Natural Acts, David Quammen
Natural Acts, David Quammen
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Natural Acts
A Sidelong View of Science and Nature

Author: David Quammen

Narrator: Patrick Lawlor

Unabridged: 13 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/28/2022

Categories: Nonfiction, Nature, Ecology

Synopsis

"Lively writing about science and nature depends less on the offering of good answers, I think, than on the offering of good questions," said David Quammen in the original introduction to Natural Acts. For more than two decades, he has stuck to that credo. In this updated version of Natural Acts, curiosity leads him from New Mexico to Romania, from the Congo to the Amazon, asking questions about mosquitoes (what are their redeeming merits?), dinosaurs (how did they change the life of a dyslexic Vietnam vet?), and cloning (can it save endangered species?).

This revised and expanded edition best-loved "Natural Acts" columns, which first appeared in Outside magazine in the early 1980s, and includes recent pieces such as "Planet of Weeds," an influential new Natural Acts is an eye-opening journey that will please both Quammen fans and newcomers to his work.

About David Quammen

David Quammen is the author of The Song of the Dodo, among other books. He has been honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and is the recipient of a John Burroughs Medal and the National Magazine Award. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Greg on September 16, 2011

I promised a second review / rant about people I hate. This is it. This time it's Smug Environmentalists. The hate will manifest as the review goes on. Natural Acts is a collection of essays, which mostly appeared originally in the authors column in "Outside" magazine. The essays mostly look at a pa......more

Goodreads review by Jeremy on December 27, 2008

This book is almost certainly the source for my fondness (and concern) for crows, my intermittent fascination with Tycho Brahe, and my incomplete knowledge of sea cucumbers. They can turn themselves inside out, you know. The sea cucumbers, I mean.......more

Goodreads review by David on November 28, 2022

A book of essays on nature topics (why salmon die after spawning, for example) that were originally published as newspaper columns or magazine articles, all with just a dash of humor added. It's a fun read.......more

Goodreads review by Max on March 26, 2013

As I walked past a small bookstore in Lincoln, Nebraska, I noticed David Quammen's "Natural Acts" displayed prominently in the window. Honestly, I was drawn to it because the cover was beautifully designed(while it's improper to judge a book based on it's cover, I've never seen anything wrong pickin......more

Goodreads review by Adam on September 25, 2011

David Quammen is a self-effacing naturalist and travel author which I can't help but compare to Bill Bryson. He has a sharp wit and is good at bringing lofty and complex concepts from the natural sciences to a general audience. His writing is, from a technical standpoint, some of the best I've ever......more

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