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Open Letters Review

Open Letters Review

An Arts & Literature Review

Open Letters Review

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May 03, 2025

King Tyrant by Mark Witton

May 03, 2025/ Steve Donoghue
King Tyrant by Mark Witton

A wonderfully-illustrated book on the most famous dinosaur of them all

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May 03, 2025/ Steve Donoghue/
King Tyrant, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Mark Witton, dinosaurs, paleobiology, T rex, nature, natural history
May 05, 2024

The Ant Collective

May 05, 2024/ Steve Donoghue
The Ant Collective

A fascinating illustrated look at the world of red ants

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May 05, 2024/ Steve Donoghue/
Armin Schieb, The Ant Collective, antis, ants, natural history, nature
March 06, 2024

The Last of Its Kind by Gisli Palsson

March 06, 2024/ Steve Donoghue
The Last of Its Kind by Gisli Palsson

A newly-translated account of the great auk and the men who chronicled its extinction

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March 06, 2024/ Steve Donoghue/
The Last of Its Kind, Gisli Palsson, Anna Yates, the great auk, nature, natural history
February 26, 2024

Big Meg by Tim Flannery and Emma Flannery

February 26, 2024/ Steve Donoghue
Big Meg by Tim Flannery and Emma Flannery

A little book about a big subject: an infamous 60-foot extinct killer shark

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February 26, 2024/ Steve Donoghue/
Tim Flannery, Emma Flannery, Big Meg, sharks, megalodon, Steve Alten, science, natural history
October 05, 2023

The Birds of Yellowstone

October 05, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
The Birds of Yellowstone

A beautifully illustrated overview of the birds of the Yellowstone region.

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October 05, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Yellowstone's Birds: Diversity and Abundance in the World's First National Park, Douglas Smith, Lauren Walker, Katharine Duffy, John Taliaferro, Yellowstone National Park, natural history, nature, birds, Steve Donoghue, 2023
September 23, 2023

The Lives of Octopuses & Their Relatives by Danna Staaf

September 23, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
The Lives of Octopuses & Their Relatives by Danna Staaf

A gorgeously illustrated guide to the cephalopods of the world.

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September 23, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Danna Staaf, The Lives of Octopuses & Their Relatives, nature, natural history, octopuses, Steve Donoghue, 2023
June 22, 2023

What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman

June 22, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman

The author of “The Genius of Birds” turns her attention to some of the most iconic of all birds.

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June 22, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Bird, nature, natural history, owls, birds, Jennifer Ackerman, Steve Donoghue, 2023
April 13, 2023

Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo

April 13, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo

A new book offers a revolutionary look at how plants think.

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April 13, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature, Science/Technology
Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence, plants, natural history, science, botany, Paco Calvo, Natalie Lawrence, Steve Donoghue, 2023
January 30, 2023

Koala by Danielle Clode

January 30, 2023/ Steve Donoghue
Koala by Danielle Clode

A natural history of one of the world’s most recognizable animals.

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January 30, 2023/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Danielle Clode, Koala: A Natural History and an Uncertain Future, Koala, natural history, Steve Donoghue, 2023
October 27, 2022

Wild New World by Dan Flores

October 27, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
Wild New World by Dan Flores

A book about prehistoric America by the author of “Coyote America”.

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October 27, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Wild New World, Dan Flores, natural history, American nature, Steve Donoghue, evolutionary biology, environmental science
August 13, 2022

Platypus Matters by Jack Ashby

August 13, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
Platypus Matters by Jack Ashby

A passionately dorky look at the endangered wonders of Australian wildlife.

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August 13, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Platypus Matters, Jack Ashby, natural history, Australian animals, animals, platypus, Steve Donoghue
March 14, 2022

Drawn to Nature by Simon Martin

March 14, 2022/ Steve Donoghue
Drawn to Nature by Simon Martin

A celebration of the artwork that’s attended Gilbert White’s odd masterpiece for centuries.

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March 14, 2022/ Steve Donoghue/
Art & Music, Animals & Nature
Drawn to Nature: Gilbert White and the Artists, Gilbert White, Natural History of Selbourne, natural history, nature art, Steve Donoghue
October 05, 2021

When the Sahara Was Green by Martin Williams

October 05, 2021/ Steve Donoghue
When the Sahara Was Green by Martin Williams

A fascinating study of the deep past, varied present, and possible future of the world’s largest hot desert.

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October 05, 2021/ Steve Donoghue/
Environment/Geology
When the Sahara Was Green, Martin Williams, Sahara Desert, geology, natural history, Steve Donoghue
July 11, 2021

Birdpedia by Christopher Leahy

July 11, 2021/ Steve Donoghue
Birdpedia by Christopher Leahy

An ornithologist provides a handy guide for everything from bird calls to bird plumage to bird poop.

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July 11, 2021/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Birdpedia, Christopher Leahy, birds, natural history, Steve Donoghue
July 05, 2021

Fox & I by Catherine Raven

July 05, 2021/ Connor Carrns
Fox & I by Catherine Raven

The memoir of an unlikely bond that forms between a solitary woman and a wild fox.

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July 05, 2021/ Connor Carrns/
Animals & Nature, Biography/Memoir
Connor Carns, Catherine Raven, Fox & I, foxes, nature, natural histry, natural history, memoir, Connor Carrns
April 03, 2021

Library of America E. O. Wilson

April 03, 2021/ Steve Donoghue
Library of America E. O. Wilson

The great naturalist E. O. Wilson gets a lovely Library of America volume.

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April 03, 2021/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Biophilia, The Diversity of Life, Naturalist, E.O. Wilson, David Quammen, Library of America, natural history, Steve Donoghue
November 24, 2020

The Gull Next Door by Marianne Taylor

November 24, 2020/ Steve Donoghue
The Gull Next Door by Marianne Taylor

A gull-smitten writer takes on the thankless task of defending the world’s least-liked bird.

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November 24, 2020/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
The Gull Next Door, sea gulls, natural history, herring gulls, Marianne Taylor, birds, Steve Donoghue
October 18, 2020

Phyllostomid Bats: A Unique Mammalian Radiation

October 18, 2020/ Steve Donoghue
Phyllostomid Bats: A Unique Mammalian Radiation

The leaf-nosed bats of the New World get a glorious volume.

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October 18, 2020/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature
Theodore Fleming, Liliana Davalos, Marco Mello, bats, natural history, nature, Steve Donoghue, University of Chicago Press
September 10, 2020

The Nature of Fear by Daniel Blumstein

September 10, 2020/ Steve Donoghue
The Nature of Fear by Daniel Blumstein

A new study looks at the extent - and the unexpected benefits - of fear in the animal kingdom.

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September 10, 2020/ Steve Donoghue/
Animals & Nature, Health & Psychology
Daniel Blumstein, nature, natural history, marmots, Steve Donoghue, animals
June 02, 2020

The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson

June 02, 2020/ Olive Fellows
The Book of Eels by Patrik Svensson

A new book delves into the mysteries of eels.

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June 02, 2020/ Olive Fellows/
Animals & Nature
Patrik Svensson, eels, nature writing, natural history, animals, Olive Fellows
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Editors:

Steve Donoghue
Sam Sacks
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Jack Hanson
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