On 4 Nov 05 at 10:22, Hans und Babs Joschko wrote: > I dont know the book of Gerald Durell... On 4 Nov 2005 at 17:56, Julia Feise wrote: > For those who haven't read Durrell's books on Corfu, they > are a pleasure waiting to be discovered. Gerald Durrell was the younger brother of Lawrence Durrell, the author of the Alexandria Quartet novels. The Durrell family (mother, three sons, one daughter -- father was dead) moved to Corfu around 1934 when Gerald was abt. 10 y.o. and lived there until the outbreak of World War II. In later life, Gerald Durrell had a private zoo on Jersey devoted to the breeding of rare and endangered animals. Most of his books are about his animal-hunting expeditions in obscure corners of the world, and are interesting if you like travelogue writing. He also wrote about his boyhood life on Corfu, however. Three books, "My Family and Other Animals", "Birds, Beasts, and Relatives", and "The Garden of the Gods." There's also an isolated account of the Corfu period in "Filets of Plaice." Gerald Durrell had been interested in animals from his earliest years and his books on Corfu prominently feature the animal life there, plus the local Greek population, with only minor sideglances at the flora. However, they are wonderful books that will bring a smile to anyone's lips, even us bulb enthusiasts. I find his animal hunting books to be in the category read-once-and-get-rid-of, but the Corfu accounts have a permanent place on my bookshelves. Back to our regularly scheduled discussion of bulbs... -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island