Helena GeraldesThis is our book choice for this month. Six books about walking in Nature, photography, natural histories, bats, beachcombing and what can we do to make animals lives better.
PASSO A PASSO – MANUAL DE CAMINHADA E TREKKING (STEP BY STEP – WALKING AND TREKKING MANUAL)
By Pedro Cuiça
A Esfera dos Livros
Publishing date: 9th October
Price: 19 euros
This is a book for those who like walking. Long walks and short walks. Pedro Cuiça, from Camping and Mountaineering Portuguese Federation, tells the reader some of the tips that will improve any walking through Nature. What to wear, what to pack and what to eat are just some of the many suggestions in the 312 pages of this book, written in Portuguese. Pedro Cuiça has also included maps, illustrations and photographs that will help us finding what we need to know to discover Nature anywhere in the world, on foot. For the time being, this book has no English version expected.
ARCTIQUE
By Vincent Munier
Éditions Kobalann
Publishing date: October
Price: 65 euros
French wildlife photographer, Vincent Munier, brings us an amazing book, this time about the Arctic. It took him six years to take all the pictures, travelling through remote regions in the winter, on the white wolf territory. Munier has travelled hundreds of miles all alone on deserted white landscapes in order to take these photographs. From Scandinavia to the Nunavut islands, in Canada, these images take the reader right into the world of fascinating animals, such as the bear, caribou, elk, muskox and snowy owl. One time, even a pack of nine wolfs surrounded the photographer, in a memorable moment. Vincent Munier was awarded by the Wildlife Photographer of the Year back in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
NATURAL HISTORIES – 25 EXTRAORDINARY SPECIES THAT HAVE CHANGED OUR WORLD
By Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss
Hodder & Stoughton
Publishing date: 8th October
Price: 25 British Pounds
These are the stories of how our relationships with twenty-five creatures have permanently changed the way we see the world. The stories are a result of Natural Histories, the six-month series on BBC Radio 4 with the Natural History Museum. The book is packed full of science, history and folklore. Each chapter explores a different species or phenomena, often taking a fascinating object in the museum’s collection as a starting point. From rock pools and blackberry picking to a shipwreck thousands of miles from land; and from David Attenborough on gorillas to Monty Python on dinosaurs, this is a book for anyone curious about the world we live in. Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss have recently been awarded with the Thomson Reuters prize for Tweet of the Day.
DO UNTO ANIMALS: A FRIENDLY GUIDE TO HOW ANIMALS LIVE, AND HOW WE CAN MAKE THEIR LIVES BETTER
By Tracey Stewart
Artisan
Publishing date: 20th October
Price: 15,90 dollars
The more we know about animals and the better we care for them, the better our lives will be. Former veterinary technician and animal advocate Tracey Stewart understands this better than most—and she’s on a mission to change how we interact with animals. Through hundreds of illustrations and her humorous voice, Stewart provides insight into the secret lives of animals and the kindest ways to live with and alongside them. The book tells us about cats and dogs but also about the wildlife in our backyard. She teaches how to build bee houses, dealing nicely with pesky moles, and creative ways to bird-watch. This book is a practical guide, a memoir of her life with animals, and a testament to the power of giving back to nature.
THE SECRET LIVES OF BATS: MY ADVENTURES WITH THE WORLD’S MOST MISUNDERSTOOD MAMMALS
By Merlin Tuttle
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publishing date: 20th October
Price: 24,59 dollars
Merlin Tuttle is a wildlife photographer and conservationist that have been studying bats for over fifty years. Enamored of bats ever since discovering a colony in a cave as a boy, Tuttle saw how effective photography could be in persuading people not to fear bats, and he has spent his career traveling the world to document them. This is a lifetime of adventures book, in which the author tells us all about the bats around the world and why these special and imperiled creatures should be protected rather than feared. Few people realize how sophisticated and intelligent bats are. Tuttle shares research showing that frog-eating bats can identify frogs by their calls and that bats have remarkable memories. Bats also provide enormous benefits by eating crop pests, pollinating plants, and carrying seeds needed for reforestation.
THE ESSENCIAL GUIDE TO BEACHCOMBING AND THE STRANDLINE
By Steve Trewhella and Julie Hatcher
Wild Nature Press
Publishing date: October 1
Price: 16,99 British pounds
There are so many things we can find on a beach, whether we are a seasoned beachcomber, a casual visitor or an enthusiastic naturalist. This book will satisfy our curiosity about the treasures found cast up on the beach strandline, be it a pretty seashell, a spent eggcase, a seaweed frond or an exotic ocean voyager. The authors aim to answer the questions that arise from each beachcombing discovery – what is it and where has it come from? Clear photographs and descriptions are accompanied by information about the natural history of the animals and plants we encounter. But beware – beachcombing can be an addictive pleasure.
