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The Flight of the Iguana: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature
From the award-winning author of The Tangled Tree and The Song of the Dodo comes a collection of essays in which various weird and wonderful aspects of nature are examined.From tales of vegetarian piranha fish and voiceless dogs to the scientific search for the genes that threaten to destroy the cheetah, Quammen captures the natural world with precision. Throughout, he illuminates the surprising intricacies of the natural world, and our human attitudes towards those intricacies. A distinguished essayist, Quammen’s reporting is masterful and thought provoking and his curiosity and fascination with the world of living things is infectious.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
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2121 people want to read
About the author
David Quammen
61 books1,876 followersDavid Quammen (born February 1948) is an award-winning science, nature and travel writer whose work has appeared in publications such as National Geographic, Outside, Harper's, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times Book Review; he has also written fiction. He wrote a column called "Natural Acts" for Outside magazine for fifteen years. Quammen lives in Bozeman, Montana.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
February 23, 2013
It was spattered with small, orange spots of damp and priced at 780 yen. Not cheap for a second hand book. And yet, in that used books shop in Kyoto, Green e Books, there was something that stopped me from putting ‘The Flight of the Iguana’ back on the shelf.
The title was intriguing. How could an iguana fly? Why would it even try? But there on the cover was an iguana, rich in red and green detail, set against an exotic sunset as if captured in mid-flight. And then there was the subtitle: ‘A Sidelong View of Science and Nature’. Why sidelong? To see things differently or doubtfully? The blurb on the back of the book described the author, David Quammen, as wise, witty and insightful. I needed some wisdom and wit and insight.
I bought the book and I’m glad I did. It was my first reading experience of modern natural history writing, of the possibilities of nature writing.
Quammen sets out his aims for the book in the introduction. He wants to provide intimate, intricate portraits of nature and raise ‘questions about our relations with nature and with each other’. The book contains twenty-nine essays that range far, wide and sometimes circuitously across land and sea, over time and in subject matter. In no other book had I come across a suggestion to make eye contact with a black widow spider, to consider cross-species communication, definitions of personhood and the reactions of beluga whales to classical music, to ponder the life of a lone, urban street tree and, of course, why Charles Darwin would hurl an iguana into the sea, not once but repeatedly.
Quammen’s writing has an effortless, conversational style. It’s writing about nature that’s sensuous and swampy, perceptive and irreverent, factual and opinionated, personal and universal. Quammen offers not so much a sidelong view of nature but a full-on, familiar, feet of scorpion, stomach of starfish view. Through the varied essays, he urges the reader to pay attention to nature, to appreciate and understand, to look closer and think more deeply. As he writes, ‘it’s the little things that turn the world inside out’.
Reading ‘The Flight of the Iguana’ for the first time may not have turned my world completely inside out, but it inspired me to search out more of Quammen’s books, as well as those of other nature writers. Most importantly, it showed me the power of great nature writing.
The title was intriguing. How could an iguana fly? Why would it even try? But there on the cover was an iguana, rich in red and green detail, set against an exotic sunset as if captured in mid-flight. And then there was the subtitle: ‘A Sidelong View of Science and Nature’. Why sidelong? To see things differently or doubtfully? The blurb on the back of the book described the author, David Quammen, as wise, witty and insightful. I needed some wisdom and wit and insight.
I bought the book and I’m glad I did. It was my first reading experience of modern natural history writing, of the possibilities of nature writing.
Quammen sets out his aims for the book in the introduction. He wants to provide intimate, intricate portraits of nature and raise ‘questions about our relations with nature and with each other’. The book contains twenty-nine essays that range far, wide and sometimes circuitously across land and sea, over time and in subject matter. In no other book had I come across a suggestion to make eye contact with a black widow spider, to consider cross-species communication, definitions of personhood and the reactions of beluga whales to classical music, to ponder the life of a lone, urban street tree and, of course, why Charles Darwin would hurl an iguana into the sea, not once but repeatedly.
Quammen’s writing has an effortless, conversational style. It’s writing about nature that’s sensuous and swampy, perceptive and irreverent, factual and opinionated, personal and universal. Quammen offers not so much a sidelong view of nature but a full-on, familiar, feet of scorpion, stomach of starfish view. Through the varied essays, he urges the reader to pay attention to nature, to appreciate and understand, to look closer and think more deeply. As he writes, ‘it’s the little things that turn the world inside out’.
Reading ‘The Flight of the Iguana’ for the first time may not have turned my world completely inside out, but it inspired me to search out more of Quammen’s books, as well as those of other nature writers. Most importantly, it showed me the power of great nature writing.
