Books by Marianne Taylor
Owls: A Guide to Every Species in the World
Discover the fascinating and mysterious world of owls with this stunning full-color, encyclopedic visual guide that explores all 225 known species, packed with maps, photographs, illustrations, informative scientific details, and a bonus 35½" x 12" accordion poster illustrated with the true-to-size wing length of the largest owl, overlayed with the wing length of the smallest owl and several owls in-between.
Humans have long been fascinated by owls. From prehistoric cave paintings to popular modern children’s stories, these magnificent predators have been seen as harbingers of good fortune and impending disaster, as icons of fear and wisdom, and as the powerful sidekicks of magic-makers, including the beloved Harry Potter. Scientists have faced tremendous challenges trying to document the lives of these solitary, nocturnal, and highly elusive creatures. New species are still being discovered, as are new insights into the habits of even the most familiar varieties.
Visually spectacular and authoritative, Owls includes full descriptions and maps of key viewing locations for all 225 owl species in the world, and is illustrated with drawings and stunning full-color images from some of the leading wildlife photographers from around the world which capture these birds’ breathtaking beauty and power. The book also features a special section on the art of hiding—a highly honed skill set of the owl.
Throughout, Marianne Taylor provides a wealth of detail on each type of bird’s hunting and breeding behavior, habitat, and conservation. Inside, are dozens of fun facts, such as: Only nineteen of the 225 known species of owls are found in North America; Owls can be found on all continents except Antarctica; Owls, like humans, have binocular vision; Owls cannot turn their eyes, but are able to rotate their heads up to 270 degrees; Owls are carnivorous and are known to eat rodents, small mammals, nocturnal insects, fish, and other birds.
Lavishly illustrated and educational, this breathtaking volume is essential for readers interested in natural science, devout birders, professional ornithologists, and all owl lovers.
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Hummingbirds: A Life-size Guide to Every Species
by Marianne Taylor, Michael Fogden, Sheri L. Williamson
Hummingbirds have always held popular appeal, with their visual brilliance, extraordinary flight dexterity, jewel-like color, and remarkably small size.
This is the first book to profile all 338 known species, from the Saw-billed Hermit to the Scintillant Hummingbird.
Every bird is shown life-size in glorious full-color photographs.
Every species profile includes a flight map and key statistics, as well as information about behavior, plumage, and habitat.
This authoritative guide has been annotated by the world's leading experts on hummingbirds and features a foreword by renowned birding author Pete Dunne.
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The Story of Life in 10 1/2 Species
Souvenirs of the planet: Ten (and a half) life forms, each of which explains a key aspect of life on Earth.
If an alien visitor were to collect ten souvenir life forms to represent life on earth, which would they be? This is the thought-provoking premise of Marianne Taylor's The Story of Life in 10 and a Half Species. Each life forms explains a key aspect about life on Earth. From the sponge that seems to be a plant but is really an animal to the almost extinct soft-shelled turtle deemed extremely unique and therefore extremely precious, these examples reveal how life itself is arranged across time and space, and how humanity increasingly dominates that vision.
Taylor, a prolific science writer, considers the chemistry of a green plant and ponders the possibility of life beyond our world; investigates the virus in an attempt to determine what a life form is; and wonders if the human—“a distinct and very dominant species with an inevitably biased view of life”— could evolve in a new direction. She tells us that the giraffe was one species, but is now four; that the dusky seaside sparrow may be revived through “re-evolution,” or cloning; explains the significance of Darwin's finch to evolution; and much more. The “half” species is artificial intelligence. Itself an experiment to understand and model life, AI is central to our future—although from the alien visitor's standpoint, unlikely to inherit the earth in the long run.
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The Starving Artist's Survival Guide
by Marianne Taylor, Laurie Lindop
A Blackened Chicken Soup for the Artistic Soul
Passion, humiliation, and depravity are the cornerstones of the artistic spirit. How else to rationalize one's deliberate choice to face a life of unsigned rejection letters, calls from worried parents and collection agencies, and cups and cups of ramen noodles? Being a noble artiste is a rough gig. It's one part denial, one part masochism. And it gets all the respect of being a fry cook, without the convenient minimum wage. Only a fool would agree to such soul crushing -- until now.
The Starving Artist's Survival Guide boldly reassures both the dreamer and the doer that you are not alone. Regardless of whether you are a painter, a poet, a musician, a writer, an actor, or simply paralyzed by an English lit or fine arts degree, help has arrived. Topics include the pros and cons of various artistic day jobs ("People love clowns, except for the 80 percent who want to beat them up and the 20 percent who do"), coping with form-letter rejections through the healing power of haikus ("You, blinking red light, / A call back from my agent? / No, just goddamn Mom"), a survey of artists' dwellings (from the romanticized loft to Mama's rent-free attic), and most important, "Holding On: Ten Good Reasons to Keep Your Head out of the Oven."
