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Feather Detective : Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybou...
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Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 9781668025840
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10
1668025841
ISBN-13
9781668025840
eBay Product ID (ePID)
18072093483
Product Key Features
Book Title
Feather Detective : Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne
Number of Pages
320 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2025
Topic
Women, United States / 20th Century, Animals / Birds, Life Sciences / Zoology / General
Genre
Nature, Science, Biography & Autobiography, History
Format
Hardcover
Dimensions
Item Height
1 in
Item Weight
18 Oz
Item Length
9 in
Item Width
6 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
LCCN
2024-054684
Reviews
"A lot can be learned from even the smallest fragments of feathers--and we have Roxie Laybourne to thank for that. . . . As the world's first forensic ornithologist, she would go on to conduct instrumental work that would advance aircraft safety and help catch murderers, poachers, and even white supremacists, who tarred and feathered a Civil Rights activist. In The Feather Detective , award-winning journalist Chris Sweeney tells Laybourne's story in-depth, and in so doing, gives this tough, pioneering woman the credit and spotlight she deserves." -- Elle , "The Best Books of Summer 2025", "Engrossing . . . The riveting accounts of Laybourne's biggest cases read like an avian riff on CSI, and Sweeney's finely observed portrait of Laybourne presents her as a no-nonsense ornithologist who navigated the politics of the lab and the courtroom with equal aplomb. This entrances." -- Publishers Weekly, "A timely story about the benefits of government-funded science, the invisibility of public safety's most important workers, and a fascinating--and peculiar--ecosystem: one woman, and lots and lots of birds." -- NPR, "Engrossing . . . The riveting accounts of Laybourne's biggest cases read like an avian riff on CSI , and Sweeney's finely observed portrait of Laybourne presents her as a no-nonsense ornithologist who navigated the politics of the lab and the courtroom with equal aplomb. This entrances." -- Publishers Weekly, "Journalist Sweeney's first book is a fascinating biography of Roxie Laybourne, the first woman taxidermist at the Smithsonian Institution. . . . This glimpse into the world of taxidermy will delight museum geeks, while the history of ornithological forensic investigation will appeal to birders and fans of Forensic Files, Bones , and the various CSI series." -- Library Journal, " The Feather Detective will fascinate you . . . The New York Times once referred to Laybourne as 'the Miss Marple of eiderdown.' Sweeney's simple, elegant writing makes the technicalities of Laybourne's work easy to understand and the sexism she dealt with infuriating. . . . The Smithsonian Institution's bird division has a hall of fame, with portraits of 34 significant staff members in its history. Guess how many women there are. Yup. Just Roxie Laybourne." -- The Minnesota Star Tribune, " The Feather Detective is an absolutely riveting account of the tenacity and brilliance of a woman you've never heard of. It's also a genuine page-turner, thanks to Chris Sweeney's delightful prose. Roxie Laybourne single-handedly pioneered the science of feather identification, and her work transformed aviation safety, forensics investigations, and ornithology. Sweeney's account of her extraordinary life, and his insider-ish view of her unusual career at the Smithsonian, is the most engaging work of science writing--and the most entertaining biography--that I've read in ages." --Amy Stewart, author of The Tree Collectors and The Drunken Botanist, "True crime meets birding in this biography. . . . A captivating tribute to Roxie's remarkable life." -- Audubon magazine "Sweeney's biography must be read to be believed." -- The Millions
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Edition
23/eng/20250621
Dewey Decimal
598.092
Synopsis
The fascinating and remarkable true story of the world's first forensic ornithologist--Roxie Laybourne, who broke down barriers for women, solved murders, and investigated deadly airplane crashes with nothing more than a microscope and a few fragments of feathers. In 1960, an Eastern Airlines flight had no sooner lifted from the runway at Boston Logan Airport when it struck a flock of birds and took a nosedive into the shallow waters of the Boston Harbor, killing sixty-two people. This was the golden age of commercial airflight--luxury in the skies--and safety was essential to the precarious future of air travel. So the FAA instructed the bird remains be sent to the Smithsonian Institution for examination, where they would land on the desk of the only person in the world equipped to make sense of it all. Her name was Roxie Laybourne, a diminutive but singular woman with thick glasses, a heavy Carolina drawl, and a passion for birds. Roxie didn't know it at the time, but that box full of dead birds marked the start of a remarkable scientific journey. She became the world's first forensic ornithologist, investigating a range of crimes and calamites on behalf of the FBI, the US Air Force, and even NASA. The Feather Detective takes readers deep within the vaunted backrooms of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History to tell the story of a burgeoning science and the enigmatic woman who pioneered it. While her male colleagues in taxidermy embarked on expeditions around the world and got plum promotions, Roxie stayed with her birds. Using nothing more than her microscope and bits of feathers, she helped prosecute murderers, kidnappers, and poachers. When she wasn't testifying in court or studying evidence from capital crimes, she was helping aerospace engineers and Air Force crews as they raced to bird-proof their airplanes before disaster struck again. In The Feather Detective , award-winning journalist Chris Sweeney charts the astonishing life and work of this overlooked pioneer. Once divorced, once widowed, and sometimes surly, Roxie shattered stereotypes and pushed boundaries. Her story is