One week from today, while I’m visiting that Meyer Wolfsheim called “Oggsford” in The Great Gatsby, I’ll be doing a book event at Blackwell’s, sponsored by Five Books. The announcement is below (click on screenshot to go to the page). Since the London Darwin Day talk is sold out, this is a cheaper alternative: only three pounds admission (needless to say, I receive none of that).
It will begin as a discussion with Five Books editor Sophie Roell, followed by a Q&A with the audience. Books will of course be on sale, and if you say the Latin name of the only wild felid native to Britain*, I’ll draw a cat in your copy.
*I’m not sure whether the Scottish wildcat is the remnant of the ancestral species, or comprises domesticated cats that have gone feral.
p.s. If someone can tell me where in Oxford I can get a pint of Landlord in good condition, I’d be most grateful. The White Horse used to have it, but those pints were in poor condition, and it’s not listed as being there now on the Timothy Taylor site.
Hopefully your vetting has already cleared all of these progressive hurdles illustrated below.
http://pictoraltheology.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-path-to-hell.html
Funny! 😀
And also depressing as hell…
Last one in the pariah pool is a rotten egg!
The Scottish wild cat is the remnant of an ancestral species, unfortunately it has interbred with domesticated cats gone feral to such an extent that it is doubtful if more than a hundred or so pure bred specimens still exist.
The Wildcat Haven Project is working to try and protect the species.
Yes! You can tell them from the north African/Asian domestic cat by the fluffy rounded tail. And they are really wild. I saw the tracks of one in the snow in north-west Scotland once… never likely to see it in the wild sadly.
Of related interest –
http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/resbot/repr/add/domesticcat_driscoll2007.pdf
BBC Winterwatch did a piece on the Scottish wildcat and the problem of interbreeding with feral domestic cats and a breeding programme to preserve pure wildcats. You can get it here http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06z9bq8/winterwatch-series-4-4-winterwatch-episode-4 when you’re in the UK
Also
http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/naturallyscottish/wildcats.pdf
Jonathan and “Suburbia” (Helensburgh? Or Morningside? You’ll have had your tea then.) sum it up adequately.
Wondering if I’ll be in that end of the country on the appropriate day.
Can’t help on the Timmy Taylors front, I’m afraid. I don’t think I’ve ever had a pint in the city. On the other hand, Oxford does have a CAMRA group, who as the CAMpaign for REal Ale should be able to answer the question. Which has been asked of them.
Any other UK dates or events?
Only the Friday Darwin Day talk in London, but that’s sold out.
Have you read Edward Feser’s critique of your book? I have the book and found it pretty good.
Wild remnant.