Caspar Henderson is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in the Financial Times, the Independent, and New Scientist. He lives in Oxford, UK.
"A beautiful work that celebrates Earth's extraordinary species,
with the look and feel of a Victorian treatise."
-- "Nature" (7/15/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"As humanity begins to grapple with the likelihood of
extraterrestrial life, we're also reaching a fuller understanding
of just how alien organisms can be right here on Earth. It is
against this backdrop that Caspar Henderson offers The Book of
Barely Imagined Beings, an illustrated, alphabetical compendium of
some of the weirdest, wildest forms of life on Earth. . . .
Henderson approaches his material with a deep respect for
evolutionary science and a sophisticated understanding of the ways
humans have tried to make sense of the natural world and our place
in it."
-- "Bookforum" (7/15/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"Present knowledge, together with environmental trouble, make it a
natural time to update the bestiary in writing, and to tour
nature's brilliance in light of honest science. That's exactly what
the English author Caspar Henderson has done with his The Book of
Barely Imagined Beings: A 21st Century Bestiary."-- "New Yorker"
(5/16/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"Tangentially inspired by Jorge Luis Borges's Book of Imaginary
Beings, and assembled like a cabinet of curiosities, journalist
Caspar Henderson's first book highlights what nonhuman species
reveal about being human. The disarmingly human face of the Axolotl
salamander introduces a reflection on evolution, which wanders into
the history of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, before landing on
the question of what the Axolotl's ability to regenerate limbs can
reveal about stem cells. It's an oddly anthropomorphic argument to
abandon anthropomorphism, but as exotic salamanders and transparent
octopi give way to miniscule water bears, whiskered owlets, and the
honey badger, Henderson's contagious awe of life effortlessly
advances his argument. The captivating habits of these beings are
given significant scientific backbone, before digressing into a
free-flowing discourse."
-- "Publishers Weekly"
"This readable volume will appeal to the serious reader with broad
interests in science, mythology, folklore, and speculation on
questions of the human condition."
-- "Library Journal" (5/15/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"When it comes to nature, the truth is often stranger and more
wondrous than fiction, especially in Caspar Henderson's Book of
Barely Imagined Beings. The book illustrates the weird and wild
histories of unusual--but real--species, including human beings,
offering the reader elaborate illustrations, annotations, and much
lore. And lurking in the margins is Henderson's suggestion that
just as a medieval bestiary's mythical monsters reveal the values
of a bygone era, the creatures that fascinate us today reveal much
about us."-- "Nature Conservancy" (6/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"With illumination-style flourishes, hand-drawn illustrations, and
in-margin notes, from a purely aesthetic and bibliophilic point of
view, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is as magical as its name
suggests. . . . Both aesthetically pleasing and scientifically
intriguing, it would make an inspiring addition to any natural
history collection."-- "Evolve Magazine, Natural History Museum"
(8/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)
"The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is one that Pliny would have
envied, Darwin applauded, and Borges relished. It celebrates the
playful imagination of the universe, capable of dreaming up the
zebrafish and the yeti crab; it also celebrates our delight in
reading in claws and feathers lessons about our own miraculous
self. In these days of doom and gloom, I can think of nothing more
rejoicing than Caspar Henderson's magical book."--Alberto Manguel,
author of The Library at Night
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