. We watch it. We listen to it. We feel it. We try to predict it. But how well do we truly understand it?
Professional meteorologist Ryan Henning presents Field Guide to the Weather, a handy reference to meteorology and to the types of weather phenomena that one might encounter at home or in nature. It includes a simple introduction to the basics of meteorology-explaining the aspects of the atmosphere that dictate how weather works. From there, the field guide looks at a variety of individual weather topics: cloud formation (and cloud-type identification), various forms of precipitation, and much more. The author goes on to discuss government-issued watches and warnings, and weather safety. Plus, readers are sure to appreciate the book's helpful guide to interpreting weather forecasts and available model information when planning an afternoon picnic or next week's vacation.
Field Guide to the Weather is a perfect introduction to the science of weather. The information is captivating for kids and adults alike. The simple explanations are useful in easing the mind of a frightened child, and the in-depth details help adults learn to understand and prepare for the weather ahead.