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6 opere 214 membri 4 recensioni

Sull'Autore

Mary Ellen Hannibal's work has appeared in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Esquire, and Elle, among many other outlets.

Opere di Mary Ellen Hannibal

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Informazioni generali

Sesso
female

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Recensioni

Although this book is a quick and easy read, with gorgeous photographs, it really doesn't live up to its name. The book discusses (superficially) the history of evolutionary theory and some of the tenets of natural selection. It gives very little that could be called evidence, and what it does would hardly convince someone who was not already convinced by the evidence. Read it for the pictures, and the captions. The text itself is readable and interesting, but don't expect too much.
 
Segnalato
Devil_llama | 1 altra recensione | Sep 17, 2018 |
In a word, Evidence of Evolution is exquisite. Mary Ellen Hannibal’s discussion of evolution and genetics pairs wonderfully with Susan Middleton’s crisp photographs of collected specimens from the California Academy of Science. Hannibal goes through a brief history of Darwin’s expedition to the Galapagos Islands and highlight the basic lines of thought leading up to the theory of evolution. From there are dual treatises on the processes and patterns in evolution in the natural world.

But the text is really just a backdrop for the main attraction: the pictures. If ever there was to be a coffee table book highlighting both the case for evolution and the sheer beauty of the natural world, this would be it. Specimen examples cover a wide range of the tree of life, from insects and sea creatures to birds, turtles, and primates. Sample images from the book can be viewed at the CAS’s website. This is a great book for any lover of the natural sciences or natural photography.
… (altro)
½
1 vota
Segnalato
NielsenGW | 1 altra recensione | Apr 19, 2014 |
While the National Park system in North America has been around for a long time and been one of the great success stories of America, there are flaws that are becoming more apparent as continued climate change affects those environmental islands. But perhaps the most ambitious conservation effort ever undertaken looks to solve the biodiversity challenges and link the natural movements of nature all along the spine of the continent.

MaryEllen Hannibal has managed to do something that is not easily accomplished – she has made environmental scientists seem interesting. Ok, maybe not interesting – quirky might be more correct. Either way, The Spine of the Continent brings to light a conservation effort that is not well known and even less understood. Focusing on the migration routes of species along the Rocky Mountains stretching from Mexico to the upper reaches of Canada, this effort has everything from top scientific minds to grassroots local citizens groups working towards a solution to the complex problem of linking the island structure of nature preserves throughout the continent.

However, Hannibal’s greatest strength in The Spine of the Continent is also the book’s greatest weakness. In the process of making the scientists and their stories interesting, the focus of the actual environmental issues seemed like a rudderless ship. Maybe it was the writing style or perhaps it was the structure, but I often found I had to wade through too much superfluous storytelling in order to get to a nugget of interesting science. And while the premise of this unique conservation effort should have been fascinating, I never felt like this book misses the opportunity to motivate people who aren’t already motivated.

All in all, The Spine of the Continent sheds light on the potential evolution of the national park system. While interesting, it just fails to reach its potential by getting to the heart of the matter. There are just too many distractions and little narrative flow to make it move the reader. While interesting for those with a tie to the environmental movement, it just isn’t powerful enough to attract a mainstream audience.
… (altro)
 
Segnalato
csayban | Sep 10, 2013 |
This short book is a quick read when you just want something light. The pictures are quite spectacular, but the text that accompanies them is somewhat flimsy. My main complaint is that the book could have been so much more than it was.
 
Segnalato
Devil_llama | May 29, 2011 |

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Statistiche

Opere
6
Utenti
214
Popolarità
#104,033
Voto
4.2
Recensioni
4
ISBN
11

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