March 12, 2019
I’ve never even seen an issue of Outside magazine, but given that not only Quammen, but also Tim Cahill writes for them, they clearly have high literary standards.
The Flight of the Iguana is a collection of essays on various topics circling around the themes of zoology and natural history. Quammen writes well, and has a knack for finding interesting hooks--”Street Trees”, for instance, which begins with him trying to imagine what it feels like to be an urban tree.
And considering that this book was published in 1988, it's surprising--and sobering--to realize how relevant the essays on the sanctuary movement are.
The last few essays veer into more personal territory as Quammen gets autobiographical. “The Siphuncle”, named for the organ the chambered nautilus uses to change the buoyancy of its chambers, is some particularly fine writing. He mingles nautilus anatomy and his introduction to journalism with William Faulkner. Sounds improbable, I know, but it works wonderfully well.
Apparently this is his second collection of Outside essays. I’m definitely interested in reading the first as well. Highly recommended!
The Flight of the Iguana is a collection of essays on various topics circling around the themes of zoology and natural history. Quammen writes well, and has a knack for finding interesting hooks--”Street Trees”, for instance, which begins with him trying to imagine what it feels like to be an urban tree.
And considering that this book was published in 1988, it's surprising--and sobering--to realize how relevant the essays on the sanctuary movement are.
The last few essays veer into more personal territory as Quammen gets autobiographical. “The Siphuncle”, named for the organ the chambered nautilus uses to change the buoyancy of its chambers, is some particularly fine writing. He mingles nautilus anatomy and his introduction to journalism with William Faulkner. Sounds improbable, I know, but it works wonderfully well.
Apparently this is his second collection of Outside essays. I’m definitely interested in reading the first as well. Highly recommended!
xx-dnf-skim-reference
November 27, 2016Welp. I wound up reading most of this, but the pretentiousness of the author is maddening and the science is both minimal and dated. Very much a disappointment. I was able to find his essay 'Has Success Spoiled the Crow?' online (in re' which I first heard of him) so now I'm done. Otoh, others' opinions will certainly vary.
August 20, 2010
It was alright. I was looking more for a book about nature and this book is more about the author musing about stuff with an animal theme. The first two or three were entertaining, but then it just became a laborious read. Maybe because the material is a bit dated and so the author is musing on things that are currently a bit off-topic. *shrug*
June 25, 2018
I loved this book. The information it contains is a little dated, but I think Quammen’s references to the Cold War and Salvadoran Civil War are still important to reflect on today, and as long as you’re not expecting to read about cutting edge scientific research there’s really no value lost. I really enjoyed the way Quammen used history , philosophy, and personal anecdotes to contextualize his meditations on nature and the way human beings interact with it.
May 27, 2010
I read this as my commuting book, and it's a measure of its stimulating qualities that it actually made me look forward to getting the bus to work!
Quammen writes great natural history, but his particular schtick lies in writing around the topic. His essays are steeped in anecdote, humour and travelogue. He has things to say beyond, but deriving from, the immediate subject. Discussing Darwin's lifelong obsession with earthworms, he remarks:
- and from there launches into meditations on how television flattens diversity by making us all think about the same thing at the same time.
Most of these essays display this muscular wrangling of themes. They are well-structured affairs, focussed and smart, always interesting, sometimes emotional. Quammen, a journalist rather than a scientist, is very much an outdoorsman, an observer of people and nature who likes to get sweaty and dirty; and he takes us with him on his various journeys. Here we join him camping in the filthy, bug-infested Okefenokee Swamp:
I was not so happy with a section dealing with the refugees from El Salvador and Guatemala arriving in the US (this collection dates from the '80s): the writing was as strong as ever, and Quammen's compassion and concern is well justified; but the subject is awkwardly adrift from the rest of the book, despite his seeking ecological material in it.
But this is a minor cavil. If you're interested in science, or enjoy humour, or like to learn about new places, Quammen's your man. You know you're going to enjoy a book with a first line like this:
Quammen writes great natural history, but his particular schtick lies in writing around the topic. His essays are steeped in anecdote, humour and travelogue. He has things to say beyond, but deriving from, the immediate subject. Discussing Darwin's lifelong obsession with earthworms, he remarks:
It is equally essential that some people do think about earthworms, at least sometimes, as it is that not everyone does. It is essential not for the worms' sake but for our own.
- and from there launches into meditations on how television flattens diversity by making us all think about the same thing at the same time.
Most of these essays display this muscular wrangling of themes. They are well-structured affairs, focussed and smart, always interesting, sometimes emotional. Quammen, a journalist rather than a scientist, is very much an outdoorsman, an observer of people and nature who likes to get sweaty and dirty; and he takes us with him on his various journeys. Here we join him camping in the filthy, bug-infested Okefenokee Swamp:
"Who would like wine?" said Crawfish.
