About this title: TRAVELS WITH CRANES is Peter Matthiessen's exploration of a bird whose history goes back to early legends and myths. As he chronicles the history, biology, and present status of the 15 crane species, Matthiessen makes important observations not only about the birds themselves but about the future of the planet. Illustrated with spectacular color plates by the celebrated bird artist Robert Bateman. A New York Times Notable Book in 2002.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Former Library book. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 0374199442 Former Library book. The Book shows some signs of wear. The pages? edges are dusty/dirty/stained. There may be some markings inside the book. A Great Book! 100% Money Back Guarantee! ! ! read more
Description: Good. 0374199442 Former Library book. The Book shows some signs of wear. The pages? edges are dusty/dirty/stained. There may be some markings inside the book. A Great Book! 100% Money Back Guarantee! ! ! read more
Edition: First Paperback Edition
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: North Point Press, New York
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780865476578ISBN:0865476578
Description: Robert Bateman. Near Fine. Nature, Travel. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. The author's journeys to five continents in search of fifteen species of cranes. This book is in fine condition and appears unread. There is a name and date written on the inside of the front cover. read more
Edition: Illustrated.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: North Point Press
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780865476578ISBN:0865476578
Description: Good. No DJ Issued. Good. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 352 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. Clean pages with general wear from reading and storage. read more
Description: Very Good. VG 2003 Greystone octavo trade paperback. Light edgewear to wraps, small crease to corner of rear wrap, hint of soiling to text block edge. A tight copy with unmarked text and solid bindings. Prompt Service-Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Description: Fine. Paperback, Like New, clean, tight, unmarked, no spine or cover creases All orders are shipped by kbooks every business day. read more
Description: Fine. Paperback, Like New, clean, tight, unmarked, no spine or cover creases some light cover edge wear All orders are shipped by kbooks every business day. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: North Point Press
Date Published: 2003-04-16
ISBN-13:9780865476578ISBN:0865476578
Description: Like New. Clean, Unmarked Copy, No Remainder Mark, Unbroken spine, Slight Edge Wear on Cover, Priority Shipping recommended for prompt delivery by USPS when offered, Delivery Confirmation on all domestic items where available. read more
Description: Like New. Trade paperback. Like new; no internal markings; has lost its "Brand New" shine but no obvious defects. Current and popular collection 053109. In sealed plastic protection. 2003. Trade paperback. read more
Edition: First edition. stated
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780374199449ISBN:0374199442
Description: Bateman, Robert L. Fine in fine dust jacket. EXCELLENT CONDITION: Clean text, tight binding, with mylar protective cover. NO REMAINDER MARKS. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 352 p. Contains maps and illustrations. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: North Point Press, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780374199449ISBN:0374199442
Description: Bateman, Robert (illustrator) Near Fine in Near Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. Price NOT clipped, DJ nicely in wraps. Stated first edition. read more
"I sought this out, figuring it's the closest I'll ever get to a crane outside of a zoo. I've read Peter Matthiessen before, and he's a fine writer and an impassioned advocate of wildlife and undisturbed nature. Even so, I found this tedious going at times. The largest chunk I read at one sitting, about 70 pages, occurred when I was imprisoned in the dentist's chair for three hours for a root canal. That tells me something. I learned a lot about cranes, helped by the fact that I read maybe two-thirds of the 30 pages of footnotes. I thought the science of their evolution and migration was interesting. I liked the fact that Matthiessen included political/social dynamics as he moved from place to place (there was much less of that in the sections on Africa, Europe and the U.S., however). I liked how he placed the cranes within the cultures, showing natives' reverence for the birds. But at some point the level of detail about trachea structure became tedious. Robert Bateman's drawings and paintings are spectacular. More information in the captions would have been useful, as would references in the text to the various illustrations. (Am I seeing a courtship dance here or a threat display, fellas?) I also hate it when an author quotes himself, which Matthiessen does a couple of times here. It just comes across as self-serving."
"A beautiful book with wonderful photography by Michael (I can't remember his name YIKES). I was honored to meet Mr. Matthiessen at a book signing event with International Crane Foundation in Milwaukee WI when this book was first available."
New York Times Book Review, 12/23/2001 "Matthiessen observes the world he travels with great humanity....THE BIRDS OF HEAVEN is a gorgeous, plangent work: a cri de coeur for the cranes' protection and a testament to Matthiessen's enduring high caliber as writer and world traveler." -- Rob Nixon
Washington Post Book World, 12/23/2001 "The exotic locations Matthiessen visits with such easy familiarity, the effort it takes to get to them, his obvious engagement with the natural world--all these features of his work suggest interests that are far removed from the sterile hothouse that many other writers inhabit these days. He is obviously unafraid to go where his interests take him. Indeed, this lack of fear, combined with his obvious skill as a writer, marks him as what a novelist should be....By the end of the book, the reader is left not only with the sense of the precariousness of the cranes' existence in many parts of the world, but also with a belief that the loss of such a species would mean considerable spiritual devastation as well. Matthiessen is an advocate for these creatures, as well he should be, but it is a mark of his literary skill that he invokes not merely the facts of these birds' circumstances but the cultural implications of these facts....Robert Bateman's paintings and drawings of cranes nicely complement Matthiessen's achievement....They are compelling and haunting in the way that all good paintings are." -- Craig Nova
Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.), 12/13/2001 "You don't have to be a 'craniac'--Peter Matthiessen's fond term for crane enthusiasts like himself--to appreciate his latest brief for global environmental sanity. Nor need you even be much of a bird lover, though that would help. All you really need is a passion for prose as good as it gets. Matthiessen is a national treasure." -- Dan Cryer
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