Thursday, September 17, 2009

BBAW Giveaway #5: The Hidden Life of Deer by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

In the fall of 2007 in southern New Hampshire, the acorn crop failed and the animals who depended on it faced starvation. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas began leaving food in small piles around her farmhouse. Soon she had over thirty deer coming to her fields, and her naturalist's eye was riveted. How did they know when to come, all together, and why did they sometimes cooperate, sometimes compete?

Throughout the next twelve months she observed the local deer families as they fought through a rough winter; bred fawns in the spring; fended off coyotes, a bobcat, a bear, and plenty of hunters; and made it to the next fall when the acorn crop was back to normal. As she hiked through her woods, spotting tree rubbings, deer beds, and deer yards, she discovered a vast hidden world. Deer families are run by their mothers. Local families arrange into a hierarchy. They adopt orphans; they occasionally reject a child; they use complex warnings to signal danger; they mark their territories; they master local microclimates to choose their beds; they send countless coded messages that we can read, if only we know what to look for.

Just as she did in her beloved books The Hidden Life of Dogs and Tribe of Tiger, Thomas describes a network of rules that have allowed earth's species to coexist for millions of years. Most of us have lost touch with these rules, yet they are a deep part of us, from our ancient evolutionary past. The Hidden Life of Deer is a narrative masterpiece and a naturalist's delight.

One of the most widely read American anthropologists, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas has observed dogs, cats, and elephants during her half-century-long career. In the 1980s Thomas studied elephants alongside Katy Payne—the scientist who discovered elephants' communication via infrasound. In 1993 Thomas wrote The Hidden Life of Dogs, a groundbreaking work of animal psychology that spent nearly a year on the New York Times bestseller list. Her book on cats, Tribe of Tiger, was also an international bestseller. She lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire, on her family's former farm, where she observes deer, bobcats, bear, and many other species of wildlife.

~Synopsis & author biography from the publisher

I have two copies to give away, courtesy of Harper Collins (thank you, Kyle!!). Winners will be drawn at random and must have a US or Canada mailing address. To enter, just leave me a comment here that includes your email address. Enter through midnight eastern on September 25. Below are some ways for you to earn extra entries. Please leave ONE comment for each thing you choose to do. You can combine your comments together if you like but please do not leave multiple comments for the same extra thing (for example, one comment if you fave at Technorati or subscribe via Feedburner, not three). Anyone who already follows, subscribes, or has faved at Technorati still gets the extras, just mention it in your comment! Thank you for visiting and entering!!

+1 become a follower
+1 tweet giveaway on twitter or blog about it (note that you did in your comment)
+3 fave this blog at Technorati (click on the little green box on the left sidebar)
+3 subscribe via Feedburner


Be sure to check out all of the fantastic giveaways going on this week to celebrate
BBAW! Click the link or the button on the top left to see the ever growing list!

50 comments:

Jonnie (JB) said...

Please enter me into the draw.
dftrew(At)gmail(dot)com

FlyFreeMyBooks said...

Please enter me.
I am a follower.
I also subscribe and receive your emails.
ludeluh at yahoo dot com

Esme said...

Do enter me please
and I follow
and I tweeted

chocolateandcroissants at yahoo dot com

pussreboots said...

I'm a long time subscriber to your blog feed; I've favorited your blog and tweeted about the giveaway. The book reminds me of Gift of the Deer, another winter time memoir where a woman fed a family of deer during a rough winter.

ikkinlala said...

I'd love a chance to win this book!

ikkinlala AT yahoo DOT ca

Lucyinthesky said...

I would simply enjoy this book thoroughly I think as i ama great animal lover. All animal (wild or domestic) matter. Thanks for the chance.

espressogurl at hotmail dot com

+1 I follow (Ally/rubymoonstoneATgmail)

+3 You're faved! Technorati tech name: rubymoon

+3 RSS feed to google reader reading at rubymoonstoneATgmail.Also subscribe at espressogurlAThotmail.

Unknown said...

I've never heard of this book but it sounds really interesting.

I'm a blog follower. Thanks.

Beth said...

Please enter me. Thanks for the chance.

lizzi0915 at aol dot com

Hawkeyegirl said...

Hi! I'd love to get a copy of this, please enter me.

Also I follow you and faved the blog on technorati.

Also I tweeted.


Thanks!

Hawkeyegirl (at) gmail (dot) com

Maggie said...

I follow!

muchdeepmeaning @ gmail . com

Linda said...

I would love to win this book, and share it with my granddaughter who is pursuing a degree in conservation biology. Thanks for the giveaway.

I follow your blog through Google Reader

Linda said...

I failed to leave my address in my comment.

lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com

thanks, and I follow

rubynreba said...

I really like to read about wildlilfe and would enjoy this book. Thanks!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

rubynreba said...

