BOOKS

"Schilthuizen tells his tales and explicates his concepts in jaunty, conversational language, with an occasional hip turn of phrase or a wink of humor."
- David Quammen, The New York Review of Books

“New book: The Urban Naturalist”
published by MIT Press
Order here.

“A manifesto—and a field guide—for a new dawn of natural history, practiced by community scientists in their own urban jungle”

“I find science fascinating, but laughing is my favorite activity. Menno presents scientific facts with his absolutely irresistible humor. Reading his book is illuminating. I laughed a lot and learned even more. “

—Isabella Rossellini, actress, filmmaker, founder of Mama Farm, author of Green Porno and My Chickens and I

“As this fine book illustrates, the first step to conserving urban nature is learning to observe and appreciate it, and in the process expand our care for cities’ human and other-than-human residents. Don’t mourn, protect! “

— Richard Louv, author of Our Wild Calling and Last Child in the Woods     

“With clarity, wit, and passion, Schilthuizen celebrates the surprising biodiversity found in cities and invites readers to explore, embrace, and make it their own.  The Urban Naturalist is both a journey of discovery and a call to action.”

—Thor Hanson, author of Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door

“What if everyone realized that doing citizen science in urban areas is quirky, social, and cool? Schilthuizen’s romp through these entertaining examples makes the case with elegance and passion.”

—Christopher Preston, author of Tenacious Beasts

“Menno Schilthuizen writes enthusiastically about all  the ways that you can explore nature in cities and contribute to science and conservation, using both simple equipment and the increasing power of digital tools. A joy to read.”

—Richard Primack, Professor of Plant Ecology at Boston University and author of Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods

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Darwin Comes to Town (Quercus / Picador 2018)

In Darwin Comes to Town: How the Urban Jungle Drives Evolution, I show how the world is witnessing the rapid evolution of urban ecosystems, stocked with animals and plants that adapt, much quicker than anybody thought possible, to our cities.

Editions are available in Dutch, German, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Greek, Polish, Norwegian, Japanese, Russian, French, Italian, Turkish, Persian.

Here are some highlights from the media:

CBS THIS MORNING

Biologists are challenging the idea of naturalist Charles Darwin that evolution cannot be observed in real time. They cite evidence from cities where scienti...

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Wie Wat Bewaart (Unieboek | Het Spectrum, 2020):

A book for the Dutch market on two centuries of the Netherlands' national natural history museum, written with tv-biologist Freek Vonk. The book has not yet been translated into other languages.

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Nature’s Nether Regions (Penguin / Viking 2014)

In Nature’s Nether Regions, I go down the rabbit hole of the organs that evolve the fastest in the whiole animal kingdom: genitals. They evolve so rapidly and in such a bizarre fashion, that we can use them to identify species that are otherwise on the outside identical. 

Translations are available in Dutch, Italian, Japanese, French, Chinese, Greek and Russian. There is even a manga available!

Here are some highlights from the media:

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Genitals are the fastest-evolving organs in the animal kingdom. But why is this so? And what's the point of having decorative private parts? Menno Schilthuizen explains how the evolutionary biology of nature's nether regions uncovers a hidden world of seduction, conflict, and rivalry. [Directed by Mette Ilene Holmriis, narrated by Adrian Dannatt, music by Wonder Boy Audio].

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The Loom of Life (2008)

The Loom of Life is a layman’s exploration of ecology and biodiversity, and those complex tapestries of life we call ecosystems. It features interviews with E.O. Wilson and It appeared with Springer. Ordering information:

  1. As print book via Springer, Amazon, or Bol.com

  2. As eBook also via Google Books

In translation, the book has appeared in Dutch as Waarom Zijn Er Zoveel Soorten? (latest edition by AtlasContact, 2016).

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Frogs, Flies, and Dandelions (2000)

Frogs, Flies and Dandelions; the Making of Species (Oxford University Press) is all about how and why new species come into being; the process known as speciation. Including interviews with Ernst Mayr, Nancy Knowlton, Michael Rosenzweig, and John Endler, it is a rollercoaster ride through the controversial world of research on the origin of species. Ordering information:

  1. As print book via Amazon, Oxford University Press, and BOL

  2. On Google Books

In translation, the book has appeared as Het Mysterie der Mysteriën with Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds, and in French as Genouilles, Mouches et Pissenlits with Dunod.