Current read? Over the Edge of the World (William Morrow, 2003), Laurence Bergreen’s “beautifully told” story of Portuguese navigator Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe. The Wildlife Conservation Society runs the Bronx Zoo as well as field research projects. “Science and exploration are the stuff of the society,” he says, “so it is natural that I would be drawn to a book about intrepid explorers.”
Essential reading? Monster of God is “another terrific book” by David Quammen (W. W. Norton, 2003). It points up the importance of predators to human culture, he says. “Not surprisingly, humans do not always acquit themselves well in the relationship.” The…
