Ivory S Ghosts

“[A] tour de force examination of the history of ivory . . . and the demise of the elephant and human decency in the process of this unholy quest.” —The Huffington Post Praised for the nuance and sensitivity with which it approaches one of the most fraught conservation issues we face today, John Frederick Walker’s Ivory’s Ghosts tells the astonishing story of the power of ivory through the ages, and its impact on elephants. Long before gold and gemstones held allure, ivory came to be prized in every culture of the world—from ancient Egypt to nineteenth-century America to modern Japan—for its beauty, rarity, and ability to be finely carved. But the beauty came at an unfathomable cost. Walker lays bare the ivory trade’s cruel connection with the slave trade and the increasing slaughter of elephants in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By the 1980s, elephant poaching reached levels that threatened the last great herds of the African continent, and led to a worldwide ban on the ancient international trade in tusks. But the ban has failed to stop poaching—or the emotional debate over what to do with the legitimate and growing stockpiles of ivory recovered from elephants that die of natural causes. “Ivory’s Ghost is essential reading for anyone concerned with conservation and with the tenuous future of one of the most magnificent creatures our earth has ever seen.” —George B. Schaller, author of A Naturalist and Other Beast

“With descriptions and dialect so real you feel as if you might be turning pages while sitting deep in the bush, and a skillful narrative that teaches while it thrills, this novel is a win for any animal lover or reader with a conservationist’s heart.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Spark of Light INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS AWARD FINALIST • In a blockbuster debut thriller brimming with majestic wildlife, village politics, and international intrigue, a chilling quadruple homicide raises the stakes in the battle to save Africa’s elephants. Still grieving over the tragic death of her fiancé, American wildlife biologist Catherine Sohon leaves South Africa and drives to a remote outpost in northeast Namibia, where she plans to face off against the shadowy forces of corruption and relentless human greed in the fight against elephant poaching. Undercover as a census pilot tracking the local elephant population, she’ll really be collecting evidence on the ruthless ivory traffickers. But before she even reaches her destination, Catherine stumbles onto a scene of horrifying carnage: three people shot dead in their car, and a fourth nearby—with his brain removed. The slaughter appears to be the handiwork of a Zambian smuggler known as “the witchdoctor,” a figure reviled by activists and poachers alike. Forced to play nice with local officials, Catherine finds herself drawn to the prickly but charismatic Jon Baggs, head of the Ministry of Conservation, whose blustery exterior belies his deep investment in the poaching wars. Torn between her developing feelings and her unofficial investigation, she takes to the air, only to be grounded by a vicious turf war between competing factions of a black-market operation that reaches far beyond the borders of Africa. With the mortality rate—both human and animal—skyrocketing, Catherine races to intercept a valuable shipment. Now she’s flying blind, and a cunning killer is on the move.

Will a strange request help her move on from her haunted past? After a fire tears through the country house where she works, Alice accepts a desperate invitation from an old friend whose guest house is being haunted by a ghastly apparition. But Alice, with her mysterious ability to connect with ghosts, senses something even stranger going on at the isolated Peacehaven. Who is the spectral man roaming the house? Why is he terrifying the guests? And why does she keep dreaming about the ghosts of her past, the burning man and girl in the ivory dress? As Alice digs deeper, she will uncover an insidious evil that might just overwhelm her... The Girl in the Ivory Dress is the second standalone novel in The Ghosts of Alice series. The first is The Boy in the Burgundy Hood, an international bestseller on Amazon. What readers are saying about The Girl in the Ivory Dress: "the author is a master of atmosphere and suspense" "the best ghost story l have ever read" "I was gripped by the dramatic opening sequence and then drawn in by the series of interesting twists and turns to the plot" "definitely a good read" "If you love ghost stories, read this one!" "made my spine tingle..."

“Everyone who is interested in the ivory-billed woodpecker will want to read this book—from scientists who wish to examine the data from all the places Tanner explored to the average person who just wants to read a compelling story.” —Tim Gallagher, author of The Grail Bird: The Rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker In 1935 naturalist James T. Tanner was a twenty-one-year-old graduate student when he saw his first ivory-billed woodpecker, one of America’s Istudent when he saw his first ivory-billed woodpecker, one of America’s rarest birds, in a remote swamp in northern Louisiana. At the time, he rarest birds, in a remote swamp in northern Louisiana. At the time, he was part of an ambitious expedition traveling across the country to record and photograph as many avian species as possible, a trip organized by Dr. Arthur Allen, founder of the famed Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Two years later, Tanner hit the road again, this time by himself and in search of only one species—that ever-elusive ivory-bill. Sponsored by Cornell and the Audubon Society, Jim Tanner’s work would result in some of the most extensive field research ever conducted on the magnificent woodpecker. Drawing on Tanner’s personal journals and written with the cooperation of his widow, Nancy, Ghost Birds recounts, in fascinating detail, the scientist’s dogged quest for the ivory-bill as he chased down leads in eight southern states. With Stephen Lyn Bales as our guide, we experience the same awe and excitement that Tanner felt when he returned to the Louisiana wetland he had visited earlier and was able to observe and document several of the “ghost birds”—including a nestling that he handled, banded, and photographed at close range. Investigating the ivory-bill was particularly urgent because it was a fast-vanishing species, the victim of indiscriminant specimen hunting and widespread logging that was destroying its habitat. As sightings became rarer and rarer in the decades following Tanner’s remarkable research, the bird was feared to have become extinct. Since 2005, reports of sightings in Arkansas and Florida made headlines and have given new hope to ornithologists and bird lovers, although extensive subsequent investigations have yet to produce definitive confirmation. Before he died in 1991, Jim Tanner himself had come to believe that the majestic woodpeckers were probably gone forever, but he remained hopeful that someone would prove him wrong. This book fully captures Tanner’s determined spirit as he tracked down what was then, as now, one of ornithology’s true Holy Grails. STEPHEN LYN BALES is a naturalist at the Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the author of Natural Histories, published by UT Press in 2007.

