Gordon Grice's Blog, page 104

A Beastly Menagerie

Sir Pilkington-Smythe, best known to readers of my links section as the wit behind The Ever So Strange Animal Almanac, has a new book out. The mission of A Beastly Menagerie: Sir Pilkington-Smythe's Marvelous Collection of Strange and Unusual Creatures is to catalog the weirdest animals on earth. This volume surveys such creatures as the microscopic water bear, which can withstand 1000 times as much radiation as a human; the male hooded seal, which doubles the size of its head by inflating the lining of its nostril; and the Jesus Christ lizard, which runs on water. My fellow danger fans will be happy to know that it also includes some old friends of ours, like the candiru, which swims up the human urethra and "sticks out a spike so it can't come out, even if you ask it really, really nicely, and offer it all sorts of cash incentives." On the tendency of vampire bats to share their meals with each other, Sir P. remarks, "All very well, if indeed the idea of vampires vomiting blood into each other's mouths is all very well."
Pilkington-Smythe is hilarious, but he's also well informed, and if you're not careful, you'll learn a lot from this book. The star-nosed mole gives him occasion to mention the ten (not five) human senses, and the mating habits of the right whale lead to a discussion of sperm competition.
I wish I had the vocabulary to tell you how beautifully designed this book is. It's the most gorgeous volume on nature I've seen since Eyelids of Morning. Highly recommended. 

Shark kills bodyboarder in California | World news | The Guardian

Shark kills bodyboarder in California | World news | The Guardian

A fatal mauling near Santa Barbara. Thanks to Steve V. for the news tip.

The Daily Iowan on Deadly Kingdom

Thanks to the Daily Iowan, the campus newspaper of the University of Iowa, which profiled me on the occasion of my visit to Prairie Lights. Reporter Alyssa Harn talks not only about Deadly Kingdom, but also about the personal stories behind the book. There's even a mention of Parker's pet leopard gecko.

Kansas City Chimp caught on video

http://news.yahoo.com/video/kansascity-kmbc-18211647/escaped-pet-chimp-captured-unharmed-22540471

Here's video of the escaped chimp I mentioned earlier.

Iowa City Rocks

I had a great time at Prairie Lights in Iowa City, where Jan, Paul, and the crew really know how to make a writer feel welcome. It was great to catch up with old friends like David and Stephanie and to meet new folks like Sam and Luke. Thanks to everyone who turned out, and especially to Paul for setting the whole thing up.


The picture shows Prairie Lights' most famous customer. He stopped by in March. I emailed the other day to suggest he swing by for my signing, but I never heard back. He must have had something else going on.

Chimpanzee Breaks Lose in Kansas City

MSNBC is reporting that an adult chimpanzee ran lose in Kansas City yesterday. No one was hurt, but the chimp apparently did try to get at a motorist in her vehicle. The report claims the chimp weighed 300 pounds. That's probably wrong, as an adult female chimp would usually run less than half that size. Still, any adult chimp is much stronger than a human and capable of doing damage.

The chimp's owner eventually lured it back into a cage.

Zebra attack

In Zimbabwe, a woman was badly mauled by her pet zebra. The zebra also killed a cow. I kid you not.

The Devil Went Down to Iowa

I'll be at Prairie Lights, one of the country's premiere independent book stores, this Monday evening to read, talk, and sign copies of Deadly Kingdom. If you're anywhere near Iowa City, come see me.

http://www.prairielights.com/live





October 18, 2010 - 7:00pmPrairie LightsGORDON GRICEGordon Grice will read from his new book,  Deadly Kingdom . In this elegantly illustrated, often funny compendium of animal predation, Grice, hailed by Michael Pollan as "a fresh, strange, and wonderful new voice in American nature writing," presents findings that are by turns surprising, humorous, and horrifying. Personally obsessed by both the menace and beauty of animals since he was six years old and a deadly cougar wandered onto his family's farm, Gordon Grice now reaps a lifetime of study in this unique survey.  Deadly Kingdom  is both a good read and a great resource. Gordon Grice has written for The New Yorker, Harper's, Discover, Granta and other magazines. His first book, The Red Hourglass, was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and the New York Public Library. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Essays. 

Gorillas

Wayne Allison's images of gorillas.

More Monkey News

In Malaysia, a monkey has killed a newborn baby in a predatory attack. The article doesn't tell which species of monkey this was.