Why Moths Hate Thomas Edison: And Other Urgent Inquiries into the Odd Nature of Nature (Outside Books) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393321509 ISBN 13: 9780393321500

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001

Synopsis

Join longtime Outside editor and contributor Hampton Sides as he rollicks through the fascinating, quirky questions readers ask about the world around them.

Do beavers ever get squashed by the trees they're gnawing down? Why are there so many worms writhing on the sidewalk after a storm? What good are goosebumps? Why do llamas spit? What is the oldest living creature on earth? Focusing on natural history and outdoor lore, this collection ranges from the gothic to the comic to the cosmic. It includes the sorts of questions that most of us stopped asking (at least out loud) when we were eight years old. Outside magazine's "The Wild File" is what question-and-answer columns should be but seldom are: an often surprising, sometimes zany, always insightful and informative back-and-forth between a devoted readership and its publication. The result is an enchanting and enriching collection of answers that open windows to more questions.

60 black and white illustrations

About this title

About the Author:

Hampton Sides, contributing editor of Outside and editor of "The Wild File," is also the author of Ghost Soldiers. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

From Booklist:

This collection of articles from Outside magazine's questionandanswer column, the "Wild File," covers pretty much all the bases: birds, bugs, back roads, baffling nature puzzles, and much more. Written in a lively style, these short essays (about a page in length) tackle problems from the sublime to the ridiculous, calling at all stops in between. Do beavers get flattened by trees they cut down? Yes, sometimes. Why do men have nipples? They're holdovers from fetal times. What causes Arctic mirages? Light bouncing around in the atmosphere. Why do we get vicious muscle spasms just before going to sleep? Nobody really knows, but there's no need to panic. Everything you ever wanted to know-- within reason--about the quirks and foibles of nature is in here somewhere. Recommended for readers of light popular science books, this offers a painless, entertaining way to acquire some basic knowledge about the way the world works. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0393321509
• ISBN 13: 9780393321500
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224
• Editor: Sides Hampton
• Illustrator: Schneider Jason