Notebooks from New Guinea

Reflections on life, nature, and science from the depths of the rainforest

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Biology, Nature
Cover of the book Notebooks from New Guinea by Vojtech Novotny, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Vojtech Novotny ISBN: 9780191580321
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: May 14, 2009
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: Vojtech Novotny
ISBN: 9780191580321
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: May 14, 2009
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

This is a unique and delightfully engaging account by a leading tropical biologist of doing science at one of the last wild frontiers in the world. Vojtech Novotny is a highly respected Czech scientist. His widely cited work, of profound importance to ecology and evolution, is not done, like much modern science, in a lab full of gleaming apparatus. Instead, he chose as his 'laboratory' the remotest parts of Papua New Guinea, where he has established a research station. Supported by a team of Papuans whom he has trained up so that they can combine their wide and intimate knowledge of the plants and animals of their tropical forest with the knowledge of modern science, Novotny studies the ecological interactions of butterflies and plants. Clearly this is no ordinary scientist. Combined with his intrepid courage (PNG is one of the most dangerous places on Earth, with a very high homicide rate), he is a shrewd observer of human nature. In the richly varied notes and reflections of this very individual volume are not only descriptions of natural history and scientific research in the rainforest, but accounts of the local peoples and their culture, the challenges of working across very different cultures, and amusing portraits of the antics of Western tourists, separated by a few 'intermezzi' - episodes when the author fought bouts of malaria. Novotny is that rare combination of excellent scientist and superb storyteller. The faithful translations by David Short bring these notes and reflections on science, nature, and human beings to a wide audience, without any loss to their richness, warmth, humility, and wisdom. The volume is illustrated with beautiful drawings by a self-taught Papuan artist, Benson Avea Bego, who lives in a remote village.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This is a unique and delightfully engaging account by a leading tropical biologist of doing science at one of the last wild frontiers in the world. Vojtech Novotny is a highly respected Czech scientist. His widely cited work, of profound importance to ecology and evolution, is not done, like much modern science, in a lab full of gleaming apparatus. Instead, he chose as his 'laboratory' the remotest parts of Papua New Guinea, where he has established a research station. Supported by a team of Papuans whom he has trained up so that they can combine their wide and intimate knowledge of the plants and animals of their tropical forest with the knowledge of modern science, Novotny studies the ecological interactions of butterflies and plants. Clearly this is no ordinary scientist. Combined with his intrepid courage (PNG is one of the most dangerous places on Earth, with a very high homicide rate), he is a shrewd observer of human nature. In the richly varied notes and reflections of this very individual volume are not only descriptions of natural history and scientific research in the rainforest, but accounts of the local peoples and their culture, the challenges of working across very different cultures, and amusing portraits of the antics of Western tourists, separated by a few 'intermezzi' - episodes when the author fought bouts of malaria. Novotny is that rare combination of excellent scientist and superb storyteller. The faithful translations by David Short bring these notes and reflections on science, nature, and human beings to a wide audience, without any loss to their richness, warmth, humility, and wisdom. The volume is illustrated with beautiful drawings by a self-taught Papuan artist, Benson Avea Bego, who lives in a remote village.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book The Internal Market as a Legal Concept by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Dipterocarp Biology, Ecology, and Conservation by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Effective Investigation of Child Homicide and Suspicious Deaths by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Why We Need a New Welfare State by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Prevention and the Limits of the Criminal Law by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book The EU Deep Trade Agenda by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book The International Criminal Court and Africa by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Cranford by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Novel Politics by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Orality and Performance in Classical Attic Prose by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Laboratory Phonology by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book The Returning Hero by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Money by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book Conversations on Art and Aesthetics by Vojtech Novotny
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Sacramental Theology by Vojtech Novotny
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy