{"title":"John Alcock","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the captivating works of John Alcock, an author celebrated for his insightful explorations of history and human nature. Discover thrilling narratives and thought-provoking tales.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"animal-behaviour-book-john-alcock-9780878930098","title":"Animal Behaviour","description":"This edition has been completely rewritten and reorganized to include discoveries in the field and over 100 new illustrations. The author analyzes all aspects of the subject, stressing the utility of evolutionary theory in unifying different behavioural disciplines. However, the book treats both the ranging proximate mechanisms and the evolutionary, or ultimate causes of behaviour. The first chapter introduces the distinction between the two, and the rest of the text is organized into two main sections devoted to each. Examples are drawn from studies of invertibrates and vertibrates, and are supported by more than 1300 reference citations, many to recent articles. The book also emphasizes the tentative nature of scientific conclusions and identifies controversial and unresolved issues.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49519301886225,"sku":"GOR003200874","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50786965192977,"sku":"CIN0878930094G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878930094.jpg?v=1751363134"},{"product_id":"animal-behaviour-book-john-alcock-9780878930111","title":"Animal Behaviour","description":"It is distinguished by its balanced treatment of both the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary causes of behaviour, and stresses the utility of evolutionary theory in unifying the different behavioural disciplines. Important concepts are explained by reference to key illustrative studies, which are described in sufficient detail to help students appreciate the role of the scientific process in producing research discoveries. Examples are drawn evenly from studies of invertebrates and vertebrates, and are supported by nearly 1300 reference citations. The writing style is clear: beginning students should have no difficulty following the material, despite the strong conceptual orientation of the text.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49524632158481,"sku":"GOR001520769","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49649136992529,"sku":"GOR004315840","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49653311111441,"sku":"GOR003452269","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50372098949393,"sku":"CIN0878930116A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50416100704529,"sku":"CIN0878930116G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878930116.jpg?v=1751330759"},{"product_id":"animal-behavior-book-john-alcock-9780878930050","title":"Animal Behavior","description":"This new edition of Animal Behavior maintains the organizational structure of previous editions, but has been completely rewritten with coverage of much recent work in animal behaviour, resulting in a thoroughly up-to-date text. Notable is the inclusion, for the first time, of discussion questions embedded in the text itself, rather than appended to the end of each chapter. This format is designed to encourage students to reflect on the material they have just digested while also making it easier for instructors to promote a problem-solving approach to the subject. Like previous editions, the book shows how evolutionary biologists analyze all aspects of behaviour. It is distinguished by its balanced treatment of both the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary causes of behaviour, and stresses the utility of evolutionary theory in unifying the different behavioural disciplines.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49534560207121,"sku":"GOR003008039","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49631163613457,"sku":"GOR004520551","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50372097769745,"sku":"CIN0878930051G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52384490455313,"sku":"GOR006506393","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878930051.jpg?v=1751363133"},{"product_id":"animal-behavior-book-john-alcock-9780878939664","title":"Animal Behavior","description":"Published by Sinauer Associates, an imprint of Oxford University Press.    This new edition of Animal Behavior has been thoroughly rewritten with coverage of much recent work in animal behavior. The scope of the changes for the tenth edition, however, is much more all-encompassing than that of past revisions. Thoughtful suggestions from many readers inspired a major reorganization of the material, such that the new book presents the central concepts of animal behavior in a different sequence from prior editions:  The Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. Instead of introducing the concept of proximate and ultimate causation and then focusing heavily on the proximate mechanisms of behavior in the early chapters, this edition focuses first on the evolutionary basis of behavior. Chapter 1 presents the concept of a Darwinian puzzle, a trait that exists even though it seems to reduce the reproductive success of individuals, in which case it should have been eliminated by natural selection. The emphasis on Darwinian puzzles continues, with an in-depth discussion of the evolution of altruism in Chapter 2 (versus Chapter 14) and subsequent exploration of the adaptive value of a broad range of traits from anti-predator activities to reproductive and parental behaviors.  