The Naming of the Shrew: A Curious History of Latin Names
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.54 (926 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1408816989 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2018-02-14 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Interesting look at classifying life Steve G John Wright wrote an interesting book about how the various forms of life got their Latin names. Using anecdotes and humor, Wright lifted the subject out of what could have been a boring book. The classification of life is important, but the methods behind the classification are not well known. As a university student, I must have memorized hundreds of Latin names but never really gave. Alright An easy to read compendium of complicated issues. However the order of the book seems at odds with understanding. Great for beginners. "Latin was never so much fun" according to Phipedro. A witty and occasionally uproarious treatment of a potentially dry subject.
"Who would have thought that a book about Latin names could be quite so compelling!!" Alan Titchmarsh"Brims with verbal curiosities." Nature"Nature writing at its best: insightful, entertaining and often very funny." British Wildlife"I have not fully recovered from the discovery that the proper Latin name of the western lowland gorilla is Gorilla gorilla gorilla." Independent on Sunday"Weird and wonderful." Sunday Telegraph"Charming." The Lady"The pleasure of Wright’s book is the contrast between the rigour required for giving names and the careless minds and mischievous humour of those who devise them." The Times"Fascinating and funny." BBC Countrylife"Erudite but whimsical a book as charming as it is wise." Irish Examiner"A great read." Grow Your Own
He lives in rural West Dorset with his wife and two teenage daughters.@johnmushroom / wild-food. Wright is a member of the British Mycological Society and a Fellow of the Linnaean Society. John Wright is a passionate natural historian and the author of the River Cottage Handbooks Mushrooms, Edible Seashore,Hedgerow and Booze. He gives lecture
With wonderfully witty style and captivating narrative, this book will make you see Latin names in a whole new light.. Why on earth has the entirely land-loving Eastern Mole been named Scalopus aquaticus, or the Oxford Ragwort been called Senecio squalidus--'dirty old man'? What were naturalists thinking when they called a beetle Agra katewinsletae, a genus of fish Batman, and a Trilobite Han solo? Why is zoology replete with names such as Chloris chloris chloris (the greenfinch), and Gorilla gorilla gorilla (a species of, well gorilla)?The Naming of the Shrew will unveil these mysteries, exploring the history, celebrating their poetic nature and revealing how naturalists sometimes get things so terribly wrong. Latin names--frequently unpronounceable, all too often wrong and always a tiny puzzle to unravel--have been annoying the layman since they first became formalized as sci