The Natural History of Living Mammals

By William Voelker

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0937548081
• ISBN13: 9780937548080
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Plexus Pub
• Length: 313 Pages
• Weight: 2.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.3" x 8.0"
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Pangolins,orcas, sords

This book, with its somewhat brief index and appendices, has a good bibliography but repeats a habit of imprecision that seems, unfortunately, common to some older natural history books. For instance, the phrase "At one time, peccaries were known to wander..." will only cause you to reach for another book if you want to know WHEN the peccaries were wandering. Or "Humans have kept domestic cattle for centuries...." In about 20 years, one can add another century to that data and be no closer to any truth. But, if you aren't after strict facts, this can be an enjoyable book to peruse, anecdotal and no-nonsense. The color photo of a silverback gorilla is memorable.

An Entertaining and Useful Guide to Mammals

I picked this book up because I wanted some information on Aardvarks. Not only did I get all the information I needed on aardvarks, I got all, well almost all, the information about the mammals on the planet. And it was a delightful, entertaining read. Many "animal" books are boring but this one had me right from the start. It's not an exaggeration to say "I couldn't put it down." It's better than Seinfeld reruns. The author presents presents the family and then describes the species within the family. Then he describes the animals and behavior in approachable and understandable terms. The author's description of rabbits was great -- I didn't know they could kick a stoat that far. Also, the description of the hippopotamus was great. It's a book for getting both some knowledge and some fun.

Thanks for the gift Bill!

I found that no one had written a review of your book so I thought I'd write something. You'll probably never see this because of your distaste for computers, but what the hell. I've found many interesting little tid bits about mammals in your book. It's quite a pleasure to know a real life published author! Can't wait for your reptile book!