Alexander Skutch
An Appreciation
Edited by Hunter Lewis; Foreword by Dana Gardner; With an Introduction by Frank Graham, Jr.
ISBN: 978-0-9661908-7-8
eISBN: 978-1-60419-097-7
In addition to being one of the most prolific nature writers of our time and the world's greatest expert on Central American birds, Alexander Skutch was an inspiring moral philosopher and original thinker in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. This book includes selections from Skutch's writing spanning his 70 years of contributions to ornithology, travel, nature and philosophy.
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Alexander Skutch died eight days before his 100th birthday, just prior to the publication of this book. He will be remembered, first of all, as a scientist—a naturalist, a pioneering botanist, the world’s greatest expert on Central American birds, a legend in neo-tropical ornithology. But there was and is much more to tell about this remarkable man. To some mainstream environmentalists, he will remain a controversial and even heretical figure, especially in his espousal of biocompatibility over maximal biodiversity. For others, he will live on as an unmatched writer about nature who offers us a window into a beautiful and magical world. For still others, his thoughts on morals and religion are profoundly important, especially his belief in a religion that is neither dogmatic nor mystical, a form of spirituality that is both highly original and deeply moving.
Dr. Skutch often wrote of the central powers of appreciation in the human psyche. We are grateful that he was able to review and approve this short anthology of his work, which was begun as a labor of love to show our appreciation not only for his scientific, literary, and philosophical writing, but also for the example of his long and fruitful life.
Overview
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FOREWORD
by Dana Gardner
INTRODUCTION
by Frank Graham, Jr.
NATURALIST
FROM THE IMPERATIVE CALL [1979]
The Ohio River
Choosing a Vocation
A River on the Plain [Guatemala]
A Fantastic Journey
Cypress Forests and Hummingbirds
A Vernal Year
Contrasts in a Plant Collector’s Life
Independence
A Wanderer’s Harvest
Truth and Beauty
FROM A NATURALIST IN COSTA RICA [1971]
The Call of Green Hills
FROM NATURALIST ON A TROPICAL FARM [1980]
Los Cusingos
FROM A NATURALIST IN COSTA RICA [1971]
The Peña Blanca
Forest Trails
Farming
In the Caribbean Lowlands of Northern Costa Rica
ORNITHOLOGIST
FROM STUDIES OF TROPICAL AMERICAN BIRDS [1972]
White-fronted Nunbird
FROM HELPERS AT BIRDS’ NESTS [1999]
The Significance of Interspecific Helping
Characteristics of Cooperative Breeders
Benefits and Evolution of Cooperative Breeding
PHILOSOPHER
FROM HARMONY AND CONFLICT IN THE LIVING WORLD [2000]
Biodiversity or Biocompatibility?
FROM NATURE THROUGH TROPICAL WINDOWS [1983]
Windows of the Mind
FROM THE GOLDEN CORE OF RELIGION [1970]
Introduction
FROM LIFE ASCENDING [1985]
The Appreciative Mind
FROM HARMONY AND CONFLICT IN THE LIVING WORLD [2000]
Epilogue
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Other Books by Alexander Skutch
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ISBN-13: 9780966190878
Publication date: 02/27/2007
Pages: 293
Product dimensions: 5.33(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.74(d)
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About the Author
Alexander Skutch
Alexander Skutch was a world-renowned tropical ornithologist, naturalist, pioneering botanist, and unmatched writer who offered readers a window into beautiful and magical natural world and a belief in a religion that is neither dogmatic nor mystical – a form of spirituality and ethics that is highly original and deeply moving. Skutch was born in Baltimore, MD and earned a doctorate in botany from Johns Hopkins University. For more than six decades and until his death in 2004, Skutch lived on a farm in Costa Rica.