THE SAVAGE LANDSCAPE: How We Made the Wilderness, poetic and beautiful subject and discussion

THE SAVAGE LANDSCAPE: How We Made the Wilderness
CAL FLYN
Viking Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$18.99 ebook, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: A lyrical exploration of the world’s wildest, most forbiddingly remote places—and the humans who have always been there, by an award-winning and critically acclaimed writer

From the blacksand beaches of Iceland, to river crossings deep in the Amazon jungle, to the barren beauty of Antarctica, wilderness is a powerful, ancient concept, lying at the intersection of landscape, philosophy, and ecology. And for thousands of years, people have sought out uncontrolled, unknown, or uncharted nature in search of religious epiphany, self-actualization, and an escape from modern life. More recently these “pristine” places have been seen as the subject of a last effort to repair a planet imperiled by humans.

But as award-winning writer Cal Flyn traverses the most forbidding, untamed and inhospitable wild lands—the supposedly uninhabited wilds of the world—she finds that such truly untouched lands don't Nearly every wilderness has been or is actively inhabited by humans. Here we meet ascetics in search of theophany in the desert; lonely shepherds running off wolves under the stars; missionaries preaching from shacks deep in the jungle; wise lamas meditating under lofty mountain peaks.

The Savage Landscape takes us into these breathtaking wilds—deep into dark forests, to the tops of mountains, and into the hearts of deserts—asking provocative questions about the nature of wilderness, its preservation, and its meaning.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Travel writing in the poetic mode:

Wolves, bears, the wild beasts of all kinds: those that frighten us, thrill us, go bump in the night. It's what's missing, they say, from the tight-leashed land: those lamplight eyes in the dark. Without them, without that element of fear, however faint or unformed, our relationship with the land is incomplete.

"If wildlife is removed," the environmental historian Roderick Nash has argued, "although everything else remains visibly the same, the intensity of the sense of wilderness is diminished!"

In other words: the fear is a part of it.

In the course of seeking out wilderness, Author Flyn makes the not-new case that "wilderness" is a societal construcy, it's about defining who gets to go where in the end..."wilderness" is reserved, apart from daily use for the great mass of people.

It's beautifully written...see quote above...but peculiarly impersonal. It's her musings, it's entirely about her responses to and thoughts about places the majority can never access. And, as the world shrinks and we humans use more and more of it for ourselves, a privileged subset of us have decided to define pieces of the world as "wild" thus off limits to the likes of you. You happen to live there? Move. This is wilderness now. I didn't see a lot of depth in her presentation of the responses to these diktats from indigenous people, but those stories are huge, deep, and outside this impressionist work's scope. I was sent off to look for the displaced's voices elsewhere—and a salutary reminder it was.

Auhor Flyn goes deep enough to present the inevitable, fundamentally irresolvable tension between the needs of humanity and the requirements of the planet's flora and animalia. It's not the first time I've read this story...Annie Dillard was my own first encounter with poetic prose telling nature's side of the story...but it is very well-made indeed.

Anyone who rethinks the relationship of human and nature has taken on an immense task, one that can't be finished, or even really grasped, in one book. Or one lifetime. We're always in need of people who look over the edges, across the horizons, under the fences, and tell us about what they saw and what they think it means. It's a perspective check...it's never possible for one person to see through all the other eyes there are looking at the world, perceiving it as we don't, even can't. It's the ultimate purpose of reading, acquiring those other perspectives in the best (albeit necessarily incomplete and skewed) way we can.

You know the lore of the woods in the 21st century, you most likely consume the stories about the denizens of the wild places on your TV. You most likely are watching vampire and werewolf media all the time. That mode of seeing these spaces has roots. Let Author Flyn show them to you, describe their planting and limn their growth for you; it will likely change how, even what, you see.

That's the point of reading, after all.

ODD BIRDS & FAT CATS (An Urban Bestiary), beautiful gift item indeed

ODD BIRDS & FAT CATS (An Urban Bestiary)
Peter Wortsman (illus. Aurélie Bernard Wortsman)
Turtle Point Press (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$23.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Ravens in Berlin . . . Parakeets in Brooklyn . . . Chickens in Tel Aviv . . . Spiders in Cognac. City creatures spark the imagination and intellect in words and art by this father-daughter team.

Odd Birds & Fat Cats (An Urban Bestiary) is an illustrated collection of brief observations on city creatures. Inspired by the tradition of the medieval bestiary, bestiarum vocabulum, a 12th-century bestselling genre that chronicled animals and beings both real and fantastical, the book features pithy impressions of birds and animals that delight, confound, and edify, written by Peter Wortsman, coupled with detailed naturalist artwork by his daughter, Aurélie Bernard Wortsman.