I am a follower
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

Emily said...

Enter me please!

+1 I am a follower.

+3 I subscribe to your RSS feed.

emily DOT wittenberg @ gmail DOT com

Marie said...

This sounds like a fascinating book -- we have deer in our backyard all the time.

I am a follower.

marielay@gmail.com

nfmgirl said...

I love anything having to do with animals! Please count me in.

+1 already a follower

+1 Tweeted:
http://twitter.com/nfmgirl/status/4087311242

+3 I subscribe via Feedburner

Simply Stacie said...

Please count me in.

I am a follower.

simplystacieblog at gmail dot com

FlyFreeMyBooks said...

I posted your giveaway on my blog here:
http://giveawayroundup.blogspot.com/2009/09/friday-freebies.html

ludeluh at yahoo dot com

Marie (MUM) said...

This sounds very interesting and good. Count me in.

I'm a follower

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/utah91960/status/4094588106

Marie
utah91960(at)yahoo(dot)com

Marie (MUM) said...

Oh and

+3 subscribe through feedburner

Marie
utah91960(at)yahoo(dot)com

Rebecca N. said...

I m super interested in reading this book! Thank you for the fantastic giveaway!

imsosweepy { at } gmail { dot } com

Rebecca N. said...

+1 I follow your blog!

imsosweepy { at } gmail { dot } com

Rebecca N. said...

+1 I tweeted!

http://twitter.com/Sparkleglow/status/4094760179

imsosweepy { at } gmail { dot } com

Rebecca N. said...

+3 I subscribe via Feedburner

imsosweepy { at } gmail { dot } com

~The Book Pixie said...

This sounds like it might actually be pretty interesting. Count me in.

+1 already follower

+1 Sidebar: http://frombrianaspointofview.blogspot.com/

+3 Subscribe via feedburner

~Briana
thebookpixie[at]yahoo[dot]com

Gaby317 said...

This sounds interesting! Please count me in.

gaby317nyc at gmail dot com

+ i follow
+ i subscribe via googlereader

Anonymous said...

I would love to win this book. We have so many beautiful deer living in our neighbourhood and I've always wondered about them.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I am a follower of your blog.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I subscribe via Google Reader.
wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

BevE said...

Wow, this title sounds fascinating, I'd love the chance to win this book.

BevE
merryweatherbookblog@gmail.com

Jaime said...

I would love to read this
copperllama at yahoo dot com

Jaime said...

I am a follower
copperllama at yahoo dot com

Jaime said...

I subscribed via feedburner
copperllama at yahoo dot com

Dawn M. said...

I would love the chance to read this. Count me in, please! :0)

Thanks!
librarygrinch at gmail dot com

Dawn M. said...

I subscribe with google reader.

Thanks! :0)
librarygrinch at gmail dot com

Chrisbookarama said...

I heard of this one somewhere and wondered what it was about. Sounds really interesting.

I'm a subscriber.

chrisbookarama at gmail dot com

Jem said...

I live in southern New Hampshire so it would be great to learn more about deer. I am a follower.

thereadingjourney[at]gmail[dot]com

Zibilee said...

I'd love to be entered in this contest. The book sounds great!

zibilee(at)figearo(dot)net

Zibilee said...

I am a follower of your blog as well.

Beth (BBRB) said...

This looks great! Please enter me!

I'm a follower.

BethsBookReviewBlog AT gmail DOT com

Winning Readings said...

Would love to read this!

janemaritz at yahoo dot com

Winning Readings said...

And I'm a follower...

janemaritz at yahoo dot com

Nicole said...

This would be a perfect Christmas gift for my dad. I follow

Aimee said...

Count me in, please. Thanks!
I am a follower

gevin13{at}gmail{dot}com

Anonymous said...

Please count me in...thanks.

I'm a follower/subscriber.

karen k
kmkuka(at)yahoo(dot)com

cqueen2 said...

sound great thanks

i follow

wadesherry@hotmail dot com

renee said...

Please enter me
reneetaylor at sympatico dot ca

renee said...

I became a follower
reneetaylor at sympatico dot ca

Belinda M said...

Please include me in your giveaway

+1 i follow your blog

+3 subscribe

+1 tweeted http://twitter.com/Prairiebelle/status/4384554257

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About Me

My photo
New Hampshire, United States
Bibliophile, Anglophile, Traveller... I have been an avid reader all of my life, since I took the Dr. Seuss Dictionary away from my Mom when I was less than a year old because I wanted to read it myself. In college, where I earned my degree in English Literature, I was often asked "What are you going to do with it?" Now I finally have the answer to that question!!! Being employed as a Flight Attendant for twenty years has given me a lot of life experience and, better still, a lot of time to read. I love to travel for fun, too.