Natural Histories: 25 Extraordinary Species That Have Changed our World

(Paperback)

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Prepare to dive to the depths of the sea with 100-foot-long giant squid, travel through space after the meteorites shooting into our atmosphere and join a dangerous expedition to Antarctica to find the Emperor Penguin egg. Discover fleas dressed by nuns, a defeated prince hiding from his enemies in an oak tree and the plant whose legendary screams could drive you mad . . .

Accompanying Radio 4's acclaimed six-month series with the Natural History Museum, NATURAL HISTORIES tells the riveting stories of how our relationships with twenty-five unexpected creatures have permanently changed the way we see the world. Packed full of fascinating science, history and folklore, this beautiful book brings you face to face with nature, in all its wonder, complexity and invention.

Fresh from winning the Thomson Reuters prize for TWEET OF THE DAY, Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss have written another imaginative and inspiring book. 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. You'll never take nature for granted again.

Reviews

Entertaining and often beguiling . . . The lively writing, enlightening anecdotes and frequent bursts of humour make this the ideal source of conversation topics if you run out of things to say while visiting the relatives - BBC Focus Magazine, Books of the Year

Author Bio

Brett Westwood is an award-winning producer, presenter and naturalist. He presented the radio series of Natural Histories. His other acclaimed radio series range from Tweet of the Day (winner of Best Radio Series 2014) to Brett Westwood's Diaries. He is also a consultant for Springwatch and Autumnwatch.

Stephen Moss is a TV producer and best-selling author whose books include Wild Hares and Hummingbirds and The Bumper Book of Nature. The book of Tweet of the Day (which he co-wrote with Brett) won the Thomson Reuters Prize 2014. His TV credits include Birds Britannia, Britain's Big Wildlife Revival and Springwatch.