ARGONAUT BOOKS

A fascinating book, looking at the literary fossils of extinction. Esoteric primary sources inform us how our forebears incorporated a vanished nature into their worldview. Extinct British sturgeon were used as an antidepressant, heretical tree frogs prompted theological questioning, and rare cranes were so nauseating that their flesh needed exotic spices to be palatable. From great auks and lynx, to whale and darnel, how our ancestors treated the declining and diminishing species of their time holds many lessons for the present.Ross Barnett, author of The Missing LynxYet another must-buy book...Read More