The Distinction between Proximate and Ultimate Causation in Biology. Once the major findings of behavioral ecology have been examined, the book turns its attention to the proximate mechanisms underlying animal behavior. Here, too, the emphasis remains on the evolutionary puzzles provided by particular developmental and neurophysiological mechanisms. This approach provides continuity with earlier chapters while helping readers see the connections between adaptive behaviors and the adaptive internal systems that make those behaviors possible.  The Procedures That Scientists Use to Test Their Tentative Explanations for Such Things as Darwinian Puzzles. Throughout, the text shows how researchers use scientific logic to study the underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary bases of behavior. The emphasis is on how evolutionary theory unifies the various subdisciplines within animal behavior. These points are highlighted again in the final chapter on human behavior, with its treatment of the proximate and ultimate causes of language and the evolution of mate choice in our species.  Enduring features of prior editions remain evident in this new book: the clear, engaging writing style; text beautifully illustrated with many new photographs; references to a large number of new scientific articles; and a substantial number of new and old discussion questions embedded in the text.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49552966517009,"sku":"GOR005709597","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49651420758289,"sku":"GOR006360721","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50139439661329,"sku":"CIN0878939660A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50160354132241,"sku":"CIN0878939660VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50511099494673,"sku":"CIN0878939660G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878939660.jpg?v=1751424427"},{"product_id":"animal-behavior-an-evolutionary-approach-book-john-alcock-9780878932252","title":"Animal Behavior: an Evolutionary Approach","description":"This classic text continues to offer a balanced treatment of the underlying mechanisms and evolutionary bases of behaviour with a focus on the importance of evolutionary theory for the unification of the different behavioural disciplines. The new edition has been thoroughly rewritten with coverage of recent work in the field.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49568456605969,"sku":"GOR004694419","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50173789241617,"sku":"GOR013880600","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50212833100049,"sku":"CIN0878932259A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50219936022801,"sku":"CIN0878932259G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50497823310097,"sku":"CIN0878932259VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50657459011857,"sku":"GOR009260625","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51684101357841,"sku":"GOR005743717","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878932259.jpg?v=1750850621"},{"product_id":"animal-behaviour-book-john-alcock-9780878930173","title":"Animal Behaviour","description":"This fifth edition of \"Animal Behavior\" shows how biologists analyze all aspects of animal behaviour. The book is contains a balanced treatment of both the underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary causes of behaviour. Important concepts are explained by reference to illustrative studies which are described in sufficient detail to help students appreciate both how researchers have carried out their work, and its theoretical significance. Examples are drawn evenly from the vertebrates and invertebrates, and are supported by more than 1000 reference citations many of them publications that have appeared in the last three years. As in previous revisions, Dr. Alcock has completely rewritten the book which includes new examples, citations, and illustrations as well as an expanded set of colour plates which are cross-referenced in the text. Although the book mantains its fundamental organization based on proximate and ultimate topics, there is a new chapter on communication and the chapter on parental care has been moved to better bridge the chapters on reproduction and social behavior. Still more emphasis has been placed on identifying alternative hypotheses, predictions and tests, so that readers can better understand the logic underlying scientists' efforts to discriminate among competing explanations. The discussion questions have also been revised to cover a broader range of conceptual issues.