Both celebrating and satirizing the pretentious poor, The Starving Artist's Survival Guide recognizes that the best way to cope with self-inflicted poverty is with unbarred humor, not macramé and coupon clipping.
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The Wacky & Wonderful World Through Numbers: Over 2,000 Figures and Facts
by Steve Martin, Marianne Taylor, Clive Giffford
Everything takes on exciting new meaning when you look at it through the lens of numbers. Even boring, everyday stuff like can openers, snowflakes, rain, and honeybees becomes fascinating when you realize that: The can opener was created 48 years after food was first put in cans (before that, people were using a hammer and chisel to open their beans) It takes a snowflake 1 hour to fall to the ground There are typically 16 tons of rain in one small, fluffy cloud Honeybees must visit 2 million flowers to make about a pound of honey
More than 2000 entries like these are featured in The Wacky & Wonderful World Through Numbers. These amazing facts and figures cover just about every topic under the sun including people, animals, events, toys, food, fashion, weather, the solar system, pirates, and much more. With humorous illustrations, clever text, and a great blend of interesting, enlightening, and sometimes just plain gross facts to ponder, this book is hard to put down. (Ages 8+)
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How Birds Work: An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of Form and Function―from Bones to Beak (How Nature Works)
Engineered by evolution to thrive in the wild
A tiny textbook to learn on your own How Birds Work goes beyond the typical field guide to show us not only what birds look like but why. Why do many owls have asymmetrical ear openings? (Hint: It helps them pinpoint prey; see page 40.) And why does the Grey Heron rest on one leg at a time? (Hint: Not because it’s tired; see page 66!) Birds boast a spectacular array of adaptations suited to their incredibly diverse diets and habitats. In this in-depth handbook, discover the ways they’re even more astounding than you know―inside and out. Detailed analysis and illustrations illuminate: Skeleton Muscles Circulation Digestion Respiration Reproduction Feathers Colors and Patterns And much, much more! 300 color photographs and illustrations
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How Insects Work: An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of Form and Function―from Antennae to Wings (How Nature Works)
The extraordinary inner-workings of the world’s amazing, adaptable insects
A tiny textbook to learn on your own How Insects Work goes beyond the typical field guide to show us not only what insects look like but why. Arguably the most successful land animals―still going strong after five mass extinctions―insects have evolved a spectacular array of real-life superpowers to help them thrive in virtually every environment: Bumblebees’ wingbeats leave a faint electrical signal at each flower they visit to show that the nectar’s already been taken (see page 57), and houseflies defy gravity with tiny leg hairs that stick to the smoothest wall or ceiling (see page 69). In this in-depth, photo-filled handbook, discover the ways insects are even more astounding than you know―inside and out: Evolution Exoskeleton and Body Segments Senses Circulation Digestion Respiration Reproduction Metamorphosis Movement And much, much more! 325 color photographs and illustrations
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Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species
The ultimate illustrated guide to all known bat species
Bats: An Illustrated Guide to All Species explores bats and their fundamental role in our ecosystems through lavish full-color photographs and lively narrative. From the Giant Golden Crowned Flying Fox, a megabat with a wingspan of more than five feet, to the aptly named Bumblebee Bat, the world's smallest mammal, the number and diversity of bat species have proven to be both rich and underestimated. Nocturnal, fast-flying, and secretive, bats are difficult to observe and catalog. This richly illustrated handbook presents bats' evolution, biology, behavior, and ecology. It offers in-depth profiles of four hundred megabats and microbats and detailed summaries of all the species identified to date. Complete with an introduction exploring bats' natural history and their unique adaptations to life on the wing, Bats includes close-up images of these animals' delicate and intricate forms and faces, each shaped by evolution to meet the demands of an extraordinarily specialized life.
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Animal Behavior Stories of Instinct, Intelligence, and Adaptation
by Frances Dipper, Marianne Taylor, Chris Mattison, George McGavin, Sean Rands, Andy Wakefield
A thrilling face-to-face encounter with animals in their own environment--their elaborate displays, intimate lives, and extraordinary behavior.
Did you know that elephants give each other names, orangutans self-medicate, and rats giggle? Animal Behavior is full of hundreds of stories that shed light on how animals navigate life in the wild.
Packed with vivid wildlife photography and action sequences, every aspect of animal life and behavior is explored and explained - from courtship rituals and birth to hunting and death. An initial overview of animal anatomy and physiology reveals the science and biomechanics that underpin animal behavior, while later chapters thematically break down the intricacies of animal feeding, development, communication, intelligence, learning, and other behavioral characteristics. Learn about play through river otters, see socialization among parrots at the riverbank, and catch prey with a fishing spider. Feature panels throughout the book explore the biology behind these traits, introduce case studies from the field, and highlight critical conservation issues facing these animals.
Animal Behavior has been created in collaboration with internationally renowned zoologist and TV presenter Charlotte Uhlenbroek and a team of wildlife experts to ensure up-to-date and accurate information.
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