On The Self

Birds of India
By Prakash Dubey
Lavanya Price not stated
PHOTOGRAPHING birds is a test of patience. But the results can be equally rewarding. Prakash Dubey8217;s patience with birds appears to have paid off. Birds of India is a visually evocative narrative of motion and stillness. The whirring blues of the Roller or Blue Jay as it takes off for the sky or the blur of colours of an approaching roseringed parakeet are complete little frames.

The text by Katie Dubey is a mix of physical description, range and behaviour8212;often picking on a bird8217;s entertaining habits.

The Wild Animals of India, Burma, Malaya and Tibet
By R. Lydekker
Natraj
Price: Rs 450
AS a young man, Richard Lydekker worked in the Geological Survey of India. Those years shaped much of his work. Combining his own observations with descriptions taken from the texts of other travellers and naturalists, he builds portraits of animals in the region, pointing out the commonalities as often as the differences. A reprint of this 1907 book is welcome. It is an important reference point of loss.

Between the Earth and the Sky
Edited by Savyasaachi
Penguin India
Price: Rs 295
THIS book of forest writing covers the green stretch that lies between the earth and the sky. Divided into four sections 8212; Canopy, Clearing, Dwelling and Threshold 8212; it explores ancient bonds and contemporary alienation. From Jim Corbett8217;s Jungle Whodunnits to Sri Aurobindo8217;s Death in the Forest, the jungle and its complicated relationships are dealt with in many voices.

Devyani Onial