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49585073389841,"sku":"GOR001311001","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50311013269777,"sku":"CIN0878930175G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50372099899665,"sku":"CIN0878930175A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50946114191633,"sku":"GOR002865256","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52556209488145,"sku":"GOR014552750","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878930175.jpg?v=1751045368"},{"product_id":"animal-behaviour-book-john-alcock-9780878930227","title":"Animal Behaviour","description":"Animal Behavior, 6\/e has been reorganized to include many of the field's discoveries and over 100 new illustrations.  Professor Alcock analyses all aspects of his subject, stressing the utility of evolutionary theory in unifying different behavioural disciplines.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49635286253841,"sku":"GOR005181570","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49800130265361,"sku":"CIN0878930221G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878930221.jpg?v=1750850621"},{"product_id":"animal-behaviour-book-john-alcock-9780878930203","title":"Animal Behaviour","description":"This fourth edition of \"Animal Behaviour\" shows how evolutionary biologists analyze all elements that go into the study of animal behaviour. The book contains a balanced treatment of both the underlying mechanisms and the evolutionary causes of behaviour. Examples are drawn evenly from both vertebrates and invertebrates, using over 800 references, many of them from publications that have appeared in the last three years.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49636918329617,"sku":"GOR013054857","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0878930205.jpg?v=1751077788"},{"product_id":"sonoran-desert-spring-book-john-alcock-9780226012582","title":"Sonoran Desert Spring","description":"Spring on the Sonoran Desert can be a four-month-long spectacle of life and color. Within these well-written pages, Alcock exposes us to the plant and animal life of a land many regard as desolate. To Alcock, the desert has a constant evolutionary beauty he never seems to tire of. Alcock's approach to his subject is an elegant combination of science and literature. Only the desert itself, arrayed in its April apparel, can rival the beauty of this book. --Arizona Highways \u003cbr\u003e Deserts are not as bereft of life as they seem; their barren landscapes can support a remarkable variety of plant and animal life, though it may require a patient and skilled naturalist to reveal its mysteries. John Alcock is just such a naturalist. . . . Alcock provides delightful insights into how insects provision their developing young, how parasites find their victims and how flowers attract pollinators. A book of this kind allows its author, more accustomed to the rigours and constraints of writing academic papers and books, to relate revealing anecdotes and simply to express their fascinating for natural history. . . . Books such as this serve a vital function in bringing the mysteries of the desert to the attention of a wider public. --Times Literary Supplement","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":49916525052177,"sku":"CIN0226012581A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51729091363089,"sku":"GOR014381349","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52819824902417,"sku":"CIN0226012581G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0226012581.jpg?v=1750877199"},{"product_id":"sonoran-desert-summer-book-john-alcock-9780816514380","title":"Sonoran Desert Summer","description":"What could seem less inviting than summer in the desert? For most people, this prospect conjures up the image of relentless heat and parched earth; for biologist John Alcock, summer in Arizona's Sonoran Desert represents an opportunity to investigate the wide variety of life that flourishes in one of the most extreme environments in North America. Only very special plants and animals can survive and reproduce in a place that may receive as little as six inches of rain in a year, observes Alcock, a place where the temperature may rise above one hundred degrees each day for months on end. Yet he and other biologists have discovered here startling signs of life hidden in plain view under the summer sun: \u003cbr\u003e - male digger bees compete to reach virgins underground during the early summer mating season; \u003cbr\u003e - the round-tailed ground squirrel goes about its business, sounding alarm calls when danger threatens its kin; \u003cbr\u003e - the big-jawed beetles Dendrobias mandibularis emerge in time to feast on saguaro fruits and to use their mandibles on rival males as well; \u003cbr\u003e - Harris's hawks congregate in groups, showing their affinity for polyandry and communal hunting; \u003cbr\u003e - robberflies mimic the appearance of the bees and wasps on which they prey; \u003cbr\u003e - and peccaries reveal the adaptation of their reproductive cycle to the desert's seasonal rains. The book's 38 chapters introduce readers to these and other desert animals and plants, tracing the course of the season through activities as vibrant as mating rituals and as subtle as the gradual deterioration of a fallen saguaro cactus. Enhanced by the line drawings of Marilyn Hoff Stewart, Sonoran Desert Summer is both an account of how modernbiology operates and a celebration of the beauty and diversity that can be found in even the most unpromising places.