Sometimes ducks fly. Sometimes ducks don't. This Duck from Oregon recounts the thrilling tale of the day he attempted to take to the skies. A story of triumph in the face of adversity, this tale is inspiring to all ages.
Known for his meaty seriocomic novels–expansive works that are simultaneously lowbrow and highbrow–Tom Robbins has also published over the years a number of short pieces, predominantly nonfiction. His travel articles, essays, and tributes to actors, musicians, sex kittens, and thinkers have appeared in publications ranging from Esquire to Harper’s, from Playboy to the New York Times, High Times, and Life. A generous sampling, collected here for the first time and including works as diverse as scholarly art criticism and some decidedly untypical country- music lyrics, Wild Ducks Flying Backward offers a rare sweeping overview of the eclectic sensibility of an American original. Whether he is rocking with the Doors, depoliticizing Picasso’s Guernica, lamenting the angst-ridden state of contemporary literature, or drooling over tomato sandwiches and a species of womanhood he calls “the genius waitress,” Robbins’s briefer writings often exhibit the same five traits that perhaps best characterize his novels: an imaginative wit, a cheerfully brash disregard for convention, a sweetly nasty eroticism, a mystical but keenly observant eye, and an irrepressible love of language. Embedded in this primarily journalistic compilation are a couple of short stories, a sheaf of largely unpublished poems, and an off-beat assessment of our divided nation. And wherever we open Wild Ducks Flying Backward, we’re apt to encounter examples of the intently serious playfulness that percolates from the mind of a self-described “romantic Zen hedonist” and “stray dog in the banquet halls of culture.”
"You always needed a wild duck like Avram, a nonlinear thinker that stirred up the others. I always try to have an Avram on my team. Always. They disrupt and create." -Andy Grove, former Intel CEO In The Flight of a Wild Duck, Avram Miller describes how luck, intuition, imagination, humor, and risk-taking enabled him to become one of Silicon Valley's visionaries and leading venture capitalists. He recalls his journey of overcoming childhood illness, a troubled family, and an inability to function in the education system to eventually become a senior executive at one of the world's leading technology companies. Never one to follow a conventional path, Miller broke away from a difficult childhood, leaving home to become a merchant seaman and later a hippie and activist in 1960s San Francisco. Though he had no formal education, his childhood interest in electronics provided him with a foundation in technology, and he ended up working in medical research. He was appointed as an associate professor at twenty-nine. He later transitioned from a successful medical science career to the computer industry, landing at Intel, where he cofounded Intel Capital, one of the top venture capital organizations in the world. The Flight of a Wild Duck is rich with personal stories, told with humor and honesty, interwoven with the history of the computer industry. Throughout, Miller provides insights into the legendary industry pioneers with whom he worked, including Andy Grove, Bill Gates, and Ken Olsen. The book documents several critical events that gave rise to the personal computer, the Internet, and the creation of broadband communication, in which Miller played a leading role.
The past decade has seen a huge increase in the interest and attention directed toward sea ducks, the Mergini tribe. This has been inspired, in large part, by the conservation concerns associated with numerical declines in several sea duck species and populations, as well as a growing appreciation for their interesting ecological attributes. Reflec
The forty-two species or subspecies of ducks which occur in Europe, including eleven vagrants from North America or Asia, are the subject of this book. Its author is an accepted authority on ducks and geese, and has been a member of the research staff of the Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge since 1960.Most birdwatchers consider ducks to be especially attractive and interesting birds, and many species of ducks are also the legitimate quarry of wildfowlers. Both groups need to identify the species quickly and accurately, and almost half of the book is devoted to identification, offering a far more detailed account than is to be found in any of the field guides. There are detailed descriptions, species by species, of the adult males and females, immature birds, eclipse males, and downy young - voice, too, is dealt with - and full-colour plates of males and females show the flight patterns, so important for correct species identification.The habits of European ducks are treated in chapters on behaviour and ecology, breeding biology, distribution and status, and the ever-fascinating topic of migration and navigation. The distribution chapter has maps showing the summer and winter ranges in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Central Russia, for 24 species.'A final chapter considers the present day threats to ducks and their wetland habitats, and the conservation measures being taken to combat the threats.The colour plates and more than 80 line drawings in the text are by Carol Ogilvie, the author's wife.Jacket illustration by Carol Ogilvie
"A Guide to Keeping Ducks" contains information on the methods and equipment of the poultry farmer. It is intended to illustrate the main aspects of duck breeding and serves as a guide for anyone wishing to obtain a general knowledge of the subject. Highly recommended for modern readers with a practical interest in poultry keeping for pleasure or for profit. Contents include: “Domestic Geese And Ducks - Paul Ives”, “The Aylesbury Duck”, “Ducks And Duck Breeding - Charles Roscoe”, “Feeding For Egg Production”, “Ducks Breeding Rearing And Management - Reginald Appleyard”, “Housing Adult Stock”, “Ducks Geese And Turkeys - L C Turnill”, “Housing The Duck”, “Natural And Artificial Duck Culture - James Rankin”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on poultry farming.