Featured creatures include:

Pigeons: “When, finally, it takes flight . . . this asphalt-colored bird is like a piece of the pavement which by some fluke of gravity broke loose and is foolishly falling upward by mistake."

Seagulls: “Fallen splinters of eternity, they hang overhead with the equanimity and mild disdain of angels in a medieval altarpiece, and unlike pigeons, refuse any direct contact with man."

Ants: “Micro-managers in three-piece bodies, ants parody human antics to a tee. Or is it the other way around?"

Dust mites: “Every time you scratch yourself or comb your hair, you are feeding the tiny intruders with the detritus of self."

With four-color images throughout, printed in a beautiful hardbound edition, this one-of-a-kind volume will please the discerning animal lover, traveler, art lover, iconoclast, and literati on your gift list—and, of course, also you!

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: The world is changing around us at huge speed. A bestiary such as this will stand as a record as change accelerates, making these creatures either obsolete or altered. It's a great gift item for your environmentalist giftee, of any age after fourteen. It's gorgeous, informative, not in the least bit dry; this is a gift item pure and simple.

contents page

In studying the urban world, the father/daughter team decided we should feature as much as the other animals..after all no us, no cities:

Of course, the creatures around us are as prominent as they are to our quotidian notice...maybe moreso:

And, I must say, I found the humor, and the observations of beauty, both equally delightful as I browsed the book.

Something for a discerning special late teen, young adult, or friend who loves to look at te world through beautiful glasses.

THE GOLDEN TOAD: An Ecological Mystery and the Search for a Lost Species, brothers on a mission to do good for Toadkind

THE GOLDEN TOAD: An Ecological Mystery and the Search for a Lost Species
TREVOR RITLAND & KYLE RITLAND
Diversion Books (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$30.99 hardcover, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: The Costa Rican cloud forest, a mysterious amphibian killer, and a vanished species: with support from Re:wild campaign, twin brothers follow their father’s footsteps into the heart of the modern extinction crisis.

As young boys, Trevor and Kyle Ritland were fascinated by the magnificent golden toad of Costa Rica, a brilliant species their biologist father showed them in his projector’s slideshows. Native to only one wind-battered ridgeline high on the continental divide above the cloud forests of Monteverde, thousands of golden toads would congregate for a few weeks each year in ephemeral pools among the twisted roots to mate, deposit their offspring, and retreat again beneath the earth. But from one year to the next, the toads disappeared without a trace; the last of them vanished more than thirty years ago. Since then, only rumors remain—alleged sightings by local residents, which beg the question: Could the golden toad still be alive?

In The Golden Toad, Trevor and Kyle set off to investigate an environmental mystery with unexpected revelations, a story that speaks to our own collective and uncertain future. Guided by Costa Rican naturalists—including the last person to have seen the golden toad alive—Trevor searches for survivors while Kyle hunts the killer. Their paths lead them through an imperiled forest, a deadly pandemic, and a changing climate, finally intertwining at the site of the golden toad’s last emergence deep in Monteverde’s Bosque Eterno de Los Niños.

The toad’s demise becomes a haunting foretelling of approaching ecological crises, but with a gold lining on the horizon. The Golden Toad changes the conversation around extinction, climate change, and conservation while exploring environmental grief, resurrection, and hope in a changing world.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: If a conversation ever needed changing towards hope in dark times, it's the one around the worldwide amphibian extinction. In point of fact there aren't too many subjects that we do not need to find ways of discussing that include hope, hopefulness at the minimum.

The Ritland siblings found a way to do that. They have not found any surviving populations of the golden toad, but they have contributed a lot to the information store about the fungal enemy of amphibiankind that is globally decimating the world's population of all amphibians.

A family inheritance of curiosity and wanderlust, plus a strong grounding in biology and science more generally, sent this pair to a global biodiversity hotspot, Costa Rica, to do anything they can for the decades-missing golden toad. I know the story here is factual but it reads like a fictional adventure. The men are the kind of competent and driven people that make compelling reading; they are traveling in a landscape so replete with unique life as to be alien to sedentary US readers; and they encounter so many people intent on their own business who either help the men in their quest *because* of the quest, or in spite of it, or try to influence them away from their golden-toad search. It's a bit, well, repetitious at times. I don't think that's surprising at all. There is a great deal of information important to understanding the way things need to unfold to accomplish the needed tasks. It naturally will require periodic refreshers of facts readers most likely won't have fresh in their minds.

Still takes time and energy out of what was from the start a very propulsive narrative style, so I can't honestly award a fifth star to the reading experience. As a story told, it gets all five stars, however, so that explains the compromise half-star I polished up for the Ritlands.

