Feathers

Thor Hanson

Biologist Thor Hanson tells a sweeping history of feathers, as they’ve been used to fly, protect, attract and adorn through time and place. Applying the research of paleontologists, ornithologists, biologists, engineers and even art historians, Hanson asks: What are feathers? How did they evolve? What do they mean to us?

First published:: 2011
Published by:: Basic Books
Length:: Hardcover 336 pages

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About the author

Thor Hanson works as a conservation biologist and has studied Central American trees and songbirds, nest predation in Tanzania and the grisly feeding habits of African vultures. He is a Switzer Environmental Fellow and a member of the Human Ecosystems Study Group. Hanson’s first book, The Impenetrable Forest: My Gorilla Years in Uganda, won the 2008 USA Book New Award for Nature Writing. Thor lives with his wife and son on an island in Washington State.