The Second Nature of Things: How and Why Things Work in the Natural World

Nearly two hundred essays discuss the seasons, plants, gardens, mammals, birds, insects, places, planets, space, and environmental concerns

This follow-up to The Nature of Things (Countryman, 1985) collects programs taken from Curtis's National Public Radio show. Enjoyable yet at the same time informative, these essays focus on some aspect of the natural world--ecology, plants, animals, weather, or conservation. They are refreshingly readable, with no attempt to elaborate by using big words or flowery language. Illustrated with wood engravings by Nora Unwin, this is the kind of book that should be read and enjoyed bit by bit, when the reader is in the right frame of mind, rather than followed studiously from beginning to end. It is not an essential purchase but certainly a worthwhile one, and it can be enjoyed by all nature lovers and those who appreciate a simple life. Recommended.
- Deborah Emerson, Monroe Community Coll. Lib., Rochester, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.