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Bezig met laden... Birdscapes: Birds in Our Imagination and Experiencedoor Jeremy Mynott
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. I was never able to read this cover to cover. I hope to return to it some time in the future. ( ) Birdscapes does indeed examine birds in our imagination and in the experience of humans who notice them, so Mynott's subtitle is quite accurate but does not capture the breadth of his imagination or the depth of his thinking. How else explain his inclusion of Aristophanes, Homer, Plato and Aristotle beside Monty Python, burlesque theater, Shakespeare, Thoreau, Ted Hughes, John Clare and just about every English language field guide to birds. Reading this book, I laughed at times, I pondered at times, I enjoyed Mynott's thoughts and words throughout. Much like The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology, this book is dense and overflowing with information. Sadly, I wasn't able to finish this one, either, before I had to return it to the library. I will say that I enjoyed Mynott's writing style more than Birkhead's, possibly because Mynott brings a literary background (former chief executive of Cambridge University Press) compared to Birkhead's science background (he's an avian ecologist). But I also preferred how this book was organized, too. I still skipped around in the text, but I think I'll probably check it out again in the future and finish it up.
The author's knowledge of birding literature, including bird-related poetry (Keats), fiction (Dickens), and classical literature (Greek mythology, Shakespeare), is mind-boggling and somewhat intimidating, but enlightening. His lengthy discussions on the bird musings of some of the most celebrated British and American nature-writers--John Clare, Gilbert White, Thoreau, Audubon--are insightful, original, and rewarding... Ultimately, Birdscapes is just the volume for birders who welcome literate, thought-provoking writing, or are just trying to understand their own love of birds. Princeton University Press, 2009. 367 pages, 9.4 x 6.5 inches, $29.95. Bird Watchers Digest, November/December, 2009
Spring returns and with it the birds. But it also brings throngs of birders who emerge, binoculars in hand, to catch a glimpse of a rare or previously unseen species or to simply lay eyes on a particularly fine specimen of a familiar type. In a delightful meditation that unexpectedly ranges from the Volga Delta to Central Park and from Charles Dickens's Hard Times to a 1940's London burlesque show, Jeremy Mynott ponders what makes birds so beautiful and alluring to so many people. Princeton Shorts are brief selections taken from influential Princeton University Press books and produced exclusively in ebook format. Providing unmatched insight into important contemporary issues or timeless passages from classic works of the past, Princeton Shorts enable you to be an instant expert in a world where information is everywhere but quality is at a premium. Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)598Natural sciences and mathematics Zoology BirdsLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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