Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
Astonishing Animals - Extraordinary Creatures and the Fantastic Worlds They Inhabit - cover

Astonishing Animals - Extraordinary Creatures and the Fantastic Worlds They Inhabit

Tim Flannery

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

From the authors of A Gap in Nature, a breathtaking visual adventure showcasing ninety of the world’s most astounding creatures.   Sumptuous birds of paradise, amazing soft-shell turtles, frogs that look like tomatoes, and terrifying fish (including the deep-water angler fish from Finding Nemo) are just some of the extraordinary creatures that can be found in Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten’s new book, Astonishing Animals.   Superbly illustrated with lifelike full-color paintings, Astonishing Animals details ninety of the world’s most amazing animals from around the world. In this book you will find the hairy seadevil; the spectacular Sulawesi naked bat; and in the depths of the limestone caves in Slovenia, the olm, a pink, four-legged, sightless salamander that lives for a hundred years. In fascinating vignettes, Flannery offers the true evolutionary tale of how each of these bizarre creatures came to look the way they do. Alongside each historical account is a stunning hand-painted color reproduction (life-size in the original painting) by Schouten.   Filled with purple-faced apes, jagged-toothed dolphins, and antlered lizards, Astonishing Animals is a remarkable collection of the world’s most incredible creatures and the stories behind their remarkable survival into a modern age.   “An elegant paean to some of the world’s strangest and/or most beautiful creatures.” —Mary Ann Gwinn, The Seattle Times   “As beautiful as it is fascinating, this book will be relished by animal lovers of all stripes.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Available since: 03/01/2012.
Print length: 192 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • Undiscovered Scotland - The second of WH Murray's great classics of mountain literature - cover

    Undiscovered Scotland - The...

    W.H. Murray

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In Mountaineering in Scotland, climber and mountaineer W.H. Murray vividly describes some of the most sought-after and classic British climbs on rock and ice, including the Cuillin Ridge on Skye and Ben Nevis.
    
    The book – written in secret on toilet paper in whilst Murray was a prisoner of war – is infused with the sense of freedom and joy the author found in the mountains. He details the hardship and pleasure wrung from high camping in winter, climbs Clachaig Gully and makes the second winter ascent of Observatory Ridge. Murray recounts his adventures in Glencoe and the mountains beyond – including a terrifying near-death experience at the falls of Falloch.
    
    Murray's first book, Mountaineering in Scotland is widely acknowledged as a classic of mountaineering literature. It inspirational prose – as fresh now as when first published – is bound to make a reader reach for their tent and head for the hills of Scotland. He asserts, 'Seeming danger ensures that on mountains, more than elsewhere, life may be lived at the full.'
    
    This is classic mountain climbing literature at its best.
    Show book
  • Creating Life - The Podcast Transcripts - cover

    Creating Life - The Podcast...

    Randy Ellefson

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Learning to create a unique, immersive life form one podcast episode at a time. 
    World building strategist Randy Ellefson turned his successful book series, THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, into a popular podcast of the same name, with episodes loosely drawn from each book in the series. The transcripts of 15 episodes are collected here, based on a theme: they’re about CREATING LIFE and inspired by chapters of that volume. Ranging from 25-35 minutes each, the episodes discuss gods, species/races, plants, animals, monsters, heroes, villains, and even undead. 
    More improvisational and freewheeling than volume one, CREATING LIFE – The PODCAST TRANSCRIPTS (THE ART OF WORLD BUILDING, #4) goes into more detail about everything. Different subjects that are found across volumes are woven together more fluidly here. While one entire episode covers something not found in volume one, the other episodes cover familiar territory but with a new spin. This edition is designed for those who want to dive deep, and for fans of the podcast who’d like a permanent, written copy. 
    No other world building podcast provides transcripts you can take with you. Whether experts or beginners, storytellers, game designers, gamers, and hobbyists can take their fantasy and science fiction worlds to new levels, benefiting from the author’s quarter century of world building experience. 
    Build better, faster.
    Show book
  • Anywhere Travel Guide - 75 Prompts for Discovering the Unexpected Wherever Your Journey Leads - cover

    Anywhere Travel Guide - 75...

    Magda Lipka Falck

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Seventy-five ways to embrace a spirit of adventure—around the world or around the corner. 
     
    Ask the next person you meet where his/her favorite street is. Go there. 
     
