Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Use coupon code “MARCH20” for a 20% discount on all items! Valid until 31-03-2025

Site Logo
Site Logo

Royal Mail  express delivery to UK destinations

Regular sales and promotions

Stock updates every 20 minutes!

The Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction

11 in stock

Firm sale: non returnable item
SKU 9780691230986 Categories ,
Select Guide Rating
How an iconic bird’s final days exposed the reality of human-caused extinctionThe great auk is one of the most tragic and documented examples of extinction. A flightless bird that bred primarily on the remote islands of the North Atlantic, the last of its kind were killed in...

£22.00

Buy new:

Delivery: UK delivery Only. Usually dispatched in 1-2 working days.

Shipping costs: All shipping costs calculated in the cart or during the checkout process.

Standard service (normally 2-3 working days): 48hr Tracked service.

Premium service (next working day): 24hr Tracked service – signature service included.

Royal mail: 24 & 48hr Tracked: Trackable items weighing up to 20kg are tracked to door and are inclusive of text and email with ‘Leave in Safe Place’ options, but are non-signature services. Examples of service expected: Standard 48hr service – if ordered before 3pm on Thursday then expected delivery would be on Saturday. If Premium 24hr service used, then expected delivery would be Friday.

Signature Service: This service is only available for tracked items.

Leave in Safe Place: This option is available at no additional charge for tracked services.

Description

Product ID:9780691230986
Product Form:Hardback
Country of Manufacture:GB
Title:The Last of Its Kind
Subtitle:The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction
Authors:Author: Gisli Palsson
Page Count:328
Subjects:Ecological science, the Biosphere, Ecological science, the Biosphere, Zoology: birds (ornithology), Conservation of wildlife and habitats, Endangered species and extinction of species, Birds (ornithology), Conservation of wildlife & habitats, Endangered species & extinction of species
Description:Select Guide Rating
How an iconic bird’s final days exposed the reality of human-caused extinctionThe great auk is one of the most tragic and documented examples of extinction. A flightless bird that bred primarily on the remote islands of the North Atlantic, the last of its kind were killed in Iceland in 1844. Gísli Pálsson draws on firsthand accounts from the Icelanders who hunted the last great auks to bring to life a bygone age of Victorian scientific exploration while offering vital insights into the extinction of species. Pálsson vividly recounts how British ornithologists John Wolley and Alfred Newton set out for Iceland to collect specimens only to discover that the great auks were already gone. At the time, the Victorian world viewed extinction as an impossibility or trivialized it as a natural phenomenon. Pálsson chronicles how Wolley and Newton documented the fate of the last birds through interviews with the men who killed them, and how the naturalists’ Icelandic journey opened their eyes to the disappearance of species as a subject of scientific concern—and as something that could be caused by humans. Blending a richly evocative narrative with rare, unpublished material as well as insights from ornithology, anthropology, and Pálsson’s own North Atlantic travels, The Last of Its Kind reveals how the saga of the great auk opens a window onto the human causes of mass extinction.
Imprint Name:Princeton University Press
Publisher Name:Princeton University Press
Country of Publication:GB
Publishing Date:2024-02-06