Unseen City: The Majesty Of Pigeons, The Discreet Charm Of Snails & Other Wonders Of The Urban Wilderness, by Nathanael Johnson

There are at least a few books that I have seen that seek to capture the sense of the unseen city that exists beyond the attentions of the people who live in such places. Such people who write these books are mainly those who love the beauties of creation and want to explore how it is that cities–perhaps the most notable aspects of man’s own creation in terms of how human beings live their lives–have a depth to them that most people do not see. Some looks at the lives of cities discuss plants and animals both, and this book appears to be focused mostly on animals, and not even necessarily those who are obscure. The author seems a rather ineffective sort of fellow, who uses his older daughter more or less as a means of trying to engage with the creation of the city while seeking to appeal to her (with varying degrees of success). The end result is a book that does not make the author himself look all that good but ends up serving the interests of conveying an honest view of the city which is worth reading.

If there is anything this book succeeds at and shows itself to be worthwhile in, that result is the way that the book encourages readers to examine the unseen city. There is something to the point of trying to discover the importance of life in cities that tends to exist in the shadows, to the point where even if we acknowledge its existence, tend not to think about them too much or wonder how it is that they make themselves at home in our own structures. Yet the animals that find themselves living a decent life even in cities bring something to the cities by their very presence, a reminder of the way that living things can adapt to novel circumstances, and that even the places we seek to create for our own benefit can provide space for other creatures to thrive as well. There is something novel and interesting in the way that others can thrive in the spaces between our own plans and designs, and if you like that as much as I do you will find much in this book to enjoy, even if the author seems a bit of an incompetent schlub.

In terms of its contents, this book is about 200 pages in length and divided into several unnamed chapters that focus on different animals and a couple of plants. The author begins with the pigeon, understanding how it is that doves and pigeons differ and how pigeons end up so often without their feet on stubby legs, a deep mystery. This is followed by a chapter on the weeds of the city and how they thrive as they do. This is followed by a discussion of squirrels and their intense cleverness and ways of feeding themselves and adapting to the presence of people. The author spends a chapter looking at bird languages, specifically how it is that birds have adapted to the sounds of city by being able to make some of the more obnoxious sounds of the city like car alarms and the like as a means of communicating with other birds. A chapter on gingko allows the author to speak of how an obscure tree that is a relic population from the age of dinosaurs manages to thrive in contemporary cities around the world despite its unpleasant smell. Turkey vultures, speaking of unpleasant smells, show themselves to be creatures of importance in limiting the presence of the decaying and dead in crowded cities, a noble if not glamorous function. The author finds himself spending time looking at the way that ants find themselves thriving within the confined spaces of cities and the immense resources to be found in human habitations, as well as their own complexity in setting up homes and harvesting other life forms like aphids. The author, like many people, celebrates the intelligence of crows and their ability to pass along culture to future generations. Finally, the author ends with a chapter on the humble snail and its role in cities. The book then ends with a conclusion, end notes, acknowledgements, as well as a bibliography and index.