Background
Conniff, Richard was born on March 2, 1951 in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Son of James C.G. and Dorothy E. (Donnelly) Conniff.
(It is hardly possible to open a newspaper these days with...)
It is hardly possible to open a newspaper these days without coming across a listing of the richest people in the UK, in the world, in the solar system...not to mention the endless profiling of Internet millionaires and the obscenely wealthy of all types - from Posh and Becks to Bill Gates. In the footsteps of David Attenborough, Richard Conniff sets out to try to understand the peculiar behaviours of this strange species, setting them in the context of the behaviour of other animals, from mice to flies to baboons.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0099415674/?tag=2022091-20
(Walls are more important than people," Thomas Conneely de...)
Walls are more important than people," Thomas Conneely declared. 'You see people everywhere in the world, and they're more or less the same" But every wall has its special character and function, like the one he'd just built to prevent the winter tide from washing away the field in front of his house, or like the one he was working on at the back of the island to make a field secure against rabbits, which are the bane of agriculture on the Aran islands. The stones are nice, he concluded. They don't insult you.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0941434842/?tag=2022091-20
( An award-winning nature writer takes us on a thrilling ...)
An award-winning nature writer takes us on a thrilling journey deep into the domains of strange―and often dangerous―animals. Field journalist Richard Conniff examines the lives of two-, four-, six-, and eight-legged creatures from around the globe, providing adventure-packed accounts of his many ill advised forays into the animal kingdom. He pulls a 90-pound snapping turtle out of a Louisiana bayou, tracks leopards with !Kung San hunters in the Namibian desert, and travels through the Himalayas in pursuit of tigers and the mythical migur. All in a day’s work, he flings chicken carcasses into piranha-infested waters to clock how quickly they disappear before diving in himself, and then encounters a man stung by 120 different species of insects, ranking their pain the way Robert Parker ranks wine. Again and again, Conniff courts the most dangerous animals and lives to tell the tale. This collection offers a rare chance to accompany him on death defying treks and see life through the lens of a bona-fide field naturalist.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393068935/?tag=2022091-20
( A tantalizing, droll study of the idiosyncratic existen...)
A tantalizing, droll study of the idiosyncratic existence of the very rich, through the unexpected lens of the naturalist. Journalist Richard Conniff probes the age-old question "Are the rich different from you and me?" and finds that they are indeed a completely different animal. He observes with great humor and finesse this socially unique species, revealing their strategies for ensuring dominance and submission, their flourishes of display behavior, the intricate dynamics of their pecking order, as well as their unorthodox mating practices. Through comparisons to other equally exotic animals, Conniff uncovers surprising commonalities. • How did Bill Gates achieve his single greatest act of social dominance by being nice? • How does the flattery of the rich resemble the grooming behavior of baboons? • What made the British aristocracy the single most successful animal dominance hierarchy in the history of the planet? • How does Old Money's disdain for the nouveaux riches resemble the pig-grunting of mountain gorillas? This marvelously entertaining field guide captures in vivid detail the behaviors and habitats of the world's most captivating yet elusive animal. 29 photographs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393324885/?tag=2022091-20
( “This beautifully written book has the verve of an adve...)
“This beautifully written book has the verve of an adventure story.”―Wall Street Journal From the mid-eighteenth century to the early twentieth, a colorful band of amateur naturalists explored the most perilous corners of the planet to discover new life-forms. Amid globe-spanning tales of adventure, Richard Conniff recounts a dramatic historical shift, as humans finally discovered the pantheon of life on Earth-and our place within it. 36 black-and-white illustrations
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393341321/?tag=2022091-20
( With this fascinating audiobook, award-winning journali...)
With this fascinating audiobook, award-winning journalist Richard Conniff satisfies your cravings for the thrill and horror of formication - that chilling sensation of something crawling across your skin. Blending humor and sophistication, he introduces you to a host of spineless creatures, from moths to leeches, and the extraordinary enthusiasts who study them. For over 20 years, the author has trekked through jungles, oceans, and deserts in search of invertebrates. Off the coast of Florida, he encounters bizarre, giant squid and the scientists who dine on the extra specimens. He chases ground spiders in the Amazon with a collector who keeps 2,000 pet tarantulas. And while covering the invasion of fire ants in Texas, he attends a festival featuring a roundup of the angry insects. Packed with anecdotes and astonishing facts, Spineless Wonders will fill you with a sense of marvel for the thousands of animals who inhabit the invertebrate world. As you hear Richard M. Davidson's dramatic narration, you will gaze on crawling creatures with new respect and appreciation instead of fear and loathing.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KRJJ72G/?tag=2022091-20
(Tired of swimming with the sharks? Fed up with that big a...)
Tired of swimming with the sharks? Fed up with that big ape down the hall? Real animals can teach us better ways to thrive in the workplace jungle. You’re ambitious and want to get ahead, but what’s the best way to do it? Become the biggest, baddest predator? The proverbial 800-pound gorilla? Or does nature teach you to be more subtle and sophisticated? Richard Conniff, the acclaimed author of The Natural History of the Rich, has survived savage beasts in the workplace jungle, where he hooted and preened in the corner office as a publishing executive. He’s also spent time studying how animals operate in the real jungles of the Amazon and the African bush. What he shows in The Ape in the Corner Office is that nature built you to be nice. Doing favors, grooming coworkers with kind words, building coalitions—these tools for getting ahead come straight from the jungle. The stereotypical Darwinian hard-charger supposedly thinks only about accumulating resources. But highly effective apes know it’s often smarter to give them away. That doesn’t mean it’s a peaceable kingdom out there, however. Conniff shows that you can become more effective by understanding how other species negotiate the tricky balance between conflict and cooperation. Conniff quotes one biologist on a chimpanzee’s obsession with rank: “His attempts to maintain and achieve alpha status are cunning, persistent, energetic, and time-consuming. They affect whom he travels with, whom he grooms, where he glances, how often he scratches, where he goes, what times he gets up in the morning.” Sound familiar? It’s the same behavior you can find written up in any issue of BusinessWeek or The Wall Street Journal. The Ape in the Corner Office connects with the day-to-day of the workplace because it helps explain what people are really concerned about: How come he got the wing chair with the gold trim? How can I survive as that big ape’s subordinate without becoming a spineless yes-man? Why does being a lone wolf mean being a loser? And, yes, why is it that jerks seem to prosper—at least in the short run? Also available as a Random House AudioBook and an eBook
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140005219X/?tag=2022091-20
Conniff, Richard was born on March 2, 1951 in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Son of James C.G. and Dorothy E. (Donnelly) Conniff.
Bachelor, Yale University, 1973.
Reporter The Star Ledger, Newark, 1973-1975. Freelance writer New Jersey, 1975-1979. Senior writer Next Magazine, New York City, 1979-1981.
Freelance writer Connecticut, 1981-1983, 85—. Managing editor Geo Magazine, New York City, 1983-1985.
( With this fascinating audiobook, award-winning journali...)
(It is hardly possible to open a newspaper these days with...)
(Tired of swimming with the sharks? Fed up with that big a...)
( An award-winning nature writer takes us on a thrilling ...)
( A tantalizing, droll study of the idiosyncratic existen...)
(The Man with the Hoe: A Picture of American Farm Life as ...)
( “This beautifully written book has the verve of an adve...)
(Walls are more important than people," Thomas Conneely de...)
(Great audio cassette set!)
(1st edition)
Member National Writers Association, Writers Guild American.
Married Karen Ward Braeder, May 23, 1981. Children: James F., Benjamin B., Clare E.