Gerald Durrell Books

Suitable for adults and children alike, this title includes three classic tales of childhood on an island paradise - My Family and Other Animals, Birds, Beasts and Relatives and The Garden of the Gods.

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.

In the gloom it came along the branches towards me, its round, hypnotic eyes blazing, its spoon-like ears turning to and fro independently like radar dishes ...it was Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky come to life ...one of the most incredible creatures I had ever been privileged to meet.

Rosy, the elephant bequeathed to young Adrian Rookwhistle by a reprobate relative, turned out to be a handful: not alone because of her size but also because of her fondness for strong drink. To Adrian she represented the chance to get away froma City shop and a suburban lodging by exploiting her theatrical talent and experience. To Rosy their progress towards the gayer South Coast resorts offered undreamed-of opportunities for drink and destruction. So the Monkspepper Hunt is driven to delirium and Lady Fenneltree's stately home reduced to a shambles. In due course the always efficient local constabulary caught up with the pair, whose ensuing trial was a like a triumph of the law and of the author's comic genius. The verdict was--but the story has to be read to be believed, if then. Even though the author does maintain that it is entirely credible, indeed that this, his first novel, is 'an almost true story'.

The Argentine pampas and the 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, or a baby giant anteater suddenly discovers the ability not merely to set you laughing but actually to endear itself to you. Contents Explanation Saludos 1. Oven-birds and burrowing owls 2. Eggbert and the Terrible Twins Interlude 3. Fields of flying flowers 4. The orange armadillos 5. Bevy of bichos 6. Fawns, frogs, and fer-de-lance 7. Terrible toads and a bushel of birds 8. The four-eyed bird and the anaconda 9. Sarah Huggersack 10. Rattlesnakes and revolution Interlude 11. The Rhea Hunt Adios! Acknowledgements

From one of Britain's best loved authors and pioneering naturalists

Gerald Durrell was a zoo maniac from the age of two when he starting collecting everything alive, from minnows to woodlice. In this book he writes about setting up the Wildlife Preservation Trust in Jersey - a a place of entertainment, research and eduction.

Two in the Bush follows intrepid conservationist, wildlife lover and award-winning novelist Gerald Durrell as he embarks on an extended animal collecting trip in Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. A powerful conservation piece, Durrell and his first wife Jacquie track down a whole host of endangered species, providing an insight into these rare creatures while stressing the need to protect both them and their habitat.

First published 1977. An account of Durrell's conservation work on the island of Mauritius

A collection of the very best of Gerald Durrell's writings, selected by his wife Lee Durrell. For The Best of Gerald Durrell she has chosen evocative, quirky, engaging and humorous pieces to give a wonderful picture of how his extraordinary life unfolded. Starting with his early naturalist days and the rapid development of his passion for animals, this anthology includes writings of his collecting trips to such places as Cameroon, Argentina and Madagascar, his growing concern about the nature of zoos, the emergence of his conservation plans, and the realization of his lifelong dream, a zoo of his own, and how it became a model for the future.