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Supreme Being
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: 27 August 2010
Posts: 125,
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I'd like to recommend The Running Sky by Tim Dee. Subtitled 'A Birdwatching Life' it is actually a collection of reflections and thoughts on birds and their place in our world. Part philosophical treatise, part biography, part poetry, it really is an extraordinary and highly thought provoking book.
One chapter is particularly relevant to this forum, as it is based around the story of John Buxton's NN monograph - The Redstart and Huxley and Fisher's responses to JB's desire for it not to be too 'scientifically' based. It's fascinating stuff....
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Forum Member
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Last Login: Yesterday @ 16:44
Posts: 31,
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| I've bought this on your recommendation Hengus. A book I would recommend equally highly is Michael McCarthy's "Goodbye to the Cuckoo", which is much more uplifting than the title would suggest. It's an engrossing read by an accomplished and erudite natural history writer who touches on many cultural, historical and geopolitical topics in little asides in order to provide interesting nuggets of information relevant to the narrative. I am also looking forward to reading Simon Barnes' "My Natural History", another excellent natural history chronicler. The subject of NN-related books is surely one which ought to get this forum going again. In the old forum there was an interesting and rewarding exchange of recommendations during the summer of 2008. ("Honorary" New Naturalists etc such as the recent highly-praised re-issue of The Peregrine) Perhaps Alex could get his support people to make these earlier contributions available on this forum? Not only are they useful in themselves but will surely be of interest to the many members who have joined since then. This ought to promote more contributions. John B
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Forum Member
Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 16:44
Posts: 31,
Visits: 358
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| I had forgotten that it is possible to access the old forum on pdf as shown in Alex's red message - "Old Forum Messages - Available as Archive". And the search function does work. John B
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