Jagdish N. Sheth

John Yow

Accidental Scholar

Available for the first time together in this Omnibus E-Book, The Armchair Birder's Omnibus brings together both of John Yow's delightful books into one convenient e-book. While birding literature is filled with tales of expert observers spotting rare species in exotic locales, John Yow reminds us in The Armchair Birder, that the most fascinating birds can be the ones perched right outside our windows. In thirty-five engaging and sometimes irreverent vignettes, Yow reveals the fascinating lives of the birds we see nearly every day. Following the seasons, he covers forty-two species, discussing the improbable, unusual, and comical aspects of his subjects' lives. Yow offers his own observations, anecdotes, and stories as well as those of America's classic bird writers, such as John James Audubon, Arthur Bent, and Edward Forbush. This unique addition to bird literature combines the fascination of bird life with the pleasure of good reading. In his follow-up volume The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal, Yow now journeys to the shore and shares his encounters with some of the most familiar and beloved coastal birds. Out of his travels--from North Carolina's Outer Banks, down the Atlantic coast, and westward along the Gulf of Mexico--come colorful accounts of twenty-eight species, from ubiquitous beach birds like sanderlings and laughing gulls to wonders of nature like roseate spoonbills and the American avocets. Along the way, Yow delves deeply into the birds' habits and behaviors, experiencing and relating the fascination that leads many an amateur naturalist to become the most unusual of species--a birder.

Includes The Armchair Birder and The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal

The Armchair Birder's Omnibus Ebook

Front Cover -- Genes, Climate, and Consumption Culture -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Introduction: Climate and the History of Man -- The Evolution of Man -- The Rise of Civilizations -- Climate and Higher Civilization -- "What Climate Giveth ..." -- The Climate is ... the Climate -- Notes -- Part One -- 1. We Are Where We Eat -- The Origins of Food Production -- Northern Diets: Vegetarians Not Welcome -- "Superlatively Good Food" -- Vodka, the Russian Spice (of Life) -- The Blood Type Factor -- The Case of African Americans -- Notes -- 2. What to Wear? -- Cold-Weather Clothes -- Clothing for a Temperate Climate -- Tropical Attire -- Clothing as a Symbol -- Fashion's Tight Noose -- Climate versus Fashion -- Other Health Problems -- Climate's Comeback? -- Notes -- 3. A Roof Overhead -- Temporary Shelters in Harsh Climates -- Stone + Timber = Permanence -- The Wonders of Mud -- House-Building in the Tropics: Bamboo, Reeds, Grasses, Poles -- So What? -- Sick Shelters -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Part Two -- 4. Your Time or Mine? -- "Had We But World Enough": A Note on Space -- Notes -- 5. Individualism and Collectivism -- Definitions -- The Family Unit -- The "Happiness" Quotient -- In the Workplace: Competition or Cooperation? -- What's Mine is Mine: The Issue of Intellectual Property -- Politics, Religion, and Conflict -- Assessments -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 6. Embrace of Technology and Dominion Over Nature -- Avoiding "Edenism" -- The Pluralist Response -- Technology, Consumption, and Control -- The Development Trap -- Climate Change: Ironic Debacle of the West? -- China: The Final Turn of the Screw? -- Notes -- Conclusion -- References -- Index

John Yow

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