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50106344603921,"sku":"CIN0816514380G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52498963857681,"sku":"CIN0816514380VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0816514380.jpg?v=1770287919"},{"product_id":"sonoran-desert-summer-book-john-alcock-9780816511501","title":"Sonoran Desert Summer","description":"What could seem less inviting than summer in the desert? For most people, this prospect conjures up the image of relentless heat and parched earth; for biologist John Alcock, summer in Arizona's Sonoran Desert represents an opportunity to investigate the wide variety of life that flourishes in one of the most extreme environments in North America. Only very special plants and animals can survive and reproduce in a place that may receive as little as six inches of rain in a year, observes Alcock, a place where the temperature may rise above one hundred degrees each day for months on end. Yet he and other biologists have discovered here startling signs of life hidden in plain view under the summer sun: \u003cbr\u003e - male digger bees compete to reach virgins underground during the early summer mating season; \u003cbr\u003e - the round-tailed ground squirrel goes about its business, sounding alarm calls when danger threatens its kin; \u003cbr\u003e - the big-jawed beetles Dendrobias mandibularis emerge in time to feast on saguaro fruits and to use their mandibles on rival males as well; \u003cbr\u003e - Harris's hawks congregate in groups, showing their affinity for polyandry and communal hunting; \u003cbr\u003e - robberflies mimic the appearance of the bees and wasps on which they prey; \u003cbr\u003e - and peccaries reveal the adaptation of their reproductive cycle to the desert's seasonal rains. The book's 38 chapters introduce readers to these and other desert animals and plants, tracing the course of the season through activities as vibrant as mating rituals and as subtle as the gradual deterioration of a fallen saguaro cactus. Enhanced by the line drawings of Marilyn Hoff Stewart, Sonoran Desert Summer is both an account of how modernbiology operates and a celebration of the beauty and diversity that can be found in even the most unpromising places.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50158588002577,"sku":"CIN0816511500VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50608779526417,"sku":"GOR014012273","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50726307692817,"sku":"GOR012931818","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0816511500.jpg?v=1750703396"},{"product_id":"kookaburras-song-book-john-alcock-9780816510504","title":"The Kookaburras' Song","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50262724706577,"sku":"CIN0816510504G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0816510504.jpg?v=1751329898"},{"product_id":"triumph-of-sociobiology-book-john-alcock-9780195163353","title":"The Triumph of Sociobiology","description":"In The Triumph of Sociobiology, John Alcock reviews the controversy that has surrounded evolutionary studies of human social behavior following the 1975 publication of E.O. Wilson's classic, Sociobiology, The New Synthesis. Denounced vehemently as an \"ideology\" that has justified social evils and inequalities, sociobiology has survived the assault. Twenty-five years after the field was named by Wilson, the approach he championed has successfully demonstrated its value in the study of animal behavior, including the behavior of our own species. Yet, misconceptions remain--to our disadvantage.  In this straight-forward, objective approach to the sociobiology debate, noted animal behaviorist John Alcock illuminates how sociobiologists study behavior in all species. He confronts the chief scientific and ideological objections head on, with a compelling analysis of case histories that involve such topics as sexual jealousy, beauty, gender difference, parent-offspring relations, and rape. In so doing, he shows that sociobiology provides the most satisfactory evolutionary analysis of social behavior today.  \"A clear, evocative, and accurate account of the history and content on the subject, inviting to the student and the general reader alike.\"--Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50319256617233,"sku":"GOR005249392","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50346207609105,"sku":"CIN0195163354G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50683994145041,"sku":"GOR003462876","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50999811408145,"sku":"NIN9780195163353","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51423596380433,"sku":"CIN0195163354VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52479610978577,"sku":"NLS9780195163353","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0195163354.jpg?v=1751422676"},{"product_id":"in-a-desert-garden-book-john-alcock-9780393041187","title":"In a Desert Garden","description":"With canny insight and bone-dry wit, John Alcock, a specialist in the ecology of the American Southwest, introduces us to the lives and loves of desert insects as they forage through his backyard oasis. Creating his own desert garden behind his suburban home in Tempe, Arizona, Alcock scrutinizes every square inch of soil detailing the exotic plant life he finds and offering tips on its peccadilloes and preservation.    