In this masterful hybrid of nature writing and cultural studies, the author investigates our connection with deer, from mythology to biology, offering a unique and intimate perfective on a very human relationship while inviting us to contemplate the paradoxes of how we interact with and shape the natural world.

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"A squirrel in the garden. A rat in the wall. A pigeon on the street. Humans have spent so much of our history drawing a hard line between human spaces and wild places. When animals pop up where we don't expect or want them, we respond with fear, rage, or simple annoyance. It's no longer an animal. It's a pest. At the intersection of science, history, and narrative journalism, Pests is not a simple call to look closer at our urban ecosystem. It's...

"Throughout the history of civilization, humans have embraced it in every form imaginable--as a messenger of the gods, powerful sex symbol, gambling aid, emblem of resurrection, all-purpose medicine, handy research tool, inspiration for bravery, epitome of evil, and, of course, as the star of the world's most famous joke. In [this book], science writer Andrew Lawler takes us on an adventure from prehistory to the modern era with a fascinating account...

"Join "America's funniest science writer" (Peter Carlson, Washington Post) Mary Roach on an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet. What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A grizzly bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? As New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict,...

From the moment humans mounted horses 6,000 years ago, these magnificent animals helped shape the world by allowing mankind to explore, conquer, and flourish on horseback. Join anthropologist Niobe Thompson on a global journey to examine the evolution of horsepower, discover the mysterious origins of the incredible partnership, and witness the enduring love of 400 breeds of horses today.

Chronicles the scientific discovery, conservation, and current understandings of giant pandas to trace their story and reveal how the species reflects changing attitudes toward the natural world and contributes to China's rise to a super-power.