How to become extinct (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In these forty brief essays, the perennially perturbed Will Cuppy turns his unflinching attention on those members of the animal kingdom whose habits are disagreeable, whose appearances are repellent, and whose continued existence is not necessarily a foregone conclusion. He is not - decidedly not - without reason. (The pike is pretty nasty as
fish go, don't you agree?)

And while Cuppy may frequently leave in his wake more questions than answers, we surely owe him a debt of gratitude for at least asking. After all, someone has to consider the distinctions between Stoats and Ermines, or why the Age of Reptiles simply had to come to an end. And if his take on the Giant Ground Sloth is less than flattering, who are we to quibble?

And grateful we are, if only for the author's flawless observations: the carp's "falciform pharyngeal teeth;" a fish that sings through its "glenoid cavity;" M. Danois, who is "seventy-
two times as smart as the average Tunny." No other writer of our ken could pinpoint the coloring of the Common Viper as "gray, greenish, yellowish brown, reddish, or black."

Decorated with illustrations by the ever-delightful William Steig, this bestiary of fanciful, fretful, and ferocious creatures is sure to enlighten the naturalist in all of us, the one who never really understood why, exactly, so little is known of the Dodo s daily life, even if it s too late to ask about it now. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

A failed dramatist who lost his beloved Jones Island hideaway to the predations of Robert Moses, Will Cuppy (1884-1949) wrote extensively on his life as a hermit, the natural world, and just about anything else that proved the world was out to get him. His cremains ended up in a leaky shoebox, proving him right. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 114 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; Reprint Edition edition (1964)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0007ECPJS
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,698,412 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cuppy Humor for Fishermen and Nature Lovers, January 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Become Extinct (Paperback)

Very funny if you like dry humor. Had me laughing out loud. Fishing "advice" covers topics from minnows and carp to salmon and pike. Additional chapters on Reptiles, Dinosaurs, and Insects. "The Salmon have strange ideas; they are afraid of parsley and slices of lemon." "Aristotle's discovery that snakes and fish have no feet is a keen bit of observation for an ancient Greek." One can sense that Carlin and Seinfeld took some lessons from Cuppy's observational humor.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!, February 23, 2004

By	Jordan Warner (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Become Extinct (Paperback)

This book nearly escaped my knowledge. What I mean is, my parents were about to donate it before I had ever heard of it. Preventing them from doing so may be one the best things that has ever happened to me. I couldn't resist the book simply from the title, and the rest of the book is just as funny (whether or not it actually holds the instructions for the extinction process). As another review states, very dry humour. I once wrote a note to myself saying, "Remember: if you want to laugh out loud, read How to Become Extinct." And it's true.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aristotle Indeed!, May 9, 2009

By	P. J. Sullivan (Northern California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Become Extinct (Paperback)

This one is mostly about fish, reptiles, and Aristotle, not necessarily in that order. (You will find Aristotle under reptiles.) Plus full instructions on how to become extinct, should that option appeal to you. And snippets about some of the animals that have mastered the art of extinction, such as the dodo, "the ultimate in extinction," which "seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of becoming extinct." And if you are thinking of adding a snake to your family circle, Cuppy gives you a few points to consider before making that kind of commitment. He is against making pets of snakes, but concedes that he might not have met the right snake.

Anything by Cuppy is worth reading, and this one is no exception. The text is superb and the illustrations by Steig are first-rate.