"Yes, yes, yes!"
It was a pert but amusing Chablis in a large plastic jug bearing a label that read ANTIVENIN.
I was not so happy with a section dealing with the refugees from El Salvador and Guatemala arriving in the US (this collection dates from the '80s): the writing was as strong as ever, and Quammen's compassion and concern is well justified; but the subject is awkwardly adrift from the rest of the book, despite his seeking ecological material in it.
But this is a minor cavil. If you're interested in science, or enjoy humour, or like to learn about new places, Quammen's your man. You know you're going to enjoy a book with a first line like this:
One evening a few years ago I walked back into my office after dinner and found roughly a hundred black widow spiders frolicking on my desk.
August 5, 2017
Fun, winding essays that beautifully mix the biological intricacies he's learned with the emotional parts of his life - particularly his mentors and friends.
Read
May 29, 2024David Quammen is an eloquent and witty ambassador for nature. This collection of essays will appeal to anyone with a love of nature, a sense of humor, and an appreciation of beautiful prose.
July 1, 2017
This book is a collection of articles written by David Quammen for Outside magazine. All these articles seem to have a moral point to them. He divides the book into five sections, and while they do tend have a theme, they are somewhat fluid. Therefore, I will not attempt to key you in on their content.
One thing I can say about the book is that Quammen is a very good writer, hence I found pleasure in reading the book. There were some tidbits that I found intriguing, but fail to keep any notes on them. While I did enjoy the book, I found it nowhere near as good as his book Spillover on zoonoses.
What I think makes Quammen a good writer is he was trained in journalism, which for science means that a writer will get hers or his science second hand.* This is not really all that bad because scientists who become writers for the general public rarely stick to what they themselves have research. Maybe they have more skill at evaluating and interpreting actual research, but this does not precluded a person not trained in scientific research from understanding research at all. Of course, most scientists are not interested in writing for the general public, but those that do tend to be able to communicate fairly well, and some of them are very good indeed, such as Richard Dawkins. I think another plus for Quammen is he immerses himself physically in what he writing about. Most of the articles in the book (maybe all) featured him being in some location or another. He did this as well for Spillover visiting places where diseases like SARS and Ebola occur.
So, my recommendation would be for those interested in nature writing, and also for those that are interested in what nature could or should mean in a person’s life.
* For more on second hand knowledge see my blog “Are You Sure?” @ https://aquestionersjourney.wordpress...
One thing I can say about the book is that Quammen is a very good writer, hence I found pleasure in reading the book. There were some tidbits that I found intriguing, but fail to keep any notes on them. While I did enjoy the book, I found it nowhere near as good as his book Spillover on zoonoses.
What I think makes Quammen a good writer is he was trained in journalism, which for science means that a writer will get hers or his science second hand.* This is not really all that bad because scientists who become writers for the general public rarely stick to what they themselves have research. Maybe they have more skill at evaluating and interpreting actual research, but this does not precluded a person not trained in scientific research from understanding research at all. Of course, most scientists are not interested in writing for the general public, but those that do tend to be able to communicate fairly well, and some of them are very good indeed, such as Richard Dawkins. I think another plus for Quammen is he immerses himself physically in what he writing about. Most of the articles in the book (maybe all) featured him being in some location or another. He did this as well for Spillover visiting places where diseases like SARS and Ebola occur.
So, my recommendation would be for those interested in nature writing, and also for those that are interested in what nature could or should mean in a person’s life.
* For more on second hand knowledge see my blog “Are You Sure?” @ https://aquestionersjourney.wordpress...
January 21, 2019
A well written but outdated book from a witty but insufferably pretentious writer. Interesting at turns but it was hard for me to get through, after a certain point. I really wanted to like this book, and I did learn some things, but his overall attitude and the very formulaic structure of his essays didn’t really move me in the end.
December 7, 2020
The best reading is at the back!
This is a strange book in a lot of ways. Written mostly as a series of magazine articles, I could see how many of these stories would be excellent in that format. I think this book is best appreciated in bits and snippets, taking time to read each story independently and let Quammen's writing seep into the background of your life. And the best writing is quite excellent - it does make one think of a Hemingway or a Faulkner who turned their pen to nature writing, as Quammen himself not so humbly alludes. The last 100 pages of this 270 page book draw connections between nature and our lives. Quammen manages to find in nature what corresponds to our lived experiences and abstract notions of ourselves, or rather, he finds in us what corresponds to the nature that we are all a part of. When he is wearing his writer's writer's hat, Quammen writes with a keen observational eye, a cogent undestanding of the human experience of the world and life, and a storyteller's flare for bringing up some of the most interesting and allegorical parts of the natural world.
