The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession - Hardcover

Obmascik, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743245458 ISBN 13: 9780743245456

Publisher: Free Press, 2004

Synopsis

Follows the 1998 Big Year competition between Sandy Komito, Al Levantin, and Greg Miller during which the three rivals risked their lives to set a new North American birding record, an event that took them to such locales as Del Rio in search of the rufous-capped warbler and British Columbia in pursuit of the Xantus' hummingbird. 75,000 first printing.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

A classic in the making -- an account of the biggest year in birdwatching history.

In the USA, some 50 million people lay claim to being bird-watchers or ?birders,? spending billions of dollars on birding-related travel and membership fees every year. A select, and utterly obsessed, few compete in one of the world?s quirkiest contests -- the race to spot the most species in North America in a single year. And 1998 wasn?t just a big year. It was the biggest. The Big Year is Pulitzer Prize-winner Mark Obmascik?s account of what was to become the greatest birding year of all time.

It was freak weather conditions that ensured all previous records were broken, but what becomes clear within the pages of this classic portrait of obsession is that while our feathered friends may be the objective of the Big Year competition, it?s the curious activities and behavioural patterns of the pursuing ?homo sapiens? that are the real cause for concern. It is a contest that reveals much of the human character in extremes. Such are the author?s powers of observation that he brilliantly brings to life and gets under the skin of these extraordinary, eccentric and obsessive birders while empathizing with and eventually succumbing to the all-consuming nature of their obsession. The result is a wonderfully funny, acutely observed classic to rank alongside the best of Bill Bryson.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About the Author:

Mark Obmascik has been a journalist for two decades, most recently at the Denver Post, where he was lead writer for the newspaper's Pulitzer Prize in 2000 and winner of the 2003 National Press Club Award for environmental journalism. His freelance stories have been published in Outside and other magazines, and he has aired numerous political stories on public affairs and television news programs. An obsessed birder himself, he lives in Denver with his wife and sons.

About this edition

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0743245458
• ISBN 13: 9780743245456
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288