By Gordon Grice
How does a tiny field jellyfish, without mind and little regulate over the place it is going within the water, be capable to kill a full-grown guy? What damage have hippos been recognized to inflict on people, and why? What makes our closest cousin, the chimpanzee, the main risky of all apes to come across within the wild?
In this elegantly illustrated, usually darkly humorous compendium of animal predation, Gordon Grice, hailed by way of Michael Pollan as “a clean, unusual, and beautiful new voice in American nature writing,” offers findings which are by way of turns incredible, funny, and frightening. in my view obsessed by way of either the risk and wonder of animals due to the fact that he used to be six years previous and a dangerous cougar wandered onto his family’s farm, Grice now reaps a life of research during this exact survey—at as soon as a analyzing ebook and a resource.
Categorized via type and educated all through through the author’s unsentimental view of the usual order and our position in it, listed below are the hard-to-stomach, hard-to-resist proof and legends of animal encounters. no matter if it’s the elephant that collided with a gasoline tanker and lived (the tanker exploded), the turn-of-the-century family healing for a copperhead chunk (douse the contaminated sector in kerosene), or the shark that terrorized the hot Jersey beach for a summer time (later inspiring the movie Jaws), every thing you’ve ever desired to learn about animals yet have been afraid to invite is incorporated during this hair-raising, heart-racing quantity. via turns wondrous, mordant, and sobering, this booklet is ultimately a party of the animal world—in all its perilous glory—by a author who’s been heralded via The long island Times for his skill to mix “the observations of a naturalist with a dry, homespun philosopher’s wit.”
Review
“Did he say repugnatorial gland? What a wealth of data Gordon Grice is, and what an exceptional, beguiling author. This publication is a needs to for an individual even remotely deliberating getting a monkey, a sea lion, or, heaven forbid, a dog.”
~ David Sedaris
“A awesome, a bit terrifying, completely alluring stumble upon with the animal world—not fairly like whatever I’ve ever learn before."
~ Elizabeth Gilbert, writer of Eat, Pray, Love and Committed
“Deadly country is an engagingly unique box advisor to the venomous, the sharp-clawed, the infectious, and the downright predatory. It’s a witty, interesting, and playfully macabre read.”
~ David Baron, writer of The Beast within the Garden
“Deadly nation is typically gory, constantly stunning, and very nice. Gordon Grice is a hot and humorous advisor, his hands consistently at the evidence. There are outstanding tales the following, interesting humans and locations, yet certainly, there are the animals we notion we knew, and those we’ve by no means heard of: hagfish, guinea worms, eyelash vipers, blister beetles. You’ll by no means cross barefoot within the barnyard again.”
~ Bill Roorbach, writer of Temple circulate: A Rural Odyssey
“Deadly country makes it transparent that you're not on best of the meals chain.”
~ Pamela Nagami, M.D., writer of Bitten: actual clinical tales of Bites and Stings
About the Author
Gordon Grice has written for The New Yorker, Harper’s, notice, Granta, and different magazines. His first e-book, The crimson Hourglass, used to be named the most effective Books of the 12 months by way of the Los Angeles Times and the hot York Public Library. His paintings has been anthologized in The most sensible American Essays. He lives along with his family members in Wisconsin.
Note: retail EPUB, contains TOC/chapters.
eISBN: 978-0-440-33890-1
Read or Download Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals PDF
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Additional resources for Deadly Kingdom: The Book of Dangerous Animals
Sample text
Inside five minutes, Bob, Jupiter, and the professor were on their way in the Rolls-Royce. By now it was almost dark. After they had gone. Wilkins went to the kitchen, where he had been polishing some Oriental brass-work, and resumed his task. After a short time, a slight noise outside attracted his attention. It was not repeated, but he rose and, grasping an ancient sword which was part of the professor’s collection, he made his way into the museum room. Everything seemed in order. The lid of the mummy case was back in place and the windows were shut, as he had left them after the others had departed.
He asked. ” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pete told him. “If you’re talking about the mummy why do you call him grandfather? He’s three thousand years old. ” The other boy shook his head. “He is gone,” he said. ” Pete exclaimed. ” “Is true,” the other boy said. ” Pete turned his head to look into the museum room. The mummy case looked undisturbed. But if this boy who called himself Hamid was telling the truth, and the mummy was gone, the whole case had taken a very surprising turn.
Wilkins! We have forgotten all about Wilkins. He was here. I wonder if the scoundrels have harmed him. ” Bob asked. He had read many mysteries in which the butler had turned out to be the criminal. “Of course not. Wilkins has been with me for ten years! ” The small white-haired man dashed out on the terrace. His eye caught the sword on the tiles. He picked it up. ” he said. “Wilkins must have seized it to defend himself. They’ve abducted him too. ” He was about to turn back into the house when a slight groan reached his ears.