内容简介

A wondrous nonfiction debut from the cofounder of NPR’s Invisibilia, Why Fish Don’t Exist tells the story of a 19th-century scientist possessed with bringing order to the natural world—a dark and astonishing tale that becomes an investigation into some of the biggest questions of our lives.

When Lulu Miller was starting out as a science reporter, she encountered a story that would stick with her for a decade. It was the strange tale of a scientist named David Starr Jordan, who set out to discover as many of the world’s fish as he could. Decade by decade, he built one of the most important specimen collections ever seen. Until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hit—sending over a thousand of his fish, housed in fragile glass jars, plummeting to the floor. In an instant, his life’s work was shattered.

Miller knew what she would do if she were in Jordan’s shoes. She would give up, give in to despair. But Jordan? He surveyed the wreckage at his feet, found the first fish he recognized, and painstakingly began to rebuild his collection. And this time, he introduced one clever innovation that, he believed, would protect it against the chaos of the world.

In Why Fish Don’t Exist, Miller digs into the passing anecdote she once heard about David Starr Jordan to tell his whole story. What was it that kept him going that day in 1906? What became of him? And who does he prove to be, in the end: a role model for how to thrive in a chaotic world, or a cautionary tale? Filled with suspense, surprise, and even a questionable death, this enchanting book interweaves science, biography, and a dash of memoir to investigate the age-old question of how to go on when everything seems lost.

作者简介

Louisa Elizabeth Miller, better known as Lulu Miller, is an American writer, artist, and science reporter for National Public Radio. Miller's career in radio started as a producer for the WNYC program Radiolab. She now co-hosts the NPR show Invisibilia with Alix Spiegel.

精彩摘录

浏览斯坦福大学的官网时，你会发现这里几乎没有关于“简可能死于谋杀”的内容。简·斯坦福的过世被标记为“未有定论”。而点击“认识一下乔丹校长”这个标题，一路翻阅大卫·斯塔尔·乔丹的大段简介时，你会发现有一句话透露了他在简·斯坦福的死亡中可能扮演的角色：“简于1905年2月因不明原因去世之时，乔丹赶去夏威夷认领她的遗体——有人认为他此行的目的是压下简被毒死的报道。”不过即便是这种含沙射影的句子也是最近才添加的。将近一个世纪的时间里，简都被认定为自然原因致死，任何更加恶毒的传言都被有意忽视，最终完全消失。关于简死亡的种种细节，我是从一本薄薄的灰色小册子中读到的。这本细致入微的书名叫《简·斯坦福的神秘死亡》(TheMysteriousDeathofJaneStanford)，由医学博士罗伯特·W.P.卡特勒于2003年出版。罗伯特·卡特勒是斯坦福大学的一名神经病学家，临终之前的那段时间，他忙于研究某个项目。某天查找资料时，罗伯特偶然在旧报纸上读到一篇关于简·斯坦福被下毒的调查报告，这让他大为吃惊。他是个历史迷，并且以母校斯坦福大学为荣，为什么他从未听说斯坦福大学之母竟然有可能是被毒死的？于是他开始深入调查，发掘相关线索。他可以在线上数据库中看到验尸报告、法庭记录和证人证言，这些资料静静地留在夏威夷，等待着被人查看。不过，当时的罗伯特已经无法离开他位于加利福尼亚州利弗莫尔的山顶住宅了。他患有严重的肺气肿，只能待在家里，远离室外的尘土，靠氧气罐维系生命。于是，在妻子玛吉和火奴鲁鲁、旧金山乃至华盛顿的档案保管员的帮助下，他收到了邮寄过来或（由玛吉）取回并放到自家办公室内的各类文档的扫描件，开始详细阅读并把自己的发现整理成文。

——引自章节：第九章　世上最苦的东西

其他学者的研究更为深入。布利斯·卡诺坎，一位斯坦福大学的英语教授，研究了简和她的眼线之间的通信，认为她被谋杀的时间相当微妙。他写道，大卫，为了保住自己的校长职位，“有作案动机”。理查德·怀特是斯坦福大学的历史学家，他开设了一门名为“谁杀死了简·斯坦福”的课程，希望发掘出更多线索。每个学期，他都向十几位学生提供相关档案，让他们去寻找新信息。怀特目前猜测伯莎是下毒的人（为了拿到一部分遗产），但他也认为简死亡的时间对大卫来说实属“幸运”。怀特越发相信，无论对简下毒的人是谁，大卫都在掩盖这一事实。他的学生不断发现简死后大卫的可疑行径：相熟的人给大卫去信，保证吃太多可以致死；一位不明身份的人给大卫去信，声称大卫会因为掩盖罪行“在死后受到审判”；简的眼线给大卫去信，说自己“不会因为钱闭嘴”。还有一点很奇怪：几十年来，大卫一直坚称简是自然原因致死，尽管这件事早已不再有争议。而且，随着他年纪渐长，他总会在奇怪的场合为此发声——演讲、报纸文章、信件等。怀特想知道，为什么大卫会大费周章地反复强调这个版本的解释。在他看来，大卫自始至终为简的死亡所困扰。

——引自章节：第九章　世上最苦的东西