Batrachochytrium dedrobatidis is a terrible, fatal scourge, one unleashed in its scope of havoc-wreaking by our changing climate. Anyone who contributes to the knowledge base regarding it, its impacts, and ultimately the ways and means of its future control or eradication, should be celebrated and praised. The Ritlands are large figures in this world-wide effort. Please help celebrate their passion and their contribution. Get a copy, give a copy, read a copy. It's definitely not time wasted.

AMAZING OCTOPUS: Creature from an unknown world

AMAZING OCTOPUS: Creature from an unknown world
MICHAEL STAVARIČ (tr. Oliver Latsch; illus. Michèle Ganser)
Pushkin Children's Books
$27.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Dive beneath the waves and explore the amazing world of the octopus with this fact-filled book for middle grade readers who can’t get enough about marine animals!

What do ocean and space have in common? How did octopuses and humans evolve? What exactly are cephalopods - and why do they have such a funny name?

Octopuses are the oldest and most intelligent creatures on our planet, true aliens whose abilities amaze us. Michael Stavarič and Michèle Ganser have created a non-fiction book full of surprising twists and turns that offer much more than just imparting knowledge.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I appear to be a middle-grade reader "who can’t get enough about marine animals". I loved reading this book, as ably translated by Oliver Latsch, and I reveled in the illustrations. They're done in an approachable, informative way:

These three were provided by Pushkin Children's Books to show just how astonishingly rich and fascinating all the illustrations are; Michèle Ganser is a major talent. Many more from this pen, please.

Since I'm a firm believer that the Tentacled Americans of all species are as close to alien inteligences as we're going to get for the moment, I was very happy with the choice to link them to outer space in this book.

Octopuses, as we know by now, are cephalopods—their legs, or rather their tentacles, are directly connected to their heads. This may give them a somewhat sack-like appearance to our eyes. Basically, they only consist of a huge head, two big eyes and eight arms, which are equipped with suckers on the underside. So it is not surprising that octopuses are also often called “aliens”.

It's all like this, told as though your science teacher is a fun, funny storyteller with a lot of knowledge to make your learning painless.

The best part of this approach is that the astounding intelligence and real-life coolness of the cephalopd tribe gets hold of you quickly and, if I read this right, permanently. Your budding marine scientist will love the experience of reading this. It's not like most science books for this age group are...brightly colored and written down...so it'll appeal to the serious about science while not repelling the casually interested.

Parents will enjoy it, too, in large part because they'll recognize the Socratic teaching style of asking questions, of probing for the reader's existing knowledge. It's the best way I know of to get new facts to stick: Locate them in the child's existing nexus of information.

The physical book must be a delight to hold. The DRC is a delight to look at, a real visual feast. It marries the beautiful art with an effective, elegant page design. You generally won't go wrong with Pushkin Press's output. This book is no exception.

UTTER, EARTH: Advice on Living in a More-than-Human World delivers wisdom and smiles in equal measure

UTTER, EARTH: Advice on Living in a More-than-Human World
ISAAC YUEN
West Virginia University Press
$21.99 trade paper, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: A light, literary take on an animal book for grown-ups, a tongue-in-cheek self-help column with lessons drawn from nature, a sort of hitchhiker’s guide to the more-than-human world—Isaac Yuen’s Utter, Earth is a celebration, through wordplay and earthplay, of our planet’s riotous wonders.

In a time of dirges and elegies for the natural world, Utter, Earth features odes to sloths, tributes to trilobites, and ringing endorsements for lichen. For animal lovers and readers of Brian Doyle, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Amy Leach, each essay of this one-of-a-kind collection combines joyous language, whimsical tangents, and scientific findings to remind us of and reconnect us with those to whom we are inextricably bound. Highlighting life that once was, still is, and all that we stand to lose, this living and lively mini encyclopedia (complete with glossary) shines the spotlight on the motley, fantastical, and astonishing denizens with whom we share this planet.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: Wry, amusing essays on life, the Universe, and everything. I'm not sure I'd've picked this book up if it hadn't been for David Naimon (podcast Between the Covers host) delivering this encomium:

“To shoal is to be social, to sense together, we learn in one of Yuen’s more-than-human essays. But to school is to sweep together in unison, to dazzle with coherence. It’s this spirit of schooling that animates Utter, Earth, essays that—in their curiosity, play, and care—aim to weave us back into a world of which we are but one small part. How would our language change if we invited nonhuman others alongside us again in fellowship, if our lives not only allowed for but celebrated everything swimming just beyond the limits of what we know? It’s not time for school, it’s time to school, to school with the creatures of Utter, Earth, the lemurs, leopards, and leafcutter ants, the wombats, waterbuck, and wildebeest, to school with others to find ourselves again.”

