A Salad Only the Devil Would Eat

The Joys of Ugly Nature

By: Charles Hood

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Paperback | 8 February 2022

At a Glance

Paperback
224 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.2 x 14 x 1.4

Paperback

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A quirky and reverent romp through nature with an irreverently funny guide.

"Among nature writers now working, Charles Hood may be my favorite. He never stops telling stories, and his perspective is fundamentally comic, even when he''s recounting a tragedy." —Jonathan Franzen

In these wry and explosively funny essays, nature obsessive Charles Hood reveals his abiding affection for the overlooked and undervalued parts of the natural world. Like a Bill Bryson of the Mojave exurbs, Hood takes us on a joyride through the obscure, finding wilderness in Hollywood palms, the airports of Alaska, and the empty lots of Palmdale. In a zinger-filled whirl of literary and artistic allusions, he celebrates Audubon’s droopy condor, the world-changing history of a cactus parasite, and the weird art of natural history dioramas. This debut collection of creative nonfiction from a widely published poet, photographer, and wildlife guide unveils the wonderment of nature’s underbelly with poetic vision and singular wit.

Industry Reviews

"What makes this collection such a consistent joy is ultimately how hopeful the author feels, and how much he continues to enjoy moving through the world despite the twin realities of bad knees and climate change. [...] Reading Hood's work will make you feel smarter but, even more crucially in this dire age, more open to the sublime. [...] Read this book. It's a true delight." -Los Angeles Times

"Among nature writers now working, Charles Hood may be my favorite. He never stops telling stories, and his perspective is fundamentally comic, even when he's recounting a tragedy." -Jonathan Franzen

"Once you've had a taste of the world of Charles Hood, you'll want to follow him wherever he goes. He's brilliantly entertaining and this is his best book yet." -Elizabeth McKenzie, author of The Portable Veblen

"Hood is the love child of Rebecca Solnit and Edward Abbey, assuming such a child had been raised in an art colony by demented garden gnomes." -Michael Guista, author of Brain Work, winner of the Bakeless Prize for Literature

"Charles Hood's essay about James Audubon's work should be required for anyone who possesses a pair of eyes, whether or not they use them for birdwatching or perusing art." -William Fox, Director of The Center for Land + Environment, Nevada Museum of Art

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