The Book of Barely Imagined Beings : A 21st Century Bestiary

From medieval bestiaries to Borges’s __Book of Imaginary Beings__, we’ve long been enchanted by extraordinary animals, be they terrifying three-headed dogs or asps impervious to a snake charmer’s song. But bestiaries are more than just zany zoology—they are artful attempts to convey broader beliefs about human beings and the natural order. Today, we no longer fear sea monsters or banshees. But from the infamous honey badger to the giant squid, animals continue to captivate us with the things they can do and the things they cannot, what we know about them and what we don’t. With __The Book of Barely Imagined Beings__, Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson’s book—from the axolotl to the zebrafish—are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers. __The Book of Barely Imagined Beings__ transports readers to a world of real creatures that seem as if they should be made up—that are somehow more astonishing than anything we might have imagined. The yeti crab, for example, uses its furry claws to farm the bacteria on which it feeds. The waterbear, meanwhile, is among nature’s “extreme survivors,” able to withstand a week unprotected in outer space. These and other strange and surprising species invite readers to reflect on what we value—or fail to value—and what we might change. A powerful combination of wit, cutting-edge natural history, and philosophical meditation, __The Book of Barely Imagined Beings__ is an infectious and inspiring celebration of the sheer ingenuity and variety of life in a time of crisis and change. From medieval bestiaries to Borges’s Book of Imaginary Beings, we’ve long been enchanted by extraordinary animals, be they terrifying three-headed dogs or asps impervious to a snake charmer’s song. But bestiaries are more than just zany zoology-they are artful attempts to convey broader beliefs about human beings and the natural order. Today, we no longer fear sea monsters or banshees. But from the infamous honey badger to the giant squid, animals continue to captivate us with the things they can do and the things they cannot, what we know about them and what we don’t.

With The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson’s book-from the axolotl to the zebrafish-are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers. The Book of Barely Imagined Beings transports readers to a world of real creatures that seem as if they should be made up-that are somehow more astonishing than anything we might have imagined. The yeti crab, for example, uses its furry claws to farm the bacteria on which it feeds. The waterbear, meanwhile, is among nature’s 'extreme survivors,' able to withstand a week unprotected in outer space. These and other strange and surprising species invite readers to reflect on what we value-or fail to value-and what we might change.

A powerful combination of wit, cutting-edge natural history, and philosophical meditation, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is an infectious and inspiring celebration of the sheer ingenuity and variety of life in a time of crisis and change.

"Caspar Henderson takes us on an eye-opening tour of real animals that no sane human could ever have invented." —Frans de Waal, New York Times –bestselling author With The Book of Barely Imagined Beings , Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson's book—from the axolotl to the zebrafish—are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers. The Book of Barely Imagined Beings transports readers to a world of real creatures that seem as if they should be made up—that are somehow more astonishing than anything we might have imagined. The yeti crab, for example, uses its furry claws to farm the bacteria on which it feeds. The waterbear, meanwhile, is among nature's "extreme survivors," able to withstand a week unprotected in outer space. These and other strange and surprising species invite readers to reflect on what we value—or fail to value—and what we might change. A powerful combination of wit, cutting-edge natural history, and philosophical meditation, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is an infectious and inspiring celebration of the sheer ingenuity and variety of life in a time of crisis and change. " The Book of Barely Imagined Beings is one that Pliny would have envied, Darwin applauded, and Borges relished . . . In these days of doom and gloom, I can think of nothing more rejoicing than Caspar Henderson's magical book." —Alberto Manguel, author of A History of Reading "Magnificent, bravura, beautiful and astoundingly interesting." — The Sunday Times "Spell-binding, brilliantly executed, extraordinary." — The Guardian "From medieval bestiaries to Borges's Book of Imaginary Beings, we've long been enchanted by extraordinary animals, be they terrifying three-headed dogs or asps impervious to a snake charmer's song. But bestiaries are more than just zany zoology--they are artful attempts to convey broader beliefs about human beings and the natural order. Today, we no longer fear sea monsters or banshees. But from the infamous honey badger to the giant squid, animals continue to captivate us with the things they can do and the things they cannot, what we know about them and what we don't. From medieval bestiaries to Borges's Book of Imaginary Beings, we've long been enchanted by extraordinary animals, be they terrifying three-headed dogs or asps impervious to a snake charmer's song. But bestiaries are more than just zany zoology--they are artful attempts to convey broader beliefs about human beings and the natural order. Today, we no longer fear sea monsters or banshees. But from the infamous honey badger to the giant squid, animals continue to captivate us with the things they can do and the things they cannot, what we know about them and what we don't. With The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, Caspar Henderson offers readers a fascinating, beautifully produced modern-day menagerie. But whereas medieval bestiaries were often based on folklore and myth, the creatures that abound in Henderson's book--from the axolotl to the zebrafish--are, with one exception, very much with us, albeit sometimes in depleted numbers."--Publisher's description Contents 8 Introduction 10 Axolotl 22 Barrel Sponge 46 Crown of Thorns Starfish 60 Dolphin 72 Eel . . .And Other Monsters 88 Flatworm . . .And Other Worms 102 Gonodactylus, The ‘Genital Fingered’ Stomatopod 120 Human 138 Iridogorgia Pourtales II 154 Japanese Macaque 172 Kiripha-ko and Thik'Ili-ko: The Honey Badger and the Honeyguide 192 Leatherback Turtle 204 Mystaceus: A Jumping Spider 218 Nautilus 228 Octopus 246 Pufferfish 260 Quetzalcoatlus 266 Right Whale 288 Sea Butterfly 304 Thorny Devil 316 In Search of A Unicorn: Goblin Shark 326 Venus's Girdle 336 Waterbear 342 Xenoglaux, The Long-Whiskered Owlet 352 Xenophyophore 362 Yeti Crab 374 Zebrafish 388 A Conclusion, In Which Nothing Is Concluded 398 Appendix I: Biological Classification 402 Appendix II: Deep Time 406 Bibliography 410 Thanks 433 Picture Credits 435 Text Credits 437 Index 439 Axolotl Barrel sponge Crown of thorns starfish Dolphin Eel Flatworm Gonodactylus Human Iridogorgia Japanese macaque Kìrìphá-kò, the honey badger Leatherback Mystaceus Nautilus Octopus Pufferfish Quetzalcoatlus Right whale Sea butterfly Thorny devil 'Unicorn' : the goblin shark Venus's girdle Waterbear Xenoglaux Xenophyophore Yeti crab Zebra fish. In the spirit of medieval bestiaries, presents a series of bizarre creatures that are very much a part of the real world, including the honey badger, giant squid, axolotl, zebrafish, waterbear, and yeti crab