
"Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird"
Searching for Ali, Alfred Russel Wallace's Faithful Companion
Paul Spencer Sochaczewski(Author)
Explorer's Eye Press
Published on 11. July 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
274 pages
978-2-940573-41-7 (ISBN)
Description
A Great Man and His Unheralded Assistant
For some 50 years, Paul Sochaczewski has been on the trail of famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and his little-known assistant Ali.
The result of this quest is an imaginative "enhanced biography" of an illiterate 19th-century teenager from Borneo who helped Wallace become one of history's most successful explorers of the natural world.
This deliciously speculative book, filled with humor and touching scenes of imagined conversations, takes a hard look at "slippery truth," and, perhaps most important, asks the question: "Is there someone in your life who has quietly helped you, perhaps without adequate recognition, on your journey?"
In this innovative approach to biography, you'll discover:
New clues that expand our knowledge of Ali's background and career
Why writing the history of a 19th-century teenage boy from Borneo is so challenging
Details about how Ali collected some 5,000 of Wallace's 8,050 bird specimens
Imagined conversations that explore emotions and perceptions of Wallace and Ali
How each of us has an "Ali" who has helped us along the way
Who's your Ali? Perhaps this book might encourage to reach out to someone forgotten but who eased your path along your journey?
More details
Language
English
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
390 gr
ISBN-13
978-2-940573-41-7 (9782940573417)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Paul Spencer Sochaczewski has followed Alfred Russel Wallace up the Rio Negro in Brazil and throughout Southeast Asia, and his acclaimed personal memoir, An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles (Explorer's Eye Press, 2017), reflects the many facets of Wallace's interests and achievements. Paul's international career began with the US Peace Corps, where he worked with remote communities in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo. He has lived and worked in more than 85 countries, including long stints in Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand. He worked with WWF International for 15 years as director of Creative Services and head of the Faith and Environment Program. He is American-French and lives in Geneva, Switzerland.