Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile [Signed First Edition]

Verlyn Klinkenborg

ISBN 10: 0679407286 / ISBN 13: 9780679407287

Published by Knopf, 2006

About this Item

Stated First Edition. Signed tortoisely by Verlyn Klinkenborg on the title page. Bright, clean & tight copy, unread in AS NEW condition. "This is the story of a tortoise whose real life was observed by the 18th-century English curate Gilbert White, author of The Natural History of Selborne. For 13 years, Timothy lived in White's garden---making an occasional appearance in his journals. Now Klinkenborg gives the tortoise an unforgettable voice and powers of observation as keen as those of any bipedal naturalist."[]"A droll and wise work of the highest imagination---and one of the best meditations on slowness, patience, and endurance I've ever read."---Bill McKibben. "TIMOTHY is a luminous act of imagination and perspective. Klinkenborg dramatizes a set of human values and prejudices as portentous as those Orwell addressed in Animal Farm. A clarion call to reconsider our place, our tack, in the modern world."---Barry Lopez. Pristine copy w/sharp corners & crisp edges, a square & tight binding, & a perfect jacket-shell. Quite presentable & collectible.

Seller Inventory # RUB995

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile [Signed First Edition]
• Publisher: Knopf
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0679407286
• ISBN 13: 9780679407287
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition.
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Signed: Signed by Author

About this title

Synopsis

Few writers have attempted to explore the natural history of a particular animal by adopting the animal’s own sensibility. But Verlyn Klinkenborg—with his deeply empathetic relation to the world around him—has done just that, and done it brilliantly, in Timothy.

This is the story of a tortoise whose real life was observed by the eighteenth-century English curate Gilbert White, author of The Natural History of Selborne. For thirteen years, Timothy lived in White’s garden—making an occasional appearance in his journals. Now Klinkenborg gives the tortoise an unforgettable voice and powers of observation as keen as those of any bipedal naturalist. The happy result: Timothy regales us with an account of a gracefully paced (no unseemly hurry!) eight-day adventure outside the gate (“How do I escape from that nimble-tongued, fleet-footed race? . . . Walk through the holes in their attention”) and entertains us with shrewd observations about the curious habits and habitations of humanity. “To humans,” Timothy says with doleful understanding, “in and out are matters of life and death. Not to me. Warm earth waits just beneath me. . . . The humans’ own heat keeps them from sensing it.”

Wry and wise, unexpectedly moving, and enchanting at every—careful—turn, Timothy will surprise and delight readers of all ages.

About the Author

Verlyn Klinkenborg is a member of the editorial board of The New York Times. His previous books include Making Hay, The Last Fine Time, and The Rural Life. He lives in upstate New York.