The true heroes of this story, however, are the bugs of Alcock's backyard. We are drawn into complex plots almost biblical in nature of life and love, survival and death. Two male earwigs caught in each other's pincers battle for a prized female. A female mantis finishes copulating, beheads her mate, and cannibalizes his body for its precious protein.    With each detail, Alcock pieces together the entire ecosystem of his desert paradise. Always amusing and instructive, and sometimes dramatic, In a Desert Garden provides an eye-opening meditation on the joys of planting, weeding, pruning, and, most of all, bug-hunting.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50352360030481,"sku":"CIN0393041182G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50607229174033,"sku":"GOR014011800","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50664000127249,"sku":"CIN0393041182VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50761981526289,"sku":"CIN0393041182A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0393041182.jpg?v=1751421093"},{"product_id":"in-a-desert-garden-book-john-alcock-9780816519705","title":"In a Desert Garden","description":"When John Alcock replaced the Bermuda grass in his suburban Arizona lawn with gravel, cacti, and fairy dusters, he was doing more than creating desert landscaping. He seeded his property with flowers to entice certain insects and even added a few cowpies to attract termites, creating a personal laboratory for ecological studies. His observations of life in his own front yard provided him with the fieldnotes for this unusual book. In a Desert Garden draws readers into the strange and fascinating world of plants and animals native to Arizona's Sonoran Desert. As Alcock studies the plants in his yard, he shares thoughts on planting, weeding, and pruning that any gardener will appreciate. And when commenting on the mating rituals of spiders and beetles or marveling at the camouflage of grasshoppers and caterpillars, he uses humor and insight to detail the lives of the insects that live in his patch of desert. Celebrating the virtues of even aphids and mosquitoes, Alcock draws the reader into the intricacies of desert life to reveal the complex interactions found in this unique ecosystem. In a Desert Garden combines meticulous science with contemplations of nature and reminds us that a world of wonder lies just outside our own doors.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50362332119313,"sku":"CIN0816519706A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50367836520721,"sku":"CIN0816519706G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0816519706.jpg?v=1751011220"},{"product_id":"after-the-wildfire-book-john-alcock-9780816534036","title":"After the Wildfire","description":"\u003cp\u003eSwallowtail butterflies frolic on the wind. Vireos and rock wrens sing their hearts out by the recovering creek. Spiders and other predators chase their next meal. Through it all, John Alcock observes, records, and delights in what he sees. In a once-burnt area, life resurges. Plants whose seeds and roots withstood an intense fire become habitat for the returning creatures of the wild. \u003ci\u003eAfter the Wildfire \u003c\/i\u003edescribes the remarkable recovery of wildlife in the Mazatzal Mountains in central Arizona.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is the rare observer who has the dedication to revisit the site of a wildfire, especially over many years and seasons. But naturalist John Alcock returned again and again to the Mazatzals, where the disastrous Willow fire of 2004 burned 187 square miles. Documenting the fire's aftermath over a decade, Alcock thrills at the renewal of the once-blackened region. Walking the South Fork of Deer Creek in all seasons as the years passed, he was rewarded by the sight of exuberant plant life that in turn fostered an equally satisfying return of animals ranging from small insects to large mammals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlcock clearly explains the response of chaparral plants to fire and the creatures that reinhabit these plants as they come back from a ferocious blaze: the great spreadwing damselfly, the western meadowlark, the elk, and birds and bugs of rich and colorful varieties. This book is at once a journey of biological discovery and a celebration of the ability of living things to reoccupy a devastated location. Alcock encourages others to engage the natural world--even one that has burnt to the ground.