Like any collection of essays, some work better for individual reader than others. My own favorites were:
I was charmed and amused and educated by these pieces of Author Yuen's brain. I'm pretty sure I could summarize the contents of the essays, but I'm also sure that constitutes a spoiler. And having run afoul of the shrill shrieks of the Spoiler Stasi before, I ain't a-doin' that. Read 'em your damnself.

I'll give you these, because if you want to yell at someone, you can yell at the press's marketing folk for including them:

There. I've done what I can to entice you into getting and enhoying this condensed, enriched, fortified collection of an intelligent man's musings on words, ideas, and the way they interact to form the world. Even the odd, off-kilter title of the collection makes perfect sense after reading the entire book. (I suspect that, like me, a lot of y'all might be put off by it...please ignore that urge and try this one out!)

Get two. You'll want one, and it's Yuletide so gifting one to someone who loves nature, language, and humor, is only decent.

WHAT THE BEES SEE: A Honeybee's Eye View of the World, another gorgeous gift book from Chronicle Books

WHAT THE BEES SEE: A Honeybee's Eye View of the World
CRAIG P. BURROWS
Chronicle Books
$40.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Discover the magical world of the honeybee with this deluxe book, featuring 70 stunning images shot with ultraviolet technology.

A comprehensive look into the amazing science of bees, this book collects mesmerizing ultraviolet-induced visible fluorescence (UVIVF) photography of flowers and nature and offers fascinating research that explores every aspect of our relationship with honeybees. Learn about the history of beekeeping, current environmental impacts affecting bees, and the rise of bee products in medical and wellness spaces. As you travel through the world of bees, you'll discover a diverse range of flora showcased in a whole new light through the ultraviolet spectrum, from orchids and anemones to manuka and cactus blossoms. A gorgeous gift for environmentalists and photography fans alike, this in-depth book invites us to reimagine the world from a bee's point of view and better understand its importance to the future of all life on earth.

PHENOMENAL NATURE IMAGERY: Craig P. Burrows has been specializing in UVIVF photography for nearly a decade, and this book includes 70 incredible photos taken using this innovative technique. Burrow's luminescent images capture the magic of nature and showcase flowers glowing in otherworldly blues and teals, simulating how bees and other pollinators become attracted to the plants.

GET THE BUZZ ABOUT BEES: In addition to the incredible UV photography, this book features engaging illustrations and infographics, archival and historical images, and original interviews with over forty of the world’s leading experts on bees and bee products. Organized into three distinct sections on bee ecosystems, bee products and cultivation, and modern medical and wellness advances tied to bees, this in-depth book illuminates the extraordinary role the honeybee has played throughout history and will answer questions you didn’t even know you had.

SUSTAINABILITY GIFT BOOK: This deluxe photobook is a great gift for nature lovers, bee and beekeeping enthusiasts, and anyone who cares about environmental conservation and preservation. Add it to the shelf with books like the National Geographic Photo Ark series by Joel Sartore and DK's The Bee Book.

Perfect for:

Bee, insect, and bug enthusiasts

Nature lovers and environmental activists

Flower and nature photography lovers

People interested in learning about bee products used in medicine, wellness, and skincare

People interested in UVIVF technology and innovative photography techniques

Fans of nature documentaries like David Attenborough’s Life In Color series

Fans of Craig P. Burrows's research and photography

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.

My Review: This is an absolutely amazing subject. We know we don't experience a lot of the world as it is, most wavelengths of light are invisible to us. The modern world has offered us so many ways to simulate the experience of perceiving the things we're missing that it's become almost routine to see some new image previously unimaginable.

The entire scientific world is agog, for example, over the infrared discoveries the James Webb Space Telescope is making with every data release. Miracles of discovery are taking place in astrophysics, in astronomy, that were inconceivable (that word means exactly what I think it means) a decade ago.

Now it's the Earthbound world's turn.

The author is a horticulturist, an artist, and a photographer who marries all his passions with a scientist's viewpoint. He's been published in National Geographic, so we know he's at the top of his field. His horticultural training, melded to his photographic career, led to the idea of this book.

I've selected some design-heavy pages to go with his absolutely stunning (to me, anyway) photos that marry UV perception to our ordinary perception. I hope it gives you an idea of just what a visual feast this book is. Stunning in the best possible way—I was a bit dizzy from looking at the blends of perception the author and publisher created and presented here.

The text is very much what I expected. The author speaks knowledgeably about the honeybee, its life and its function in nature. He carefully grounds the reader in the reality of the creature's ways and means before waxing lyrical about its very different perception that we call vision.

It is not a kids' book. It's what I'd encourage you to give to your budding biologist, your green-the-world young person, or the shutterbug giftee...the physicist, the gardener, the environmentalist...anyone who loves beautiful books....

It is a lovely thing to have on your coffee table, if you've been extra-good and Santa needs to reward you, too.