Most Popular Books by Gerald Durrell

The inspiration for The Durrells in Corfu, a Masterpiece production on public television: A naturalist’s account of his childhood on the exotic Greek island. When the Durrells could no longer endure the gray English climate, they did what any sensible family would do: sold their house and relocated to the sun-soaked island of Corfu. As they settled into their new home, hilarious mishaps ensued as a ten-year-old Gerald Durrell pursued his interest in natural history and explored the island’s fauna. Soon, toads and tortoises, bats and butterflies—as well as scorpions, geckos, ladybugs, praying mantises, octopuses, pigeons, and gulls—became a common sight in the Durrell villa. Uproarious tales of the island’s animals and Durrell’s fond reflections on his family bring this delightful memoir to life. Capturing the joyous chaos of growing up in an unconventional household, My Family and Other Animals will transport you to a place you won’t want to leave. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

The follow-up to My Family and Other Animals and the inspiration for The Durrells in Corfu: A naturalist’s memoir of his family’s time on a Greek island. In the years before World War II, Gerald Durrell’s family left the gloomy shores of England for the sun-drenched island of Corfu. Against this picturesque backdrop, Durrell fondly recalls his family’s disorderly household and outrageous antics, including their interactions with locals of both human and animal varieties. After a boyhood spent studying zoology and acquiring the island’s exotic insects, reptiles, birds, mammals, and sea creatures as pets, Durrell’s budding naturalism would later bloom into a passion for conservation that would last a lifetime. Filled with clever observations, amusing anecdotes, and childlike wonder, Birds, Beasts and Relatives is half nature guide, half coming-of-age tale, and all charmingly funny memoir. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Journey to South America on a search for endangered species with the author of My Family and Other Animals. In 1950, Gerald Durrell set off for British Guiana (now Guyana) to collect native wildlife and bring it back to his Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust on the island of Jersey in the English Channel. On his journey, Durrell experienced all kinds of adventures: some amusing, some thrilling, and some extremely irritating. He traveled up the Essequibo River into the lush tropical forests and trekked across a landscape teeming with life and color. He encountered the sakiwinki monkey and the sloth with curiously green fur, heard the horrifying sounds of rampaging piranhas, and learned how to lasso a galloping anteater. He even met an ill-tempered anaconda and an overly affectionate bird. This remarkable memoir will take you into a wild place in another time, accompanied by the highly entertaining naturalist whose writings inspired popular Masterpiece series The Durrells in Corfu. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

My Family and Other Animals is the bewitching account of a rare and magical childhood on the island of Corfu by treasured British conservationist Gerald Durrell. This tv tie in edition coincides with ITV''s six part television series The Durrells. Escaping the ills of the British climate, the Durrell family - acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with their long-suffering mother and Roger the dog - take off for the island of Corfu. But the Durrells find that, reluctantly, they must share their various villas with a menagerie of local fauna - among them scorpions, geckos, toads, bats and butterflies. Recounted with immense humour and charm My Family and Other Animals is a wonderful account of a rare, magical childhood. ''Durrell has an uncanny knack of discovering human as well as animal eccentricities'' Sunday Telegraph ''A bewitching book'' Sunday Times

A British naturalist and his wife acquire a menagerie of animals and set up their own zoo in this delightful memoir by the author of the Corfu Trilogy. For many years I had wanted to start a zoo. . . . Any reasonable person smitten with an ambition of this sort would have secured the zoo first and obtained the animals afterwards. But throughout my life I have rarely if ever achieved what I wanted by tackling it in a logical fashion. After a decade of supplying creatures for other people’s zoos, in 1957 Gerald Durrell and his wife set off on an adventurous journey to the Cameroons in West Africa, where they collected numerous mammals, birds, and reptiles. The wild nature of the animals created quite a bit of chaos, but the Durrells’ problems really began when they attempted to return to Britain with their exotic new friends. Not only did they have to get them safely home, they also had to find somewhere able and—more importantly—willing to house them. Told with wit and a zest for all things furry and feathered, Durrell’s A Zoo in My Luggage is a brilliant account of how a pioneer of wildlife preservation came to found a new type of zoo. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Travel to the wilds of Cameroon with the conservationist whose work inspired Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu on public television. In 1949, Gerald Durrell embarks with fellow zoologist Kenneth Smith on an expedition to collect rare animals in the British Cameroons in West Central Africa. There, he meets the Nero-like local ruler, the Fon of Bafut, who likes a man who can hold his liquor—will Durrell be able to get on his good side? In this unique memoir, set off on a journey with the famed British naturalist’s group of hunters and his pack of motley hunting dogs as they encounter an array of exotic creatures, including flying mice, booming squirrels, a frog with a mysterious coat of hair, and teacup-size monkeys; and witness the joys and problems of collecting, keeping, and transporting wild animals from Africa to England. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Uproarious antics fill this genre-crossing collection of six stories from the beloved British naturalist and author of the Corfu Trilogy. The eccentric Durrell family sets off on an ill-fated excursion in “The Picnic” and embarks on a Greek cruise in “The Maiden Voyage.” Next, things take a turn for the diabolical when a solo Durrell runs into a former flame in “The Public School Education”—and then finds trouble of a different sort in “The Havoc of Havelock.” Finally, the typically jocular Durrell unexpectedly shifts to the macabre with the surprise cuisine of “The Michelin Man” and the spine-tingling horror of “The Entrance.” With his knack for describing his often outlandish, always entertaining adventures, Gerald Durrell serves up an engrossing blend of genres in this intriguing collection of stories. Including both fiction and nonfiction, The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium reveals the wide-ranging talents of the famed naturalist and memoirist. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

