Beauty of the Beasts

Zoologist Jo Wimpenny is out to have some fun in Beauty of the Beasts, a defence of snakes, wasps, crocodiles and the like, and why we should champion them amid catastrophic biodiversity loss. * New Scientist *
Wimpenny aims to rehabilitate creepy-crawlies, predators and even, somewhat, real and presumed disease carriers. Beauty of the Beasts is chock-a-block with wonderful scientific and cultural facts. * Wall Street Journal *
A brilliantly written and wildly entertaining tour de force. Beauty of the Beasts bites and snarls in its passion for the planet and our entangled life in amongst it all. * Sophie Pavelle, author of To Have or To Hold *
Written with great knowledge, humour and tenderness, Beauty of the Beasts is as much about humans as it is about animals. Intertwining threads of zoology, history, psychology and philosophy, Jo Wimpenny prompts us to reflect on our relationship with nature. * Joanna Bagniewska, author of The Modern Bestiary *
A charming, entertaining glimpse into the lives of unjustly scorned animals. * Kirkus Reviews *
Jo Wimpenny has written an important love letter to the natural world. I urge you to dive into the magic and mystery of the often-dismissed species that are every bit as fascinating as the predictable poster children of the wild. * Hugh Warwick, author of Cull of the Wild *
Engaging, entertaining and heartfelt, Jo Wimpenny makes a compelling case for caring more about our fellow animals. This is the sort of book you’ll want to read more than once. * Helen Pilcher, author of Life Changing *
A proper celebration of the slimy, the snarly, the stingers and the disgusting. I loved it. * Kate Bradbury, author of One Garden Against the World *
Through meticulously researched, deeply realistic and boldly imaginative investigation, Wimpenny delivers a sharp, witty reality check – championing the awkward, ugly and in-between to reveal our most reviled ‘beasts’ as nurturing parents, attentive caregivers, and surprisingly relatable kin. * Sophie Pavelle, author of To Have or To Hold *
Both unflinching and ebullient, Beauty of the Beasts delves into a menagerie of the most reviled of animal species and behaviours, and offers a timely reminder of why we should embrace not only the “Good” but the so-called “Bad” and “Ugly” of nature too. * Chantal Lyons, author of Groundbreakers *
Wimpenny would like us to think about our unexamined prejudices and to recognize that we live in a web of other lives that deserve our attention. Readers are bound to come away not just with more knowledge but with an increased appreciation for animals we’ve either disliked or never fully considered. * Kirkus Reviews *
Snakes, crocodiles, vultures — all here for important reasons. Zoologist Jo Wimpenny uses her expertise and engaging storytelling to reveal the wonder of the animals that often make us squirm. * Barnes & Noble Reads *
Wimpenny writes with warmth and curiosity. A lively, thoughtful and surprisingly entertaining work of popular science. * The Irish Post *

Jo Wimpenny is an author and former academic researcher who writes about science, nature and the human-animal relationship. She has a DPhil from Oxford University on tool use in crows and is the author of Aesop’s Animals: The Science Behind the Fables and co-author of Ten Thousand Birds: Ornithology Since Darwin, an award-winning book on the history of ornithology.

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