David Attenborough is one of the icons of our age. Last year, a reprint of Adventures of a Young Naturalist was a hit. Now this second volume about his expeditions (originally published nearly 40 years ago) has been redone, in a lovely hardcover edition. It covers the period in the 1950s when he travelled in Madagascar and New Guinea, in the Pacific Islands and in the Northern Territory of Australia.
He and his cameraman certainly recorded the wildlife of these places, but they also recorded the way of life of the indigenous peoples, whose traditions hadn’t really been encountered by most of the public before. Pygmies, giant birds, ancient cave paintings, the land divers of Pentecost island, chameleons – they’re all part of these wonderful adventures.
With the original photographs, and written with in his charming and humorous style, this is a delightful journey among people, places and wildlife over 60 years ago. Some of the best books are not new books, and this is certainly one of those.
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