A review by eberico
Wild Thoughts from Wild Places, by David Quammen
4.0
I had certain expectations going into this book that I feel I need to declare up front. First, I adored Quammen's [b:Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind|79985|Monster of God The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind|David Quammen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1170976247s/79985.jpg|77240], and on the basis of this adoration added Quammen's entire naturalist oeuvre to my Amazon wishlist. Second, I didn't realize this was a collection of previously published essays - not that that would have prevented me from reading it, of course, but I probably would've started elsewhere.
That said, I adored this book, read primarily on the elliptical over the last few weeks. Many of the original essays were published in his long-running Natural Acts column in Outside magazine, so at least a third of the essays lean towards sportsy-outdoors rather than sciencey-outdoors. Don't let that be a barrier to entry, however, as even the sportsiest of sportsy-outdoors essays allows time for reflection on our relationship with the natural world.
Topics of selected essays - and subsequent conversations over the dinner table or at bedtime - include:
- Man's relationship with the river
- Mountain lions (hunting, eating)
- Telemark skiing
- The varying types of wood grown in response to specific stresses
- Super pigeons
- Monogamy in the animal kingdom (including humans)
- Barnacles
- The plight of the Tanzanian Aborigine
If you enjoy your travel writing with a bit of science, or if you enjoy thinking big thoughts in small doses, this might just be the book for you.
That said, I adored this book, read primarily on the elliptical over the last few weeks. Many of the original essays were published in his long-running Natural Acts column in Outside magazine, so at least a third of the essays lean towards sportsy-outdoors rather than sciencey-outdoors. Don't let that be a barrier to entry, however, as even the sportsiest of sportsy-outdoors essays allows time for reflection on our relationship with the natural world.
Topics of selected essays - and subsequent conversations over the dinner table or at bedtime - include:
- Man's relationship with the river
- Mountain lions (hunting, eating)
- Telemark skiing
- The varying types of wood grown in response to specific stresses
- Super pigeons
- Monogamy in the animal kingdom (including humans)
- Barnacles
- The plight of the Tanzanian Aborigine
If you enjoy your travel writing with a bit of science, or if you enjoy thinking big thoughts in small doses, this might just be the book for you.