A haunting adventure through the raw and unforgiving landscape of East Africa, Pulitzer Prize winner Caputo's "Ghosts of Tsavo" is hailed by the "Washington Post Book World" as "engrossing, amusing, and fast-paced." 8-page color photo insert.

Katie Pearson has settled down into the quiet life in her adopted town of Twlight Ridge, New Hampshire. The living is easy. The people are friendly. The ghosts are angry. When a piece of jewelry shows up at a friend's antique shop, Katie is intrigued. The brooch with the ivory lady carved into it is something special. She can tell just by looking at it. When Katie touches it, she is plunged into a vision where a woman cries for help. What she thinks is a simple ghostly apparition becomes something much, much worse. Something truly evil. Once she starts looking for answers, what she finds is a horror beyond imagining.

With an introduction by award-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver In the late nineteenth century, when the great powers in Europe were tearing Africa apart and seizing ownership of land for themselves, King Leopold of Belgium took hold of the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. In his devastatingly barbarous colonization of this area, Leopold stole its rubber and ivory, pummelled its people and set up a ruthless regime that would reduce the population by half. . While he did all this, he carefully constructed an image of himself as a deeply feeling humanitarian. Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize in 1999, King Leopold’s Ghost is the true and haunting account of this man’s brutal regime and its lasting effect on a ruined nation. It is also the inspiring and deeply moving account of a handful of missionaries and other idealists who travelled to Africa and unwittingly found themselves in the middle of a gruesome holocaust. Instead of turning away, these brave few chose to stand up against Leopold. Adam Hochschild brings life to this largely untold story and, crucially, casts blame on those responsible for this atrocity.

In plundering the planet’s treasures, men may gather riches, but more profound wealth is lost... Nia Gaines is the newest member of Zak Bate’s Eco-Adventure task force—it’s only, she doesn’t know it yet. When Nia’s parents drag her along on a business trip to China, the source of their affluence soon becomes clear: ivory, prized since ancient times for its beauty and never before so rare. In Beijing’s back-alley curio shops, the prices are great...but what’s the cost? The answer will change Nia’s world. Along with Zak Bates, Ra-Kit the Magic Cat and Sampson the Flying Dog, her journey will shed light on the darkest facets of humankind...but, even poachers have families to feed, and no solution is simple. What can be done to promise peace for man and those at his mercy? A call to arms, to wings and fins... An eloquent environmental message for our times! Ghost Elephant is book 3 of the Zak Bates Eco-adventure Series—designed for those who wish to save the Earth and all its creatures. Reviews: Ghost Elephant is the third eco-adventure of Zac Bates, this time aimed at rescuing elephants from a gang of brutal poachers at the Thula Thula game reserve in South Africa. Considering the target market, it is great to be able to read such a clean adventure fantasy highlighting the scourge of poaching. Read of their adventures and the dangers they run into while trying to save the elephants. Grab this great book and you will discover the horrors committed by poachers, the slow disappearance of these endangered animals and what we all can do to try and stop it. A wonderful book that will teach our children of what greed can do to one of earths most magnificent creatures. A fun story for young people or grownups who are young at heart. This book is part of a series of books about a team of young people who specialize in caring for animals, especially those which are endangered. They are accompanied by a duo of a flying dog and a magical cat. Even though it is one of a series of books, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone. The characters are presented in an easy to understand manner. I found the story to be very enjoyable, plus I learned a lot about the poaching problem in Africa and at the end of the book there are various ways listed that explain how we can all help with this issue. The author has penned a spell-binding tale of an adventure taken by two American girls, a couple of young boys, a big flying dog and a magic cat. The book is part of a series but can stand alone. The protagonists, under the banner of the “Eco-adventure Team,” are determined to save the endangered animals This story should encourage preteens, teens and young adults to care more for our ecosystem and elephants in particular. Recommended. A wonderful book that tells the truth. If we’re not careful, the Elephants will be lost forever. Such an enlightening story. Loved it. This story is more for a teenager. However, I did enjoy the story (and I am quite a bit older than a teenager!), especially the interaction of the animals. It's very relevant as to what is happening to elephants in Africa today. 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Fans of the following authors are known to enjoy this young adult fantasy series: Roald Dahl Kate DiCamillo Maurice Sendak Rita Williams-Garcia Eric Carle Stan and Jan Berenstain Chris Van Allsburg Robert Munsch Allan Ahlberg Giles Andreae Malorie Blackman Chris Bradford Rod Campbell Eric Carle Lauren Child Eoin Colfer Cressida Cowell Roald Dahl Narinder Dhami Julia Donaldson Anne Fine Claire Freedman Morris Gleitzman Emily Gravett Sue Hendra Anthony Horowitz Mick Inkpen Jim Kay Dick King-Smith Jeff Kinney Derek Landy Sarah McIntyre Hilary McKay Michael Morpurgo Jill Murphy Liz Pichon Dav Pilkey Philip Pullman Philip Reeve Chris Riddell Rick Riordan Michael Rosen Louis Sachar Axel Scheffler Nick Sharratt Francesca Simon Jeremy Strong Kaye Umansky David Walliams Holly Webb Jacqueline Wilson