Nonfiction Environment

Brought to you by Penguin. Construction is the most important industry in the world. The homes we wake up to, the schools we raise our children in, the transport infrastructure we all use, the hospitals we rely on – all of it was built and enabled by construction. In Mega Builds, YouTube...

Before New York City was the Big Apple, it could have been called the Big Oyster. Now award-winning author Mark Kurlansky tells the remarkable story of New York by following the trajectory of one of its most fascinating inhabitants–the oyster, whose influence on the great metropolis remains...

A hiker goes down in the rugged Cumberland Plateau. A sudden strike occurs in the remote Australian outback. A fatal encounter takes place in rural India. When the world’s most lethal predators strike, the human body becomes a battleground. This gripping collection of real-life clinical emergencies takes you to the bleeding edge of toxicology and human endurance. Featuring incredibly detailed case studies—from the devastating physiological effects of a Russell’s viper bite to the desperate scramble for African polyvalent antivenom in an American hospital—this book pulls back the ...

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Provocative but perceptive . . . You can agree or disagree with Smil—accept or doubt his ‘just the facts’ posture—but you probably shouldn’t ignore him.”—The Washington Post An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes...

Some secrets refuse to stay buried, even when the ground is frozen solid. Nature can be a pristine sanctuary or a brutal accomplice. In this gripping anthology, the harshest winter environments play a central role in some of the most baffling and chilling investigations in history. From remote mountain passes to quiet suburban streets buried under sudden blizzards, extreme weather has a unique way of freezing time, concealing tracks, and preserving vital evidence that waits decades to be uncovered. Journey through a meticulously researched collection of harrowing accounts where plunging ...

This program is read by the authors. Raj Patel, the New York Times bestselling author of The Value of Nothing, teams up with physician, activist, and co-founder of the Do No Harm Coalition Rupa Marya to reveal the links between health and structural injustices--and to offer a new deep medicine...

This program is read by the author, Ken Layne, host of the Desert Oracle radio show. It includes an exclusive first listen to a story from Desert Oracle: Volume 2. The cult-y field guide to the strange and intriguing secrets of the Mojave—its myths and legends, outcasts and oddballs, flora...

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE The 10th Anniversary Edition of the powerful and important work about the future of the world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a compelling account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes. Over the last half a billion years...

This audiobook names and describes the offspring of a jaguar, poison arrow frog, macaw, capybara, gibbon, sloth, anteater, and boa constrictor.

A journey into the world of carbon, the most versatile element on the planet, by the New York Times bestselling author Paul Hawken Carbon is the only element that animates the entirety of the living world. Though comprising a tiny fraction of Earth’s composition, our planet is lifeless without...

2025 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS GOLD WINNER "Deep Water is a major achievement....Bradley's skills both as novelist and essayist converge here to create this wise, compassionate and urgent book, characterized throughout by a clarity of prose and a bracing moral gaze that searches water, self and...

Many people think penguins live only in cold, icy places. But the Galapagos penguins live in the blazing heat of the tropics. While this may seem like paradise, the Galapagos penguins are always on the lookout for ways to stay cool and comfortable. Learn more about these adorable animals, including how they got to the tropics, what they eat, other challenges they face in their lives, and what you can do to help.

WINNER OF THE TENNESSEE BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A riveting courtroom drama about the victims of one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history—and the country lawyer determined to challenge the notion that, in America, justice can be...

In twenty-two wonderfully articulate essays, Barbara Kingsolver raises her voice in praise of nature, family, literature, and the joys of everyday life while examining the genesis of war, violence, and poverty in our world From the author of High Tide in Tucson, comes Small Wonder, a new...

Grassland ecosystems can be found on nearly every continent. Countless animals and plants live in them. So what difference could the loss of one animal species make? Follow the chain reaction, and discover how important honey bees are.

""A gathering of gorgeous short pieces"" (Library Journal), Blue Pastures collects fifteen of Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning poet Mary Oliver's prose works about nature, writing, and herself. ""This transcendent collection is Oliver's joyful sharing of her love of her craft...

Leatherback sea turtles face one of their lives’ biggest challenges as soon as they’re hatched. Crawling out of their eggs on the sandy shore, they hurry to the sea in a race to escape those who see them as a tasty meal. If they survive and thrive, they can grow longer than an adult male is tall and weigh as much as a small car!

Finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction and the 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Winner of the Acoustical Society of America's 2023 Science Communication Award “[A] glorious guide to the miracle of life’s sound.” —The New York Times Book Review A...

Camels are experts at surviving in harsh heat. Find out how camels live in the desert.

“Elegiac, funny, warm and wise, The Wisdom of Sheep will delight country folk and city dwellers alike.” —Katherine May A touching, wise and surprising chronicle of the rich inner lives of animals, drawn from Rosamund Young’s extraordinary lifetime as an organic farmer We talk a lot about...