{"product_id":"the-birds-and-the-beasts-were-there-the-joys-of-birdwatching-and-wildlife-observation-in-californias-richest-habitat-isbn-9781681990330","title":"The Birds and the Beasts Were There: The Joys of Birdwatching and Wildlife  Observation in California's Richest Habitat","description":"\u003cb\u003eSanta Barbara in the 1960s was home to two of the 20th century’s most important mystery writers, Margaret Millar and her husband, Ken (Ross Macdonald). It was also home to nearly 400 species of bird. This is the charming story of Ken and Maggie’s quest to see them all. \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The addiction that is birdwatching comes to vivid life in Margaret Millar’s delightful memoir of her early days as a naturalist. Part autobiography and part birdwatcher’s journal, it is a moving elegy to a bygone place and time. Millar brings her meticulous plotting and no small amount of suspense to these charming stories of a belligerent brown towhee named Houdunit, a larcenous raven called Melanie, and a rat who carefully ferments his grapes before eating them, to name only a few. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ornithology was a passion for both Ken and Maggie and they devoted their lives to it with the same keen sense of detail and, in the case of Margaret, storytelling vigor as they brought to their writing. In this book, the only memoir she wrote, Millar takes us on her journey from curious amateur to obsessive completionist. It is a phenomenon nearly any birding enthusiast will recognize. \u003cbr\u003e Ken and Margaret Millar were founding members of the Santa Barbara Audubon Society.\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR MARGARET MILLAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMystery Writers of America Grand Master\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Woman of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the most original and vital voices in all of American crime fiction.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Laura Lippman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I long ago changed my writing name to Ross Macdonald for obvious reasons.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Kenneth Millar (Ross Macdonald), in a letter to the \u003ci\u003eToronto Saturday Night\u003c\/i\u003e newspaper\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Very Original.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Agatha Christie\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Stunningly original.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Val McDermid\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Millar's mysteries are filled with clever twists, yet what makes them special is her surgical approach to her characters' inner lives. She's got an eagle eye for the juicy stuff lots of mystery writers still ignore—questions of class, status, sexual desire and the difficult position of women. This last was something she knew about firsthand. Millar's work was long overshadowed by that of her husband, detective novelist Ross Macdonald. In fact, her best novels — like 1955's \u003ci\u003eBeast in View\u003c\/i\u003e — have a ferocious edge that make him look rather tame.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—John Powers, NPR's \u003ci\u003eFresh Air\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"One of the greatest this country has ever produced.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Globe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"A writer whose own work is every bit as psychologically bruising and critically acclaimed as that of her husband [Ross Macdonald], if not as well known. But [Syndicate Books] hopes to rectify that with \u003ci\u003eCollected Millar\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Kevin Burton Smith, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMystery Scene Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Razor-sharp.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—The Seattle Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“She has few peers, and no superior in the art of bamboozlement.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eJulian Symons\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Written with such complete realization of every character that the most bitter antagonist of mystery fiction may be forced to acknowledge it as a work of art.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eAnthony Boucher reviewing \u003ci\u003eBeast in View\u003c\/i\u003e for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Margaret Millar can build up the sensation of fear so strongly that at the end it literally hits you like a battering ram.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eBBC\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wonderfully ingenious.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brilliantly superlative… One of the most impressive additions to mystery literature—and the word “literature” is used in its fullest sense.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In the whole of crime fiction’s distinguished sisterhood, there is no one quite like Margaret Millar.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A superb writer.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eH.R.F. Keating\u003c\/b\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“She writes minor classics.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eWashington Post   \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mrs. Millar doesn't attract fans she creates addicts.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eDilys Winn, namesake of the Dilys Award\u003c\/b\u003eMargaret Millar (1915-1994) was the author of 27 books and a masterful pioneer of psychological mysteries and thrillers. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, she spent most of her life in Santa Barbara, California, with her husband Ken Millar, who is better known by his \u003ci\u003enom de plume\u003c\/i\u003e of Ross MacDonald. Her 1956 novel \u003ci\u003eBeast in View\u003c\/i\u003e won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. In 1965 Millar was the recipient of the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Woman of the Year Award and in 1983 the Mystery Writers of America awarded her the Grand Master Award for Lifetime Achievement. Millar’s cutting wit and superb plotting have left her an enduring legacy as one of the most important crime writers of both her own and subsequent generations.","brand":"Soho Syndicate","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44885627338981,"sku":"NP9781681990330","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781681990330.jpg?v=1767738387","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-birds-and-the-beasts-were-there-the-joys-of-birdwatching-and-wildlife-observation-in-californias-richest-habitat-isbn-9781681990330","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}