Daniel Allen

Although rarely seen in the wild, the otter is admired for its playful character and graceful aquatic agility, which were established in the popular imagination through books and films such as Tarka the Otter and Ring of Bright Water. This, however, is just a small part of the story -- throughout history, the otter has also been widely hunted for its fur and to prevent it from killing fish. The author reveals how the animal's identity has been shaped by human interactions. Otters have been hunted to near extinction by some communities -- killed for their valuable pelts in the North Pacific and chased with hounds for sport in Britain. In contrast, some Native Americans revered the otter and fishermen in parts of Asia trained otters to assist them. Sadly, all thirteen species of otter are now considered threatened, and their survival is by no means certain. This book includes anecdotes from folklore, sports, and popular literature, as well as exploring the movement against otter hunting and the ongoing efforts toward the otter's conservation.

Otter

A collection of anecdotes, facts, figures, folklore and literature, The Nature Magpie is a veritable treasure trove of humanity’s thoughts and feelings about nature. With acclaimed nature writer Daniel Allen as your guide, join naturalists, novelists and poets as they explore the most isolated parts of the planet, choose your side – pineapple or durian – in the great 'king of fruits' debate and discover which plants can be used to predict the weather. Meet the roadkill connoisseurs, learn to dance the Hippopotamus Polka, find out the likelihood of sharing your name with a hurricane – and much more.

A Cornucopia of Facts, Anecdotes, Folklore and Literature from the Natural World

The Nature Magpie

Although rarely seen in the wild, the otter is admired for its playful character and graceful aquatic agility, which were established in the popular imagination through books like Tarka the Otter and Ring of Bright Water. This, however, is just a very small part of their story—throughout history the otter has also been widely hunted for its fur and flesh. In Otter, human geographer Daniel Allen reveals how the animal’s identity has been shaped by this variety of human interactions. As Allen explains, otters, while feared by some communities, were hunted to near extinction by others—killed for their valuable pelts in the north Pacific and chased with hounds for sport in Britain. In contrast, Allen describes how Native Americans revered the otter and how indigenous fishermen in parts of Asia trained otters to assist them. Sadly, now all thirteen species of otter are considered threatened, and their survival is by no means certain. In this wide-ranging look at the otter, Allen incorporates anecdotes from folklore, sports, popular literature, media, and conservation studies in order to unravel this complicated cultural history. Otter isa lively book that offers a new way of thinking about this admired and endangered animal.

Simon Flynn

Marc Allum

The Science Magpieis Simon Flynn's bestselling collection of enthralling facts, stories, poems and more from science's history, from the Large Hadron Collider rap to the sins of Isaac Newton. With Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum as your guide, go in search of stolen masterpieces, explore the first museums, learn the secrets of the forgers and brush up on your auction technique with The Antiques Magpie. And with acclaimed nature writer Daniel Allen, join naturalists, novelists and poets as they explore the most isolated parts of the planet and discover which plants can be used to predict the weather in The Nature Magpie.

A Charm of Magpies

The Science Magpie is Simon Flynn’s bestselling collection of enthralling facts, stories, poems and more from science’s history, from the Large Hadron Collider rap to the sins of Isaac Newton. With Antiques Roadshow regular Marc Allum as your guide, go in search of stolen masterpieces, explore the first museums, learn the secrets of the forgers and brush up on your auction technique with The Antiques Magpie. And with acclaimed nature writer Daniel Allen, join naturalists, novelists and poets as they explore the most isolated parts of the planet and discover which plants can be used to predict the weather in The Nature Magpie.

Daniel Allen

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