But the earlier half of the book lacks that flare. That reads as a series of very short nature stories that, in 2020, are old hat. What's more, they lack that insightful connection to broader ideas and experiences. I imagine these were written earlier in Quammen's career when he got less leeway to wax grandiloquent. Nevertheless, they are a bit of a slog to work through to reach the best stuff at the back.
Still, Quammen finishes strong and for that I'm left thinking highly of his abilities as a writer. Some small part of that may be that it took me the better part of a month to finish a modest-length book, and thus by the end I barely remembered those more tedious stories at the front. Still, the last stories were excellent: finding a balance in desert ecology and desert morality through the lens of the sanctuary movement to rescue Central American refugees in spite of resistance from the Reagan administration, pondering the fixity of the past as a real yet abstract land that exists forever altering our course in the present, doubling back to note that the past can never be recaptured in the present and that one must accept that bittersweet reality.
I would certainly enjoy reading more of Quammen's best and will look for it in the future.
This is a strange book in a lot of ways. Written mostly as a series of magazine articles, I could see how many of these stories would be excellent in that format. I think this book is best appreciated in bits and snippets, taking time to read each story independently and let Quammen's writing seep into the background of your life. And the best writing is quite excellent - it does make one think of a Hemingway or a Faulkner who turned their pen to nature writing, as Quammen himself not so humbly alludes. The last 100 pages of this 270 page book draw connections between nature and our lives. Quammen manages to find in nature what corresponds to our lived experiences and abstract notions of ourselves, or rather, he finds in us what corresponds to the nature that we are all a part of. When he is wearing his writer's writer's hat, Quammen writes with a keen observational eye, a cogent undestanding of the human experience of the world and life, and a storyteller's flare for bringing up some of the most interesting and allegorical parts of the natural world.
But the earlier half of the book lacks that flare. That reads as a series of very short nature stories that, in 2020, are old hat. What's more, they lack that insightful connection to broader ideas and experiences. I imagine these were written earlier in Quammen's career when he got less leeway to wax grandiloquent. Nevertheless, they are a bit of a slog to work through to reach the best stuff at the back.
Still, Quammen finishes strong and for that I'm left thinking highly of his abilities as a writer. Some small part of that may be that it took me the better part of a month to finish a modest-length book, and thus by the end I barely remembered those more tedious stories at the front. Still, the last stories were excellent: finding a balance in desert ecology and desert morality through the lens of the sanctuary movement to rescue Central American refugees in spite of resistance from the Reagan administration, pondering the fixity of the past as a real yet abstract land that exists forever altering our course in the present, doubling back to note that the past can never be recaptured in the present and that one must accept that bittersweet reality.
I would certainly enjoy reading more of Quammen's best and will look for it in the future.
March 26, 2025
"From the award-winning author of The Tangled Tree and The Song of the Dodo comes a collection of essays in which various weird and wonderful aspects of nature are examined.
"From tales of vegetarian piranha fish and voiceless dogs to the scientific search for the genes that threaten to destroy the cheetah, Quammen captures the natural world with precision. Throughout, he illuminates the surprising intricacies of the natural world, and our human attitudes towards those intricacies. A distinguished essayist, Quammen’s reporting is masterful and thought provoking and his curiosity and fascination with the world of living things is infectious."
I absolutely adored this book! His dry wit had me chortling out loud many times, and his unique viewpoint about the world around us is charming and at the same time very educational. I certainly will read anything else he's ever written!
"From tales of vegetarian piranha fish and voiceless dogs to the scientific search for the genes that threaten to destroy the cheetah, Quammen captures the natural world with precision. Throughout, he illuminates the surprising intricacies of the natural world, and our human attitudes towards those intricacies. A distinguished essayist, Quammen’s reporting is masterful and thought provoking and his curiosity and fascination with the world of living things is infectious."
I absolutely adored this book! His dry wit had me chortling out loud many times, and his unique viewpoint about the world around us is charming and at the same time very educational. I certainly will read anything else he's ever written!
June 11, 2021
Many interesting topics and unique stories are covered in the essays across this book, the main problem was that everything after the name-sake chapter of this book, from section four on was boring. I'm not sure if this says more about my personal interests (wildlife related) the last two sections felt like they were practically written by a different person. They lacked the luster and passion that the writer expressed in relation to wildlife, they were dull and over detailed - the last two sections took me practically a week on their own.
I enjoyed the stories about holes, okapis and iguanas.
