[NEW BOOK] A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo - OUT NOW!

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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Joined: June 8th, 2010, 3:19 am
Location: Kuching, Sarawak (Borneo)
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[NEW BOOK] A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo - OUT NOW!

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Hi all,

some of you might remember that after four years of herping here in Taiwan, creating a website on the island's snakes, and writing a book about my exploits, I moved with my family to Malaysian Borneo for eight years. Well, The wait is finally over - A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo, my chronicles about our encounters with that island's wildlife, IS Out NOW!! Some of the stories, e.g. about that one time when my son almost stepped on a giant retic, the rediscovery of Lanthanotus borneensis, and our harrowing photoshoot with a king cobra, have appeared here on FHF. But the rest is all new and shiny. All you kind preorderers will have your copies in the mail within days, and everyone else can now buy it at this website. A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo is also the perfect holiday gift for your snake-crazy aunt, your spider-mad niece, and everyone big and small in your life who loves humorous nature writing about pompous orangutans, shark-toothed mini-primates, forests of flesh-eating plants, and The Mysterious Pangolin. And all of it richly illustrated with over 160 gorgeous color photos!

Here is the official blurb:

A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo is about natural history, travel in the tropics, life sciences, and adventure, with the environment always in mind. It chronicles the nine years the author spent with his family on that equatorial island. The book’s humorous style never detracts from the focus on the science, the island of Borneo and its natural wonders.

The story begins in 2007 on top of a garage in Taiwan, where the author kept a greenhouse filled with hundreds of carnivorous tropical pitcher plants. In August of the same year, he attended a conference on these plants in Borneo and met them in the wild for the first time. This triggered an obsession with the island’s legendary rainforest fauna and flora, and he decided to move to Borneo with his family for easier access to the jungle. In a tone reminiscent of Bill Bryson, Douglas Adams, and Gerald Durrell – funny, self-deprecating, but always satisfying for the science-minded reader – A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo documents the Breuer family's adventures with Borneo’s enormous biodiversity: flying snakes, venomous primates, parachuting frogs, pangolins, king cobras, orangutans, masters of mimicry and camouflage, the world's rarest lizard and the world’s longest snake.

And these are just a fraction of the life forms the reader will meet. Adventure lurks behind every trail bend: toddler-sized monkeys terrorize night hikers, bearded jungle pigs hunt stray dogs, a giant python almost gets stepped on, and other encounters of the ‘not so funny when it happened’ kind. The reader will also meet the people inhabiting the island, such as Asia’s last rainforest nomads, quaint government officials, and former headhunting tribes that still proudly display their trophies above their fireplaces. Inevitably, the author’s life in Borneo also led to first-hand insight into the island’s environmental tragedy caused by decades of severe over-exploitation, a recurring topic throughout the book.

A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo puts the reader in a front-row seat to marvel at nature’s wonders in all their magnificence visiting places unknown and creatures unheard of; and it is also an invitation to consider the state of the planet, to take it seriously, and to act before it’s too late.


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Thank you for reading!

Hans
Dutchherper54
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Joined: April 10th, 2022, 8:42 am

Re: [NEW BOOK] A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo - OUT NOW!

Post by Dutchherper54 »

Hi Hans,

I ordered your new book. There are several reasons why. First I am planning a visit to Sarawak and Sabah for a “once in a lifetime” herping trip and maybe (if I survive the doerians either eating them or when they fall on my head) a ehh second and third one…. The second reason is because during my preparation of the trip I read all your Bornean dispatches more than once. They are very useful in, for me, “unerforschtet geniet”. But also, your art of writing is truly stimulating, cinematic (“zaubert bilder”) and hilaric.
I am a dedicated herper since childhood, retired and now have time to photograph and enjoy the oldest rainforests. That's why Borneo. I will be in Kuching on May 29th. i will visit Kubah, Baku and Santubong and fly to Sarawak on June 12. If it suits you, I would love to get in touch and who knows…. Herp some time together…….
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
Posts: 3230
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 3:19 am
Location: Kuching, Sarawak (Borneo)
Contact:

Re: [NEW BOOK] A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo - OUT NOW!

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Wow, thank you for your very kind and encouraging words! I moved back to Taiwan three years ago, but if you like, I can give you tips and introduce you to people in Borneo that will help you. PM me your email!

Cheers

Hans
Dutchherper54
Posts: 2
Joined: April 10th, 2022, 8:42 am

Re: [NEW BOOK] A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo - OUT NOW!

Post by Dutchherper54 »

Hi Hans,

I tried to contact you by E-mail via FHF, its seems that my account not is activated; I send a message to Scott.
Thanks for your offering to give some advise for my "once in a lifetime" Borneo herping trip.
My E-mailaddress is [email protected].

John "Dutchherper54"
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
Posts: 3230
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 3:19 am
Location: Kuching, Sarawak (Borneo)
Contact:

Re: [NEW BOOK] A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo - OUT NOW!

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thank you - I sent you a mail!
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