For fans of the PBS Masterpiece Theater series, The Durrells in Corfu--here''s what happened next! When Gerald Durrell was eight, his family, lead by his intrepid, imperturbable mother, went abroad and settled in Corfu. The story of the family life''s there is told in Fauna and Family. Then the Durrells returned to England in 1939 and the family''s story continues in Fillets of Plaice. Finally, in 1945, the young zoologist finally came to work at his first actual zoo in Beasts in My Belfry). It was Whipsnade Zoo--then a new concept in open-range animal exhibits--where Durrell joined in as a student keeper with Albert the lion, Babs the polar bear, and a baby Père David''s deer among his first charges. In this entertaining history, he recaptures all the passion that permeated those early years, while conveying his insight into and affection for both four- and two-footed creatures. The book is full of larger-than-life animal characters: the bear who sang operatic arias with one paw clasped to his breast, his bosom friend Billy the goat, playful zebras, and a host of equally endearing and memorable critters. This is Durrell at his best.

The conservationist whose work inspired Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu recounts the early years of the Durrell Wildlife Park. At the age of six, Gerald Durrell confidently told his mother he would one day have his own zoo. She told him it was a lovely idea and promptly forgot all about it. But the young naturalist’s passion wasn’t about to fade away any time soon. Written for the Durrell Wildlife Park’s twenty-fifth anniversary, The Ark’s Anniversary is the unconventional story of how one man’s dream was transformed into the esteemed organization known today as the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, dedicated to saving endangered species from extinction. In the beginning, everyone thought Durrell was crazy to place a zoo on the island of Jersey in the English Channel. But that didn’t stop people from coming to see him and his menagerie of rare and exotic animals, including celebrities like Richard Adams, Princess Grace, David Niven (who presided over the wedding of two apes), and Princess Anne (who wrote the foreword to this book). The Ark’s Anniversary is a delightful journey and a celebration of success for anyone who loves the natural world. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

A rescue journey to save one of the world''s most intriguing creatures from extinction. Scientist, conservationist, and humorist, Gerald Durrell shares his breathtaking adventures and mis-adventures in the forests of Madagascar, in this lively account of his search for the elusive aye-aye--an endangered member of the lemur family.

A famed zookeeper reflects on his lifelong love of animals—and his decision to build them a home—in this memoir by the author of the Corfu Trilogy. The first word Gerald Durrell could say with any clarity was “zoo.” Animals were his passion. His early years in India were full of routine visits to the local zoo, and if his nursemaid attempted to deviate from this routine, the result was usually a tantrum. Years later, when Durrell decided to set up the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust—which would later become the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust—he didn’t want it to be like other zoos. He didn’t want a place where animals were simply imprisoned, where parents reluctantly brought their children to get sick on ice cream. More than a place for entertainment, Durrell’s zoo needed to be a place for education, research, and conservation. But achieving his goal would force him to question if wild animals really did belong in the care of humans. The Stationary Ark is an entertaining and thoughtful look at a career in zookeeping from the man who inspired acclaimed Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu, which aired on public television. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

The second edition of this book, guides you through a proven, results-based approach to calculating the return on investment (ROI) in training and performance improvement programmes. Jack Phillips has composed user-friendly ROI calculations, plus: ten post-programme data collection methods; ten strategies for determining the amount of improvement that is directly linked to training programmes; and ten techniques for converting both hard and soft data to monetary values. It should be a useful primary reference for learning how to utilize ROI to show the contribution of training, education, learning systems, performance improvement, and change initiatives throughout organizations. The book also details implementation issues, provides worksheets and pinpoints non-monetary programme benefits. A case study takes the reader through the ROI process step-by-step.

