Unseen City : : the Majesty of Pigeons, the Discreet Charm of Snails & Other Wonders of the Urban Wilderness

Locations
Call Number: 591.756 Jo, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Animals / Miscellaneous
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	591.756 Jo	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Animals / Miscellaneous	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / Animals / Miscellaneous	4-week checkout	Due 05-08-2024

Introduction -- Foreword -- Some practical recommendations -- Pigeon -- Weeds -- Squirrel -- Bird language -- Ginkgo -- Turkey vulture -- Ant -- Crow -- Snail -- Conclusion.
"Johnson argues that learning to see the world afresh, like a child, shifts the way we think about nature: Instead of something distant and abstract, nature becomes real all at once comical, annoying, and beautiful. This shift can add tremendous value to our lives, and it might just be the first step in saving the world ... [C]hapter by chapter, "Unseen City" takes us on a journey that is part nature lesson and part love letter to the world's urban jungles. With the right perspective, a walk to the subway can be every bit as entrancing as a walk through a national park."--Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Wonderful Browsing Book submitted by sdunav on June 18, 2017, 12:11pm This is fantastic non-fiction is great for browsing - as essays on San Francisco and the natural world that is part of the city, or as adventures in parenting, or as lovely descriptions of people and eating weeds, or just for reading about pigeons, snails, turkey vultures, ants, and squirrels and the like. I loved this.

So interesting! submitted by Lucy S on July 2, 2018, 11:29am Johnson brings a sense of wonder to his encounters and shares what it feels like to slow down and to really investigate the natural world outside the door. Through this close lens, he is able to satisfy his curiosity about pigeons’ misshapen feet, to forage for edible plants, to learn why only the top halves of acorns are eaten, to better understand the language of birds, to know why it is that ginkgo trees smell so rotten, to revile less the turkey vulture, to be amazed at the organization of an ant, to wonder at the intelligence and wit of a crow, and to decelerate to a snail’s pace. Johnson presents his findings with humor and wit. This book provides the perfect amount of information about many lesser known facets of nature.