Help Identifying Weird Old Nature Book

November 19, 2009 7:01 AM

Help identifying weird old nature book, 1940's to 1970's. Links to images inside.

I fished a falling apart copy of this from a trash can at a library where I worked about 20 years ago. I managed to scan three images from it: 1, 2, 3. Somewhere along the line I lost it, I'd really like to get my hands on another copy.

It could have been published anytime from the 1940's to the 1970's. It was 8 1/2 x 11" size, probably about 1/2" thick and had a green dustjacket. I had a page on each animal with illustrations in the above style. I was hoping someone might recognize the pictures.

Thanks!

posted by marxchivist to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

I can't read them, but it looks like the pictures are clearly labeled with the artists' names. Can you try searching with those?
posted by Madamina at 7:33 AM on November 19, 2009

Reminds me of the Time/Life series of books that were published in the early 60s. My grandmother gave me a bunch of them as a child and the pictures were colorful and detailed like that. The size fits as well. At least one of these books dealt with prehistoric animals, though I don't specifically recognize any of the pictures.
posted by xenophile at 7:34 AM on November 19, 2009

Response by poster: Name isn't real clear to me, I tried googling durengead and dorengead. I'm pretty sure they are not the Time/Life books, I'm pretty familiar with those. Thanks for looking though!
posted by marxchivist at 8:10 AM on November 19, 2009

Best answer: Could the illustrator could be Andre Durenceau?
posted by katillathehun at 9:40 AM on November 19, 2009

Best answer: Okay, so, I can't find any pictures from the book online, but I wonder if it's Roy Chapman Andrews' Nature's Way: How Nature Takes Care of Her Own. It was published in 1951, and the illustrations do look sort of late '40s early '50s. Durenceau illustrated this along with a few other artists, which also makes sense as the scarecrow image seems to be signed by someone different from the shark and alligator-thing's pictures. Seems to be out of print, but your library might have a copy.
posted by katillathehun at 9:55 AM on November 19, 2009

Oh, and one last note on that - I'm seeing the title as both:

Nature's Ways: How Nature Takes Care of Its Own.

and

Nature's Way: How Nature Takes Care of Her Own.

with the former being more the one I'm finding more of.
posted by katillathehun at 10:00 AM on November 19, 2009

Response by poster: I'd say the artist is definitely Andre Durenceau, based on this. Thanks for the leads.
posted by marxchivist at 11:30 AM on November 19, 2009

Response by poster: Based on this cover, I'm guessing it is Nature's Ways. I ordered a copy for the princely sum of $0.99.

Even if it is not the exact same book, I enjoy what I've seen of Durnceau's work and won't mind having this book. When I get it in the mail I'll mark best answer if that title was correct.

Never underestimate the power of Ask Metafilter, thanks folks.
posted by marxchivist at 11:44 AM on November 19, 2009

Response by poster: Yep, it was Nature's Ways. Thanks katillathehun!
posted by marxchivist at 9:59 AM on November 30, 2009