Reviews
I think reading this so many years after it was published is sobering and a bit sad, when I think back in the 80s it would have been even hopeful. Evidence says extinctions make us sadder, but perhaps not wiser and maybe just barely more knowledgeable.
Apparently I never added this to my shelf?! I have no idea when I read it (initially at least ten years ago, and a few times more recently). It is one of the most beautiful, most hilarious things I've ever read.
I like the theme, I like the prose - but far more visible than the extinct animals described is the extinct outlook of white man unbothered by his ignorance to other people. It's like, this book set in 1989, we get the very last glimpse of this point of view, especially for/of an Anglophone white man. I know. Not the point of the novel, probably not any point at all. But also, it saps a lot of my enjoyment and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
Great book. Douglas Adams brings his interesting and humorous style to nonfiction in a story about several endangered species. The book was written in the late 80's and it's very interesting to follow up with the animals he visited back then. Seems the BBC agrees as they'll soon release a follow up show on the very same subject!
A beautiful picture book (also with tons of word) following up on the original Last Chance to See. Don't get the eBook or borrow from the library - buy this one. Probably from the U.K. as I can't find it in the states.
It's my favorite Douglas Adams book, which is saying a LOT. I appreciate his kindness and his unrelenting good humor, and it showcases his ability to find absurdity in the mundane.
