Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg

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Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg

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Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg

Few writers have attempted to explore the natural history of a particular animal by adopting the animal's own sensibility. But Verlyn Klinkenborg -- with his deeply empathetic relation to the world around him -- has done just that, and done it brilliantly, in Timothy; or Notes of an Abject Reptile. This is the story of a tortoise whose real life was observed by the eighteenth-century English curate Gilbert White, author of The Natural History of Selborne. For thirteen years, Timothy lived in White's garden -- making an occasional appearance in his journals. Now Klinkenborg gives the tortoise an unforgettable voice and powers of observation as keen as those of any bipedal naturalist. The happy result: Timothy regales us with an account of a gracefully paced (no unseemly hurry ) eight-day adventure outside the gate (How do I escape from that nimble-tongued, fleet-footed race?. Walk through the holes in their attention) and entertains us with shrewd observations about the curious habits and habitations of humanity. To humans, Timothy says with doleful understanding, in and out are matters of life and death. Not to me. Warm earth waits just beneath me. The humans' own heat keeps them from sensing it. Wry and wise, unexpectedly moving, and enchanting at every -- careful -- turn, Timothy will surprise and delight readers of all ages.
VERLYN KLINKENBORG is the author of The Last Fine Time, The Rural Life, The Drake Manuscript, and British Literary Manuscripts Series I and II. He has taught at both Bennington College and Harvard University, and has written extensively for The New York Times, Smithsonian, Mother Jones, and numerous other publications. He lives in New York. GORDON ALLEN has illustrated numerous books, including Vermont River (page 163), Steelhead Country (page 161), and The Field & Stream Treasury of Trout Fishing (page 152).
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780679737537
ISBN 10 0679737537
Title Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile
Author Verlyn Klinkenborg
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Random House USA Inc
Year published 2007-01-09
Number of pages 192
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note Unavailable