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Birds by the Shore

Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast

Author Jennifer Ackerman
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Paperback
$18.00 US
Penguin Adult HC/TR | Penguin Books
5.54"W x 8.34"H x 0.67"D   | 7 oz | 24 per carton
On sale May 07, 2019 | 224 Pages | 9780143134183
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From the bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, the revised and reissued edition of her beloved book of essays describing her forays along the Delaware shore

For three years, Jennifer Ackerman lived in the small coastal town of Lewes, Delaware, in the sort of blue-water, white-sand landscape that draws summer crowds up and down the eastern seaboard. Birds by the Shore is a book about discovering the natural life at the ocean's edge: the habits of shorebirds and seabirds, the movement of sand and water, the wealth of creatures that survive amid storm and surf. Against this landscape's rhythms, Ackerman revisits her own history--her mother's death, her father's illness and her hopes to have children of her own.

This portrait of life at the ocean's edge will be relished by anyone who has walked a beach at sunset, or watched a hawk hover over a winter marsh, and felt part of the natural world. With a quiet passion and friendly, generous intelligence, it explores the way that landscape shapes our thoughts and perceptions and shows that home ground is often where we feel the deepest response to the planet.
“Arresting and provocative… A joy to read”—The Washington Post

“Ackerman’s glimpses of the Delaware shore are full of the kind of fascinating detail that makes good nature writing as engaging as any fiction.”—Smithsonian Magazine

“Like walking along an ocean beach with a knowledgeable, articulate friend, reading this personalized natural history is a restorative experience.”—Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review

“A lyrical meditation on the scientific and philosophical meaning to be found in one short stretch of Delaware coastline… Poetic, precise, intelligent, thoughtful. A lovely book.”—Kirkus

“Serene and loving, Ackerman’s deeply personal take on the world around her constitutes nature writing at its best.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A celebration of finding a home, wherever that may be.”—People
© Sofia Runarsdotter
Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about science and nature for more than three decades. Her most recent book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds, explores recent findings on the biology, behavior, and conservation of owls. A bestseller, it was selected as a best book of 2023 by The New York Times, The Economist, The Times (UK), and NPR's Science Friday. Her previous book, The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think, was a finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Her New York Times bestselling book, The Genius of Birds, has been translated into twenty-eight languages and was named one of the best nonfiction books of 2016 by The Wall Street Journal, a Best Science Book by NPR’s Science Friday, and a Nature Book of the Year by The Sunday Times. Her other books include Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast, Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body, and Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity. Ackerman’s articles and essays have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and many other publications. She is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship, fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bunting Institute, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. View titles by Jennifer Ackerman

About

From the bestselling author of The Genius of Birds, the revised and reissued edition of her beloved book of essays describing her forays along the Delaware shore

For three years, Jennifer Ackerman lived in the small coastal town of Lewes, Delaware, in the sort of blue-water, white-sand landscape that draws summer crowds up and down the eastern seaboard. Birds by the Shore is a book about discovering the natural life at the ocean's edge: the habits of shorebirds and seabirds, the movement of sand and water, the wealth of creatures that survive amid storm and surf. Against this landscape's rhythms, Ackerman revisits her own history--her mother's death, her father's illness and her hopes to have children of her own.

This portrait of life at the ocean's edge will be relished by anyone who has walked a beach at sunset, or watched a hawk hover over a winter marsh, and felt part of the natural world. With a quiet passion and friendly, generous intelligence, it explores the way that landscape shapes our thoughts and perceptions and shows that home ground is often where we feel the deepest response to the planet.

Praise

“Arresting and provocative… A joy to read”—The Washington Post

“Ackerman’s glimpses of the Delaware shore are full of the kind of fascinating detail that makes good nature writing as engaging as any fiction.”—Smithsonian Magazine

“Like walking along an ocean beach with a knowledgeable, articulate friend, reading this personalized natural history is a restorative experience.”—Publisher’s Weekly, Starred Review

“A lyrical meditation on the scientific and philosophical meaning to be found in one short stretch of Delaware coastline… Poetic, precise, intelligent, thoughtful. A lovely book.”—Kirkus

“Serene and loving, Ackerman’s deeply personal take on the world around her constitutes nature writing at its best.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A celebration of finding a home, wherever that may be.”—People

Author

© Sofia Runarsdotter
Jennifer Ackerman has been writing about science and nature for more than three decades. Her most recent book, What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds, explores recent findings on the biology, behavior, and conservation of owls. A bestseller, it was selected as a best book of 2023 by The New York Times, The Economist, The Times (UK), and NPR's Science Friday. Her previous book, The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think, was a finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Her New York Times bestselling book, The Genius of Birds, has been translated into twenty-eight languages and was named one of the best nonfiction books of 2016 by The Wall Street Journal, a Best Science Book by NPR’s Science Friday, and a Nature Book of the Year by The Sunday Times. Her other books include Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast, Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body, and Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity. Ackerman’s articles and essays have appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and many other publications. She is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including a 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship, fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Bunting Institute, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. View titles by Jennifer Ackerman

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