The beloved naturist and author of My Family and Other Animals shares the pleasures and pitfalls of opening a zoo on the English Channel Island of Jersey. Spurred by his passion for animals and a lifelong dream, in the spring of 1959 Gerald Durrell opened the Jersey Zoo—now known as the Durrell Wildlife Park—on the grounds of an old manor house. The menagerie provided a safe habitat for rare and endangered species and exposed its human visitors to the wonders of nature. Dealing with escapee animals and overdrawn bank accounts, Durrell soon discovered that owning and operating a fledgling zoo was no easy task. But despite the setbacks, these charming, often hilarious stories make clear that, for Durrell, ensuring the park’s success and helping the creatures he loved so dearly was worth any obstacle. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Which of these stories is true and which is semi-true I have, of course, not the slightest intention of telling you, but I hope this will not detract from your enjoyment . . . Gerald Durrell introduces an eccentric cast of characters in this entertaining collection of stories, first published in 1991. In the title story, part of the inspiration behind the ITV drama The Durrells, we join his family in Corfu, where Gerry joins forces with Larry and Margo in encouraging Mother to consider finding a new husband, only to rue the consequences. Highlights from the other tales in this collection are the acquisition of a strongly perfumed pig named Esmerelda, a foul-mouthed parrot called Moses, and a compulsive gambler who inspires a miracle. Written with Durrell''s usual sharp eye for observing humour in a situation, Marrying Off Mother will delight fans both old and new. ''A renegade who was right . . . He was truly a man before his time'' – David Attenborough

The celebrated naturalist and author of the Corfu Trilogy, shares more humorous reflections on a life spent among humans and animals. In My Family and Other Animals and its sequels, Gerald Durrell writes of his family’s antics during their time on the Greek island of Corfu. In his later memoirs, he vividly describes his expeditions to other, faraway places. In Fillets of Plaice, he compiles a quintet of hilarious stories that touch on all of the above and more—from his unconventional childhood to his passion for animal conservation as an adult. His adventures range from a rollicking birthday party to a London pet shop to the exotic locale of deepest Africa. Throughout it all, Durrell entertains with his signature charming, witty voice. A compendium of outrageous tales, Fillets of Plaice is perfect for longtime fans of Durrell’s work, and anyone looking for a heartwarming, riotous read. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

National Bestseller: The complete trilogy that inspired Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu in one volume. The tales of a naturalist and his family, who left England for the Greek island of Corfu—where they interacted with fascinating locals of both human and animal varieties—these memoirs have become beloved bestsellers and inspired the delightful series that aired on PBS television. Included in this three-book collection are: My Family and Other Animals: Ten-year-old Gerald Durrell arrives on sun-drenched Corfu with this family and pursues his interest in natural history, making friends with the island’s fauna—from toads and tortoises to scorpions and geckos—while reveling in the joyous chaos of growing up in an unconventional household. Birds, Beasts and Relatives: Written after a boyhood spent studying zoology, this memoir is part nature guide, part coming-of-age tale, and all charmingly funny memoir. The Garden of the Gods: In the conclusion of the trilogy, Durrell shares more tales of wild animals and his even wilder family, including his mother, Louisa, and his siblings Lawrence, Leslie, and Margo, in the years before World War II. “[Durrell’s] books have an unfailing charm. . . . It is a tribute to his skill that one never tires of his accounts” (Chicago Tribune). This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

