the lost words robert macfarlane & jackie morris

His perseverance intrigued the author, who also discusses the struggles she underwent after her affair with a woman ended a heterosexual relationship. Gathering up all the fish he could save, Jordan sewed the nameplates that had been on the destroyed jars directly onto the fish. A taxonomist who is credited with discovering “a full fifth of fish known to man in his day,” Jordan had amassed an unparalleled collection of ichthyological specimens. Miller began doing research on David Starr Jordan (1851-1931) to understand how he had managed to carry on after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake destroyed his work. A free “Explorer’s Guide” is available online.Ī sumptuous, nostalgic ode to a disappearing landscapeĪ Peabody Award–winning NPR science reporter chronicles the life of a turn-of-the-century scientist and how her quest led to significant revelations about the meaning of order, chaos, and her own existence. This book is firmly rooted in the English countryside, celebrating such words as “conker,” “bramble,” and “starling” (invasive in North America), but many will cross over for North American readers. The acrostic poems are subjective, sophisticated impressions of the birds and animals depicted, redolent with alliteration and wordplay, perhaps more appropriate for creative writing prompts than for science exploration. The book is beautifully produced and executed, but anyone looking for definitions of the “lost words” will be disappointed. Morris’ strong, dynamic watercolors are a pleasure to look at, accurate in every detail, vibrant and full of life. A two-page spread depicting the object in context follows. This is followed by an acrostic poem or riddle describing essential qualities of the object, accompanied by a close-up view. First, the letters of each lost word are sprinkled randomly among other letters and an impressionistic sketch in a visual puzzle.

In his introduction, Macfarlane laments this loss, announcing his intention to create “a spellbook for conjuring back these lost words.” Each lost word is afforded three double-page spreads.

An oversized album compiled in response to the recent omission by the Oxford Junior Dictionary of many natural-science words, including several common European bird, plant, and animal species, in favor of more current technological terms.

The lost words robert macfarlane & jackie morris