I enjoyed the stories about holes, okapis and iguanas.
September 22, 2025
Delightful short essays on ecology, natural history, and evolutionary science written originally for Outside magazine, compiled, along with annotations and references. As the magazine is no more, along with so many great print publications in the world of natural sciences, this is a great albeit sometimes dated way to explore what readers about hiking or birdwatching or mountain biking would also be exposed to in the 1970s and 1980s. Covers the Galapagos, mountain streams in Montana, the Sonora Desert on the Mexican border, to the evolution of the chambered nautilus and the domesticated dog (and its descent from the grand majesty of the wild wolf).
October 22, 2025
I happily stumbled on this one in the $1 bookshelf outside Commonwealth Books near Boston Commons shortly before leaving Boston. Having enjoyed the *Song of the Dodo*, this was a no-brainer. Like any other collection of short stories and essays, there were ups and downs. I was expecting a style more akin to Stephen Jay Gould, though I realize that is a tremendously high bar. Instead, the rigor was more relaxed and focused on the story and human elements than the detailed biology. I skipped through some of the stories on topics that didn't interest me (primarily non-animal focussed) and thoroughly enjoyed others. Overall, I enjoyed reading an essay to start and finish the day.
January 10, 2024
A collection of essays, all well-written, with some interesting things to say about nature, and about people. On the whole I enjoyed most of them. I didn’t like how often the author inserted himself into the stories, though. And he dropped some odd opinions. It read this on and off over three years, so I don’t even remember all of it. But if I’d liked it more I would have finished it a lot sooner.
March 13, 2024
A collection of magazine articles from the 80s. Some are fairly technical, examining the various evolutionary traits that allowed some animals to survive & thrive in various habitats; some are more human-centric and focused on how our species interacts with nature.
Not a collection of his best work, but a collection of his early work, and an easy read for any Quammen fan who wants to see how he got his start.
Not a collection of his best work, but a collection of his early work, and an easy read for any Quammen fan who wants to see how he got his start.
June 16, 2025
Finally attempting to catch up on my long-backlogged physical tbr while I'm home on vacation, and this made for a perfectly light book for the drive. Flight of the Iguana is a compilation of short stories musing on the philosophy, ecology, and morality of things while weaving in a connection various natural science subjects. Each short chapter(tending to be between 5-15 pages) is bite-sized and each has a satisfying conclusion.
February 25, 2023
This was published 35 years ago but it’s all still relevant today, including the parts that aren’t strictly about nature - the Central American refugees, the sadness that accompanies the end of a marriage, and reconnecting with important figures from one’s past. Quammen’s sly humorous use of words doesn’t obscure his love of and connection to nature. 4.5 stars!
August 31, 2023
Fantastic collection of essays mostly about natural history. The one about the dog seemed designed to elicit as much hate mail as possible. The ones about refugees from Guatemala and El Salvador crossing the Sonoran Desert in the early 1980s are reminders that the United States has not been living up to its stated ideals for far longer than I realized.
March 20, 2024
Quammen has assembled quite a diverse range of essays (29 total in 5 subject sections) that is full of keen observations and often a wry sense of humor. Published in 1988, time has not diminished the subject matter. I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable and educational read; my fifth book by this author of the 17 he has published.
July 15, 2018
A passionate dive into the world of natural history, nature, and the proverbial human condition. Readers are treated to incredibly described landscapes both foreign and domestic where we meet creatures great and small whom impact the world we inhabit.
January 6, 2019
Since this book is from the 80s, it was interesting to go look up the people referenced and see what has happened to them since publication. This book has some boring essays but most of them are excellent and beautiful and chronicle the decline and fall of many animal species.
August 11, 2020
This was an excellent collection of interesting articles. There are a smattering of deep dives on oddball creatures (scorpions, marine iguanas, etc) and a few explorations of ideas loosely connected to their setting.
November 24, 2020
A book full of fun, short essays about mostly nature with entertaining commentary. I didn't care as much for the longer repetitive essays about smuggling within America but the majority were great. Favourites included the ontological giraffe and the selfhood of a spoon worm
October 4, 2019
A great pick up, put down book because each essay was independently excellent. My favorite was The Miracle of the Geese and Thinking about Earthworms.
November 23, 2019
I enjoy this author immensely. He combines nature, science, philosophy, literature and humor in an enjoyable read. I always learn something and well as be entertained. A pure pleasure.
June 18, 2021
A tad smarmy but still good.
August 2, 2021
Quammen is a stunning writer. About things that are raw and natural, and frightening.
October 3, 2021
Will continue to read everything Quammen. He writes so well, blending science and humor in such an enjoyable way. Great compilation of essays.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews