"Lively writing about science and nature depends less on the offering of
good answers, I think, than on the offering of good questions," said
David Quammen in the original introduction to Natural Acts. For more
than two decades, he has stuck to that credo. In this updated version of
his first essay collection, Quammen's lively curiosity leads him from
New Mexico to Romania, from the Congo to the Amazon, asking questions
about mosquitoes (what are their redeeming merits?), dinosaurs (how did
they change the life of a dyslexic Vietnam vet?), and cloning (can it
save endangered species?). This expanded edition returns to print
Quammen's best-loved "Natural Acts" columns, which first appeared in
Outside magazine in the early 1980s, and includes recent pieces such
as "Planet of Weeds," an influential Harper's cover story. The new
Natural Acts is an eye-opening journey that will please both Quammen
fans and newcomers to his work.