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50362495271185,"sku":"CIN0816534039G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0816534039.jpg?v=1763481639"},{"product_id":"sonoran-desert-spring-book-john-alcock-9780816513994","title":"Sonoran Desert Spring","description":"Spring on the Sonoran Desert can be a four-month-long spectacle of life and color. Within these well-written pages, Alcock exposes us to the plant and animal life of a land many regard as desolate. To Alcock, the desert has a constant evolutionary beauty he never seems to tire of. Alcock's approach to his subject is an elegant combination of science and literature. Only the desert itself, arrayed in its April apparel, can rival the beauty of this book. --Arizona Highways \u003cbr\u003e Deserts are not as bereft of life as they seem; their barren landscapes can support a remarkable variety of plant and animal life, though it may require a patient and skilled naturalist to reveal its mysteries. John Alcock is just such a naturalist. . . . Alcock provides delightful insights into how insects provision their developing young, how parasites find their victims and how flowers attract pollinators. A book of this kind allows its author, more accustomed to the rigours and constraints of writing academic papers and books, to relate revealing anecdotes and simply to express their fascinating for natural history. . . . Books such as this serve a vital function in bringing the mysteries of the desert to the attention of a wider public. --Times Literary Supplement","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50367658590481,"sku":"CIN0816513996G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50645829845265,"sku":"GOR014022529","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0816513996.jpg?v=1763478602"},{"product_id":"triumph-of-sociobiology-book-john-alcock-9780195143836","title":"The Triumph of Sociobiology","description":"In The Triumph of Sociobiology, John Alcock reviews the controversy that has surrounded evolutionary studies of human social behavior following the 1975 publication of E.O. Wilson's classic, Sociobiology, The New Synthesis. Denounced vehemently as an \"ideology\" that has justified social evils and inequalities, sociobiology has survived the assault. Twenty-five years after the field was named by Wilson, the approach he championed has successfully demonstrated its value in the study of animal behavior, including the behavior of our own species. Yet, misconceptions remain--to our disadvantage.   In this straight-forward, objective approach to the sociobiology debate, noted animal behaviorist John Alcock illuminates how sociobiologists study behavior in all species. He confronts the chief scientific and ideological objections head on, with a compelling analysis of case histories that involve such topics as sexual jealousy, beauty, gender difference, parent-offspring relations, and rape. In so doing, he shows that sociobiology provides the most satisfactory scientific analysis of social behavior available today.   Alcock challenges the notion that sociobiology depends on genetic determinism while showing the shortcoming of competing approaches that rely on cultural or environmental determinism. He also presents the practical applications of sociobiology and the progress sociobiological research has made in the search for a more complete understanding of human activities. His reminder that \"natural\" behavior is not \"moral\" behavior should quiet opponents fearing misapplication of evolutionary theory to our species. The key misconceptions about this evolutionary field are dissected one by one as the author shows why sociobiologists have had so much success in explaining the puzzling and fascinating social behavior of nonhuman animals and humans alike.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50406517637393,"sku":"CIN0195143833VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51438436909329,"sku":"GOR006297962","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52102990233873,"sku":"CIN0195143833G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52151387160849,"sku":"NLS9780195143836","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0195143833.jpg?v=1750843579"},{"product_id":"life-of-miss-fanny-brown-a-clergyman-s-daughter-book-john-alcock-9781170566244","title":"The Life of Miss Fanny Brown, (a Clergyman's Daughter","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51097454805265,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51097456967953,"sku":"NIN9781170566244","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1170566243.jpg?v=1751081906"},{"product_id":"animal-behavior-an-evolutionary-approach-book-john-alcock-9780878930241","title":"Animal behavior : an evolutionary approach","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52819565150481,"sku":"CIN0878930248G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":53498251903249,"sku":"CIN0878930248A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780878930241.jpg?v=1764325233"},{"product_id":"life-of-miss-fanny-brown-a-clergyman-s-daughter-book-john-alcock-9781379725190","title":"The Life of Miss Fanny Brown, (a Clergyman's Daughter","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53491518931217,"sku":"NIN9781379725190","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781379725190.jpg?v=1777758108"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/de-ch\/collections\/autor-buecher-von-john-alcock.oembed?page=2","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}