Myself and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell
Myself and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell
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Myself and Other Animals

Author: Gerald Durrell

Narrator: Julian Wadham, Anne Dover

Unabridged: 10 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 12/05/2024


Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.

A final posthumous work from the beloved conservationist and naturalist Gerald Durrell, to celebrate the centenary of his birth, with a new foreword written by HRH Princess Anne.

Myself and Other Animals is a new book mosaicked from unpublished autobiographies, uncollected pieces and previously published extracts from Durrell’s work and archives. The result is an extraordinary journey through Durrell’s life in his own words, edited and introduced by his widow Lee Durrell.

Drawing on a memoir that Durrell started writing before he became too ill to continue it, and an unfinished book from a trip to Australia in 1969 to the Great Barrier Reef, Northern Territory and Queensland, here is the unvarnished story of Durrell’s life, from touching family tributes to golden bats and pink pigeons.

Moving from India to England and then to the always sun-lit Corfu, told with dry wit and insight into our fellow animals, here is the vivid finale of one of Britain’s most beloved conservationists and prose stylists.

‘Gerald Durrell was magic’ SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

‘One of the finest and most lyrical nature writers in English’ OBSERVER

© Gerald Durrell 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bianca on May 24, 2025

This is a posthumous book made up of essays and an unpublished memoir and other bits and pieces from the great conservationist, zoologist and brilliant writer, Gerald Durrell. It covers many years, from the wonderful childhood years spent on the Greek island of Corfu before the beginning of WWII, to......more

Goodreads review by John on January 19, 2025

Wonderful writing, of course, but a mixture of greatest hits and previously-unpublished (or largely forgotten) scraps doesn’t quite work.......more

Goodreads review by Ruth on May 25, 2025

This is a collection of essays and diary entries that span the whole of Durrell's life that culminate with his zoo in Jersey and worldwide conservation work. His descriptions of animals are brilliant. He makes them so human you know exactly what he means and they are a pleasure to read. The chapters I......more

Goodreads review by Tracy on January 09, 2025

A touching way to celebrate the life of Gerald Durrell, who would have turned 100 this year.......more

Goodreads review by Mae on October 26, 2025

Vahel ma libastun ja loen ikka "vale" venda ka, kuigi möönan - Larry vastu ta ikka ei saa :) See on natuke elulooraamat ja natuke selline "suve lõpus maakodust lahkumise eelõhtul jääkidest kokku keeratud potitäis". See viimane kõlab koledalt, ma tean, aga maitseb tavaliselt oi kui hea. Ilmselt on sii......more


Quotes

Nature’s most rapt inspector, ally and celebrant . . . I could read about Durrell’s wildlife encounters all day . . . a wise, genial and world-encompassing book Sunday Times

Fills important gaps in the biographical narrative . . . Truly, there is magic here Guardian

A moving tribute to Gerald's endeavours and achievements as a conservationist Spectator

Funny and readable and hugely charming . . . Durrell really can write like a dream . . . This book is a charming tribute to him: a reminder of his beliefs, and of his ability to make you laugh while making you think i

Sparkling descriptions of animal behaviour are the beating heart of Durrell’s accounts of trips to Cameroon, Guyana, New Zealand, Mauritius, Madagascar and elsewhere . . . Durrell’s concern for species extinction thrums throughout Myself and Other Animals Guardian

Celebrates his extraordinary life in technicolour Daily Express

Reading Myself & Other Animals makes you feel like an archaeologist uncovering an ancient mosaic. As you leaf through a section, you reveal the colourful sparkle of a new fragment. It isn’t a complete picture, but by the end, you can see enough to feel you know Gerald Durrell just that bit better . . . earns its place in the pantheon of Durrell’s books New Scientist

Replete with characters of feathers, fur and fin, it offers an intimate picture of the naturalist and his travels National Geographic

A generous and magnificent achievement – an autobiography, of sorts, composed of excerpts both well-known and rare, each carrying Durrell’s distinctive, engaging and entertaining voice. A century on from the beloved conservationist’s birth, when so many forms of life remain at risk of extinction, it also stands as an important call to action before it’s too late