The Book of Barely Imagined Beings: A 21st Century BestiaryUniversity of Chicago Press, 2 mai 2013 - 448 pages “Caspar Henderson takes us on an eye-opening tour of real animals that no sane human could ever have invented.” —Frans de Waal, New York Times–bestselling author With The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson’s book—from the axolotl to the zebrafish—are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers. The Book of Barely Imagined Beings transports readers to a world of real creatures that seem as if they should be made up—that are somehow more astonishing than anything we might have imagined. The yeti crab, for example, uses its furry claws to farm the bacteria on which it feeds. The waterbear, meanwhile, is among nature’s “extreme survivors,” able to withstand a week unprotected in outer space. These and other strange and surprising species invite readers to reflect on what we value—or fail to value—and what we might change. A powerful combination of wit, cutting-edge natural history, and philosophical meditation, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is an infectious and inspiring celebration of the sheer ingenuity and variety of life in a time of crisis and change. “The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is one that Pliny would have envied, Darwin applauded, and Borges relished . . . In these days of doom and gloom, I can think of nothing more rejoicing than Caspar Henderson’s magical book.” —Alberto Manguel, author of A History of Reading “Magnificent, bravura, beautiful and astoundingly interesting.” —The Sunday Times “Spell-binding, brilliantly executed, extraordinary.” —The Guardian |
Table des matières
1 | |
Barrel Sponge
| 25 |
Crown of Thorns Starfish
| 39 |
Dolphin
| 51 |
Eel And Other Monsters
| 67 |
Flatworm And Other Worms
| 81 |
Gonodactylus The Genital Fingered Stomatopod
| 99 |
Human
| 117 |
Sea Butterfly
| 283 |
Thorny Devil
| 295 |
Goblin Shark
| 305 |
Venuss Girdle
| 315 |
Waterbear
| 321 |
Xenoglaux The LongWhiskered Owlet
| 331 |
Xenophyophore
| 341 |
Yeti Crab
| 353 |
Iridogorgia Pourtales II | 133 |
Japanese Macaque
| 151 |
The Honey Badger and the Honeyguide
| 171 |
Leatherback Turtle
| 183 |
A Jumping Spider
| 197 |
Nautilus
| 207 |
Octopus
| 225 |
Pufferfish
| 239 |
Quetzalcoatlus
| 245 |
Right Whale
| 267 |
Zebrafish
| 367 |
A Conclusion In Which Nothing Is Concluded
| 377 |
Biological Classification
| 381 |
Deep Time
| 385 |
389 | |
Thanks
| 412 |
Picture Credits
| 414 |
Text Credits
| 416 |
418 | |
Autres éditions - Tout afficher
The Book of Barely Imagined Beings: A 21st-Century Bestiary Caspar Henderson Aucun aperçu disponible - 2013 |
Expressions et termes fréquents
ability actually ancestors ancient animal’s animals Anthropocene archaea axolotl bacteria beauty bestiaries biologist bird black smokers body Bowheads brain called Cambrian cells cent century cephalopods chordates Christopher Smart colour Conservation status coral creatures Darwin death deep dolphins Earth eels evolved example extinction eyes feet film fish flight floating floor flow flying fossil giant Goblin shark Hadza Honey badger human hundred imagination jaws killed kind permission known least Leatherback living look macaques mammals marine metres million years ago monster Nature Picture Library Nautilus ocean octopus organisms perhaps Phylum plankton plants predators prey primates pterosaurs Pufferfish Quetzalcoatlus radiolaria reefs reflect resemble right whale rock salamander scientists seabed sense shape shark shells species spiders spiral sponges stars stomatopods story things Thorny Devil thousands tiny tion turtles Velvet worms viruses vision worms Xenophyophores Yeti crab zebrafish