one of persistence and grit, obsession and ingenuity. Drawing on reams of archival material, court documents, and exclusive interviews, Sweeney delivers a moving and amusing portrait of a woman who overcame cultural and scientific obstacles at every turn, forever changing our understanding of birds--and the feathers they leave behind., The fascinating and remarkable true story of the world's first forensic ornithologist-- Roxie Laybourne, who broke down barriers for women, solved murders, and investigated deadly airplane crashes with nothing more than a microscope and a few fragments of feathers. In 1960, an Eastern Airlines flight had no sooner lifted from the runway at Boston Logan Airport when it struck a flock of birds and took a nosedive into the shallow waters of the Boston Harbor, killing sixty-two people. This was the golden age of commercial airflight--luxury in the skies--and safety was essential to the precarious future of air travel. So the FAA instructed the bird remains be sent to the Smithsonian Institution for examination, where they would land on the desk of the only person in the world equipped to make sense of it all. Her name was Roxie Laybourne, a diminutive but singular woman with thick glasses, a heavy Carolina drawl, and a passion for birds. Roxie didn't know it at the time, but that box full of dead birds marked the start of a remarkable scientific journey. She became the world's first forensic ornithologist, investigating a range of crimes and calamites on behalf of the FBI, the US Air Force, and even NASA. The Feather Detective takes readers deep within the vaunted backrooms of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History to tell the story of a burgeoning science and the enigmatic woman who pioneered it. While her male colleagues in taxidermy embarked on expeditions around the world and got plum promotions, Roxie stayed with her birds. Using nothing more than her microscope and bits of feathers, she helped prosecute murderers, kidnappers, and poachers. When she wasn't testifying in court or studying evidence from capital crimes, she was helping aerospace engineers and Air Force crews as they raced to bird-proof their airplanes before disaster struck again. In The Feather Detective , award-winning journalist Chris Sweeney charts the astonishing life and work of this overlooked pioneer. Once divorced, once widowed, and sometimes surly, Roxie shattered stereotypes and pushed boundaries. Her story is one of persistence and grit, obsession and ingenuity. Drawing on reams of archival material, court documents, and exclusive interviews, Sweeney delivers a moving and amusing portrait of a woman who overcame cultural and scientific obstacles at every turn, forever changing our understanding of birds--and the feathers they leave behind.
LC Classification Number
QL31.L39 2025
Item description from the seller
Seller feedback (385,799)
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- k***o (2987)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchasePerfect! My the Bird Zoologist is thrilled! Ty
- c***m (417)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseAAA+++; Excellent Service; Great Pricing; Fast Delivery-Faster Than Expected to Hawaii using free shipping USPS Ground Mail, Received 06/18; Paperback book in Great Condition as Described ; TLC Packaging; Excellent Seller Communication, Sends updates . Highly Recommended!, Thank you very much!
- l***1 (1490)- Feedback left by buyer.Past yearVerified purchaseGreat seller; book exactly as described in mint condition sold at a reasonable price; seller shipped item FAST, FREE and with tracking information, a must nowadays; seller shipped in tight, cardboard mailing envelope, which tightly fit over the book, preventing damage in shipment; good communication too; rate seller 10+++++Cuentos de La Habana Elegante, Brand New, Free shipping in the US (#364594098367)
- c***t (921)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThe book I bought was reasonably priced and when it arrived it was in the 'Like New' condition specified in the listing. However, when I saw that the seller had not shipped the book after more than 15 days had passed since my order I felt I must write to say that I had actually placed an order with the seller and inquire when it planned to send the book. The brusque reply was that a tracking number was available, but no number HAD been created until I pointed out that I had placed the order.Catland by Hughes, Kathryn, Like New Used, Free shipping in the US (#356798982438)
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Seller feedback (385,799)
This item (1)
All items (385,799)
- k***o (2987)- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthVerified purchasePerfect! My the Bird Zoologist is thrilled! Ty
- c***m (417)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseAAA+++; Excellent Service; Great Pricing; Fast Delivery-Faster Than Expected to Hawaii using free shipping USPS Ground Mail, Received 06/18; Paperback book in Great Condition as Described ; TLC Packaging; Excellent Seller Communication, Sends updates . Highly Recommended!, Thank you very much!
- l***1 (1490)- Feedback left by buyer.Past yearVerified purchaseGreat seller; book exactly as described in mint condition sold at a reasonable price; seller shipped item FAST, FREE and with tracking information, a must nowadays; seller shipped in tight, cardboard mailing envelope, which tightly fit over the book, preventing damage in shipment; good communication too; rate seller 10+++++Cuentos de La Habana Elegante, Brand New, Free shipping in the US (#364594098367)
- c***t (921)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseThe book I bought was reasonably priced and when it arrived it was in the 'Like New' condition specified in the listing. However, when I saw that the seller had not shipped the book after more than 15 days had passed since my order I felt I must write to say that I had actually placed an order with the seller and inquire when it planned to send the book. The brusque reply was that a tracking number was available, but no number HAD been created until I pointed out that I had placed the order.Catland by Hughes, Kathryn, Like New Used, Free shipping in the US (#356798982438)