Praise for Vanishing Treasures
"A rare and magical book. I didn't want it to end."
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Bill Bryson, bestselling author of
The Body and
A Walk in the Woods "Whether she is writing about a jumping spider, a hedgehog, or the curious, pine-cone-like mammals known as a pangolin, Katherine Rundell stuns us with wonders. Each of her essays is a polished gem--and each will leave you newly smitten with love for life."
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Sy Montgomery,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Soul of an Octopus "A compendium of the wonders of the scuttling, flapping, galloping, swimming, and hopping jewels of the world. This charming menagerie features creatures both familiar and strange, whose futures we have imperiled, and Rundell shares their stories with ceaseless curiosity. A book brimming with astonishments and hope."
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Sabrina Imbler, author of
How Far the Light Reaches "To see the world through Rundell's eyes is to see it anew. She writes with such wit, wonder, and effervescence, that you can't help but marvel at every element living creatures on this planet have to offer."
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Katy Hessel,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Story of Art Without Men "This world, even as we degrade it, remains almost unimaginably beautiful and interesting, as this remarkable bestiary makes clear. Here are a bunch of very very good reasons to actually try and hold on to as much of the Pleistocene as we can."
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Bill McKibben, author
The End of Nature "A wondrous ode to nature's astonishing beauty--and an elegy for all the life we are in the midst of destroying."
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Amia Srinivasan, author of
The Right to Sex "Exquisite and timely."
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Maggie O'Farrell, author of
The Marriage Portrait "A total miracle."
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Max Porter, author of
Shy "A loving and lovely book."
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Sarah Moss, author of
Ghost Wall "Rundell's book is, on the surface, about animals - but, in reality, it is a pretext for us to learn about ourselves and our relationship with nature. Written in the enchanted, storytelling tone of medieval bestiaries, Vanishing Treasures captures the joy and wonder of wildlife and weaves it into the fabric of human history. A delight to read."
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Joanna Bagniewska, author of
The Modern Bestiary "A witty, intoxicating paean to Earth's wondrous creatures . . . shot through with Rundell's characteristic wit and swagger."
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The Guardian "[A] dazzling collection of essays about some of the world's most wondrous creatures. From the iridescence of the golden mole to parasites in the eye of the Greenland shark, Rundell details the natural world in exquisite prose . . . Rundell's gift for language, wit and historical observation combine here to create a rare and beautiful book."
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The Observer "There is a constant joy in the book . . . A sense throughout of delight and wonder, and a reminder that these emotions also matter--may even save us. This is the point."
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New Statesman "Brisk, eye-opening, thoroughly entertaining . . . Young and old will savor Rundell's infectious enthusiasm for these remarkable and infinitely varied creatures. A clarion call for preservation by way of a delightful bestiary."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred) "A poignant survey of animal species whose survival is threatened by humans . . . Rundell approaches her subjects with reverence, as when she writes that blind, iridescent golden moles 'burrow and breed and hunt, live and die under the African sun, unaware of their beauty, unknowingly glowing.' Animal lovers will cherish this."
--Publishers Weekly Praise for Katherine Rundell: "Brilliant . . . Supernaturally talented."
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Ron Charles, Washington Post
"Rundell is the real deal, a writer of boundless gifts and extraordinary imaginative power."
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The Observer "I love Katherine Rundell's writing because it's so fresh and vigorous, and always so unexpected . . . A writer with an utterly distinctive voice and a wild imagination."
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Philip Pullman, author of
The Golden Compass "Rundell is an astonishing young talent."
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The Daily Mail
