The Last Unicorn: A Search for One of Earth’s Rarest Creatures by William deBuys [368 pages, Little, Brown US; 2015; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK hardcover/paperback/Kindle UK; Amazon US hardcover/paperback/audio download/Kindle]
Publisher’s synopsis: An award-winning author’s stirring quest to find and understand an elusive and exceptionally rare species in the heart of Southeast Asia’s jungles. In 1992, in a remote mountain range, a team of scientists discovered the remains of an unusual animal with beautiful long horns. It turned out to be a living species new to western science -- a saola, the first large land mammal discovered in 50 years. Rare then and rarer now, no westerner had glimpsed a live saola in the wild before Pulitzer Prize finalist and nature writer William deBuys and conservation biologist William Robichaud set off to search for it in the wilds of central Laos. The team endured a punishing trek, up and down whitewater rivers and through mountainous terrain ribboned with the snare lines of armed poachers. In the tradition of Bruce Chatwin, Colin Thubron, and Peter Matthiessen, The Last Unicorn is deBuys’s look deep into one of the world’s most remote places. As in the pursuit of the unicorn, the journey ultimately becomes a quest for the essence of wildness in nature, and an encounter with beauty.
My first impression: This book is an exquisitely written true story about a quest to see a wild saola -- an animal that inhabits the mountainous jungles that adorn the border between Laos and Vietnam. The saola, which looks like a unicorn when viewed in profile, is a solitary medium-sized antelope with a striped face. It is so rare that even the local people weren’t aware of its existence until recently. This book is illustrated with black-and-white photographs and includes chapter notes for those who wish to read more deeply. Part travel writing, part adventure, and part conservation, the story is captivating and informative. This book will be released next week.
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Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus by David Quammen [128 pages, W. W. Norton & Company; 2014; Amazon UK paperback/audio CD/Kindle UK; Amazon US paperback/audio download/audio CD/Kindle]
Publisher’s synopsis: In 1976 a deadly virus emerged from the Congo forest. As swiftly as it came, it disappeared, leaving no trace. Over the four decades since, Ebola has emerged sporadically, each time to devastating effect. It can kill up to 90 percent of its victims. In between these outbreaks, it is untraceable, hiding deep in the jungle. The search is on to find Ebola’s elusive host animal. And until we find it, Ebola will continue to strike. Acclaimed science writer and explorer David Quammen first came near the virus while he was traveling in the jungles of Gabon, accompanied by local men whose village had been devastated by a recent outbreak. Here he tells the story of Ebola -- its past, present, and its unknowable future.
Extracted from Spillover by David Quammen, updated and with additional material.
My first impression: This deceptively slim book is a lovely case study of clear, succinct writing. Despite being packed with interesting (and chilling!) scientific information, this paperback also tells an interesting travel-adventure story. The book is small and light enough that you can stuff it into a tablet bag, rucksack or purse.
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The Chimp and the River -- How AIDS Emerged from an African Forest by David Quammen [176 pages, W. W. Norton & Company; 2015; Amazon UK paperback; Amazon US paperback/Kindle]
Publisher’s synopsis: The real story of AIDS how it originated with a virus in a chimpanzee, jumped to one human, and then infected more than 60 million people is very different from what most of us think we know. Recent research has revealed dark surprises and yielded a radically new scenario of how AIDS began and spread. First recounted in Spillover, which Walter Isaacson called a frightening and fascinating masterpiece, The Chimp and the River is the true account of how an unnoticed chimpanzee infection became a human plague. With a new introduction by the author, David Quammen’s hair-raising report tracks the virus from chimp populations in the jungles of southeastern Cameroon to laboratories across the globe, as he unravels the mysteries of when, where, and under what circumstances such a consequential spillover can happen. An audacious search for answers amid more than a century of data, The Chimp and the River tells the haunting tale of one of the most devastating pandemics of our time.
Extracted from Spillover by David Quammen, updated and with additional material.
My first impression: Another deceptively slim paperback from David Quammen, this book focuses upon the history and natural history of HIV/AIDS. It’s packed with all sorts of fascinating information that is woven into an engaging story. In this book, the author presents a detailed and carefully-referenced argument in support of the “cut hunter hypothesis” for explaining how this virus jumped from chimpanzees into humans.
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Professor Stewart’s Incredible Numbers by Ian Stewart [352 pages, Profile Books; 2015; Guardian Bookshop; Amazon UK paperback/Kindle UK; Amazon US paperback/Kindle]
Publisher’s synopsis: Ian Stewart explores the astonishing properties of numbers from 1 to 10 to zero and infinity, including one figure that, if you wrote it out, would span the universe. He looks at every kind of number you can think of -- real, imaginary, rational, irrational, positive and negative -- along with several you might have thought you couldn’t think of. He explains the insights of the ancient mathematicians, shows how numbers have evolved through the ages, and reveals the way numerical theory enables everyday life.
Under Professor Stewart’s guidance you will discover the mathematics of codes, sudoko, Rubik’s cube, music, primes and pi. You may be surprised to find you live in eleven-dimensional space, that of the twenty-three people on a football pitch two are more likely than not to share the same birthday, and that forty-two is a very interesting number.
Professor Stewart’s Incredible Numbers will delight everyone who loves numbers -- including those who currently think they don’t.
My first impression: I adore pondering number theory, so I am a sucker for books like this. The writing is concise but clear, is filled with accessible examples, useful diagrams, and illustrations. Most chapters are short enough to read on a bus or Tube ride or on a coffee break, but each is rich with fascinating ideas to contemplate for the remainder of the day.
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When she’s not got her nose stuck in a book, GrrlScientist is very active on twitter @GrrlScientist and lurks on social media: facebook, G+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