“An ‘almost true’ tale” of a man’s adventures inheriting an elephant, so “lovingly embellished . . . you’ll almost wish that you had a Rosy in your family too”—from the author of the Corfu Trilogy (Kirkus Reviews). When his uncle passes away unexpectedly, young Adrian Rookwhistle’s inheritance turns his humdrum life upside down. Instead of a manor house, Adrian has been bequeathed Rosy, an elephant whose predilection for fine spirits leads to high jinks far beyond the means of a shy English gentleman. Convinced that a circus will take the troublesome tusker off his hands, Adrian leads Rosy on a trek to the coast, setting in motion an uproarious adventure of mammoth proportions. Author Gerald Durrell promises that despite being embellished here and there, “nearly all the adventures in this book really happened.” Ultimately, this tale of a pachyderm with a penchant for pandemonium guarantees pure entertainment. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Part of the trilogy of memoirs that inspired the television show The Durrells in Corfu: A naturalist’s adventures with animals—and humans—on a Greek island. When his family moved to a Greek island, young naturalist Gerald Durrell was able to indulge his passion for wildlife of all sorts as he discovered the new world around him—and the creatures and people who inhabited it. Indeed, Durrell’s years growing up on Corfu would inspire the rest of his life. In addition to his tales of wild animals, Durrell recounts stories about his even wilder family—including his widowed mother, Louisa, and elder siblings Lawrence, Leslie, and Margo—with undeniable wit and humor. The final chapter in Durrell’s reflections on his family’s time in Greece before the start of World War II, The Garden of the Gods is a fascinating look at the childhood of a naturalist who was ahead of his time. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Gerald Durrell is among the best-selling authors in English. His adventurous spirit and his spontaneous gift for narrative and anecdote stand out in his accounts of expeditions in Africa and South America in search of rare animals. He divines the characters of these creatures with the same clear, humorous and unsentimental eyes with which he regards those chance human acquaintances whose conversation in remote places he often reproduces in all its devastating and garbled originality. To have maintained, for over fifteen years, such unfailing standards of entertainment can only be described as a triumph. The Argentine pampas and the little-known Chaco territory of Paraguay provide the setting for The Drunken Forest. With Durrell for interpreter, an orange armadillo or a horned toad, or a crab-eating raccoon suddenly discovers the ability not merely to set you laughing but also to endear itself to you. ''His sympathy with the animal world encourages the Disney in every creature to show itself'' "Time And Tide"

Naturalist Gerald Durrell recalls his expedition to South America to find exotic animals in this follow-up to A Zoo in My Luggage. After bringing multiple species of African animals back to the Channel Island of Jersey to populate their new zoo, British naturalist Gerald Durrell and his wife followed their passion for wildlife preservation on a journey to South America. With a team of helpers, they spent eight months on safari searching for exotic specimens. Through windswept Patagonian shores and tropical forests in the Argentine, from ocelots to penguins, fur seals to parrots to pumas, the author who inspired the public television drama The Durrells in Corfu captures the landscape and its inhabitants with his signature charm and humor. Filled with adventure, exploration, and the spirit of conservation, The Whispering Land is a memoir that animal lovers of all ages will enjoy. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Animal stories.

The Mockery Bird takes place on a tropical island called Zenkali. The island seems to be populated by the most eccentric people who came there from all around the world, along with the two indigenous tribes, the Fangoua and the Ginka. The Ginkas used to worship a dolphin god, while the Fangouas worshipped a strange avian, the Mockery Bird, which was hunted to extinction by the former French colonizers. Zenkali is ruled by King Tamalawala III, usually referred to as "Kingy" by his people. Peter Foxglove arrives to Zenkali to be the assistant of Hannibal Oliphant, Kingy''s Political Advisor. Zenkali, once a British colony, is about to get self-government. They are also planning to construct a military base, an airport and a power station, and this will mean the flooding of a large, unexplored valley, owned by the villainous businessman, Looja. Peter, along with the beautiful Audrey Damien, visits the valley before it is totally destroyed, and makes a fantastic discovery: a small population of Mockery Birds still live in the valley. Peter''s discovery attracts the attention of the world press, environmentalists, politicians and businessmen from all around the world, and this leads to a couple of adventures. Finally, Professor Droom, a biologist, discovers that the main and only agricultural product of Zenkali, the Amela tree is ecologically linked to the Mockery Birds (explained below), so the flooding of the valley will make the island''s economy collapse. Consequently, the construction of the airport is cancelled.

A guide for the beginning naturalist explaining what to look for, how to interpret what we see, what to collect and how to collect it.

Includes anecdotes about zoo lions, tigers, polar bears, gnus, bears, giraffes, and camels.

Travel to Mauritius on a quest to save endangered species with the British naturalist whose work inspired Masterpiece production The Durrells in Corfu. The green and mountainous island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean was once the home of the ill-fated dodo. The island saw many other animals vanish from its soil, and by the 1970s, numerous species were close to being eliminated. Enter Gerald Durrell. Durrell sets out on a search for bats and pink pigeons, climbing near-vertical rock faces to find Telfair’s skinks and Gunther’s geckos, and swimming about coral reefs with multicolored marine life. But rounding up a collection to take back with him to his animal sanctuary in the English Channel won’t be easy: There are many dangers awaiting him. Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons is a delightful and inspiring adventure by the author of My Family and Other Animals, among other much-loved memoirs. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Gerald Durrell including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Two children vacationing on a Greek isle in the Ionian sea devise a plan where by stolen donkeys save the land of a friend from having the mortgage foreclosed.

Three children travel to the land of mythical animals and try to save it from the evil Cockatrices.