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Twenty-five years ago, a young curator of mammals from the Australian Museum in Sydney set out to research the fauna of the Pacific Islands. With accounts of discovering, naming and sometimes eating new mammal species; being thwarted or aided by local customs; and historic scientific expeditions, Tim Flannery takes us on an enthralling journey.
Report
In [Flannery's] chest beats the wayfaring heart of a discoverer, and in this book, which details his colorful adventures among the flora and fauna of the South Pacific Islands, he reminds us that even right here on Earth, incredible things are waiting to be known." - Newsweek
Flannery's account pieces together the jigsaw puzzle of South Pacific geological, natural, and cultural history with well-grounded knowledge as well as respect and wonder for the natural world. We are lucky to have such an exuberant explorer to illuminate the intricate network of life in the South Pacificand the perils and possibilities that life embodies on this precious planet we share." - National Geographic Traveler (Book of the Month)
Part travel diary and part field notebook, Among the Islands is a rollicking good adventure-science readsomething like what you'd get if Charles Darwin starred in an Indiana Jones flick." - Audubon Magazine
"Flannery is not just an internationally acclaimed zoologist; he's also an adventurer and storyteller who has discovered creatures no other human has seen. His latest record of exploration traces the beginnings of his career during the 1980s and takes him through more than a decade of study in remote islands of the South Pacific. ... Flannery's writing is generous and exuberant. His enthusiasm is enough to infect even the least science-minded of readers ... A breathtaking, informative tour of faraway lands." Kirkus Reviews
"Tim Flannery is a crackerjack storyteller." Publishers Weekly
"Australian field zoologist and conservationist Flannery cements his reputation as a true descendant of the great nineteenth-century naturalists and explorers with this look back at his expeditions to southwest Pacific islands. ... Flannery's prose is electric, aptly combining history, politics, and wide-eyed excitement as he recalls these experiences. ... Among the Islands exemplifies the sort of writing that was once commonplace, when adventure meant contributing to our knowledge of the world. Absolutely fantastic in every sense of the word." Booklist (starred review)
A story told with Flannery's signature clarity and lively readability.... this is scientific adventure-writing at its finest." - Open Letters Monthly
