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The Resource Why Fish Don't Exist

Why Fish Don't Exist

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Summary
A wondrous debut from an extraordinary new voice in nonfiction, Why Fish Don't Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder. "At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish...comes up for air, and realizes she's in love. That's how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten." —The New York Times Book Review David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—which sent more than a thousand of his discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life's work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool—a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don't Exist reads like a fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail
Work
Instance
Label
Why Fish Don't Exist
Title
Why Fish Don't Exist
Creator
Subject
Summary
A wondrous debut from an extraordinary new voice in nonfiction, Why Fish Don't Exist is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder. "At one point, Miller dives into the ocean into a school of fish...comes up for air, and realizes she's in love. That's how I felt: Her book took me to strange depths I never imagined, and I was smitten." —The New York Times Book Review David Starr Jordan was a taxonomist, a man possessed with bringing order to the natural world. In time, he would be credited with discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. But the more of the hidden blueprint of life he uncovered, the harder the universe seemed to try to thwart him. His specimen collections were demolished by lightning, by fire, and eventually by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake—which sent more than a thousand of his discoveries, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life's work was shattered. Many might have given up, given in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish he recognized, and confidently began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that he believed would at last protect his work against the chaos of the world. When NPR reporter Lulu Miller first heard this anecdote in passing, she took Jordan for a fool—a cautionary tale in hubris, or denial. But as her own life slowly unraveled, she began to wonder about him. Perhaps instead he was a model for how to go on when all seemed lost. What she would unearth about his life would transform her understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Part biography, part memoir, part scientific adventure, Why Fish Don't Exist reads like a fable about how to persevere in a world where chaos will always prevail
Accompanying matter
technical information on music
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Miller, Lulu
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Biography & Autobiography
  • Nature
  • Nonfiction
Label
Why Fish Don't Exist
Instantiates
Publication
Capture and storage technique
digital storage
Configuration of playback channels
unknown
Control code
OVERDRIVE:07d3c01c-31b9-4601-a847-8d3cfece9cda
Dimensions
not applicable
Form of item
electronic
Groove width / pitch
not applicable
http://library.link/vocab/inputERC
True
Isbn
9781797106045
Kind of cutting
not applicable
Kind of disc cylinder or tape
not applicable
Kind of material
other
http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred
True
Special playback characteristics
unknown
Specific material designation
  • other
  • remote
Speed
unknown
Tape configuration
not applicable
Tape width
not applicable
Label
Why Fish Don't Exist
Publication
Capture and storage technique
digital storage
Configuration of playback channels
unknown
Control code
OVERDRIVE:07d3c01c-31b9-4601-a847-8d3cfece9cda
Dimensions
not applicable
Form of item
electronic
Groove width / pitch
not applicable
http://library.link/vocab/inputERC
True
Isbn
9781797106045
Kind of cutting
not applicable
Kind of disc cylinder or tape
not applicable
Kind of material
other
http://library.link/vocab/resourcePreferred
True
Special playback characteristics
unknown
Specific material designation
  • other
  • remote
Speed
unknown
Tape configuration
not applicable
Tape width
not applicable

Subject

Library Locations

    • Marion Public LibraryBorrow it
      1095 Sixth Avenue, Marion, IA, 52302, US
      42.032284 -91.59893

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