Darwin's Orchestra: An Almanac of Nature in History and the Arts

by Michael Sims

This wonderful day-by-day journal consists of 366 essays - one for each day of the year, including one for leap year - spanning a time frame of more than 2,500 years, and ranging in subject from an eclipse that halted a battle in 585 B.C. to the last days of Calvin and Hobbes. Packed with little-known anecdotes about well-known figures, it will appeal to history buffs as much as to natural history devotees. Readers will be intrigued to find a "nature almanac" filled with such figures as Sherlock Holmes, Alfred Hitchcock, Bugs Bunny, and Bela Lugosi's Dracula. History fans may be surprised to learn about Josephine Baker's menagerie and Emperor Hirohito's hobby. As it roams across history and culture, this volume will delight its readers through whimsical connections, fascinating facts, and ironic observations.

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction

508 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1997

About the author

Michael Sims is the author of the acclaimed "The Story of Charlotte's Web, Apollo's Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination," "Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form," and editor of "Dracula's Guest: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories" and "The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories." He lives in western Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Merilee]

It's going to take a year. It's a one essay a day type of book...

[Randy O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great.

[Alden · Rating 4 out of 5]

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