Book Review: Life Stories

The sloth is an animal that I can't imagine Sir David Attenborough as. But that's the answer David (if I can be so familiar to call this great man by his first name) would give. A sloth spends a large amount of its time asleep. Sir David on the other hand has attained a level of output and at a consistent level of quality that would take a lesser mortal like me several lifetimes to achieve.

This book is a collection of stories that David Attenborough told first by the medium of radio. For anyone who has heard a sentence or two of David's unique style, you will know what I mean when I say that he writes as he speaks and this is true of every book of his I've read. This book compliments the radio programme by not only having the transcript of the episodes in the series, but also colour photo plates that further illuminate the topics being described. Now, to be fair, no photos are necessary as Sir David has a power over words and can describe anything in the natural world as if it were in front of you at this very moment in time.

I find it very hard to say anything bad about Attenborough, and luckily I am not required to here. This is a marvellous tome containing David's thoughts, experiences, and opinions on topics such as Monstrous Flowers, Dragons, Birds of Paradise, Faking Fossils, Birds' Nest Soup (inncluding a funny tale of when a bat flew into his face), Adam's Face, and many more. Further more, they are written by a man whos thoughts, experiences, and opinions are worth hearing or reading.

So well received was this book, that a second was published. There's no surprise there. I don't feel that I have a mastery of expression that can do this book justice, other than to strongly suggest that you read it. And, perhaps, there's no surprise there either.

 

 

Own or Loan:         Loan
Read Again:           Yes
Recommend:         Yes
Overall out of Five:3