    Write down what you like about this city on a small piece of paper. Leave it where someone else will find it later. 
     
    If you can see a shop from where you are, step inside it. 
     
    A creative travel guide for anywhere, this handy book includes seventy-five inspirations for exploration. With a unique mix of concrete actions and whimsical prompts, the Anywhere Travel Guide takes you on a journey that encourages you to see things differently, to discover both new and familiar places—and to bring a new spirit of adventure to your life.
    Show book
  • The Everything Sewing Book - From Threading the Needle to Basting the Hem All You Need to Alter and Create Beautiful Clothes Gifts and Decorations - cover

    The Everything Sewing Book -...

    Sandra Detrixhe

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Despite the availability of retail fashion, more and more people are turning away from the assembly line toward one-of-a-kind clothing, decorations, and accessories.The Everything Sewing Book provides readers with easy instructions for creating beautiful garments, gifts, and decorations for the home. From selecting the right needle and thread to choosing fabrics, reading patterns, and working with a machine, this uncomplicated book introduces readers to the basics of sewing as they complete increasingly challenging projects that will be cherished for years to come. Also included are tips and tricks for making alterations and repairs and dressing up old clothes with embroidery and accents.Projects include:Curtains and tableclothsColorful appliqued tote bagsPillows and wall hangingsDresses and skirtsShirts and vestsSupplemented with foolproof illustrations, The Everything Sewing Book is the perfect gift for anyone interested in learning this rewarding craft.
    Show book
  • Paris 20 - Top 101 Places to Visit in Paris to Have Fun Take Pictures Meet People Eat Food See Beautiful Views and Experience Paris France to the Fullest From A to Z - cover

    Paris 20 - Top 101 Places to...

    HowExpert, Caitlyn Knuth

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    If you’ve ever felt the mysterious pull of Paris, France, you’ll know it’s a hard calling to ignore. Through centuries and generations, Paris has been an icon of intrigue—inspiring artists, great minds and innovators alike. Brimming over with history, fashion, delicious food and unexpected encounters, the City of Light captivates thousands of visitors from around the globe each and every year. 
    This insider’s guide to Paris acts as an essential starting point for those looking to create their own magical experience in a glittering city known for all that is exceptional and exquisite. Whether your heart beats in time with the artists of the past, your pen flows with Parisian inspiration or you’re simply looking for that je ne sais quoi the city can offer up, there’s something here for every traveler who possesses the spirit of exploration. With everything from tips to the best cafés for people watching, to the must-see cathedrals and every quirky and quintessential museum in between, you’ll find a unique path through Paris inspired here, but designed exclusively by you. 
    Join up with the ranks of ex-pats from the past including Stein, Wilde and Hemingway as you begin to learn about some of those places that create the very pulse of Paris. As you wander along with this guide through luscious Parisian parks, towering castles and pristine palaces, you’ll begin to see how you can become a part of a city buzzing with life, love and possibility. 
    About the Expert 
    Caitlyn Knuth is a lifelong writer who was inspired to put a pen to paper as a child long before spelling skills were acquired. Constantly captivated by the pictures words alone have the power to paint, and the owner of a spirit that is always ready for the next travel adventure, she’s found her muse alive and well in the city of Paris, France. 
    HowExpert publishes quick 'how to' guides on all topics from A to Z by everyday experts.
    Show book
  • Becoming Animal - An Earthly Cosmology - cover

    Becoming Animal - An Earthly...

    David Abram

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    As the climate veers toward catastrophe, the innumerable losses cascading through the biosphere make vividly evident the need for a metamorphosis in our relation to the living land. For too long we've inured ourselves to the wild intelligence of our muscled flesh, taking our primary truths from technologies that hold the living world at a distance. This book subverts that distance, drawing listeners ever deeper into their animal senses in order to explore, from within, the elemental kinship between the body and the breathing Earth. The shapeshifting of ravens, the erotic nature of gravity, the eloquence of thunder, the pleasures of being edible: all have their place in Abram's investigation. He shows that from the awakened perspective of the human animal, awareness (or mind) is not an exclusive possession of our species but a lucid quality of the biosphere itself—a quality in which we, along with the oaks and the spiders, steadily participate. With the audacity of its vision and the luminosity of its prose, Becoming Animal sets a new benchmark for the human appraisal of our place in the whole.
    Show book