George B. Schaller, vice president and science director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, continues to travel widely on field research and to work with governments and organizations on conservation projects. He is the author of many popular and scientific articles and books, including The Year of the Gorilla and Stones of Silence.
National Book Award winner Schaller (vice president & science director, Wildlife Conservation Soc.; The Serengeti Lion) has been a field biologist since the 1950s, and his research has taken him to some of the most remote and exotic places imaginable--e.g., the Serengeti, a savanna stretching across Tanzania and Kenya; Pakistan; Mongolia; and India. This collection of 19 of his essays focuses on animals. Some of his subjects will be well known to the reader--e.g., the tiger, jaguar, mountain gorilla--while others, such as the saola, capybara, and chiru, will be a new experience. Each relatively short essay includes an introduction by the author and describes his fieldwork and the place each animal inhabits in the greater biological web. The highlight is his recounting of personal experiences and his inclusion of numerous photos of himself, his family, and the animals in his research. Schaller makes powerful arguments for the need to continue conservation efforts. His writing will appeal to both general audiences and life scientists. Recommended for academic libraries, particularly those with natural history collections, and for all public libraries.--Marianne Stowell Bracke, Purdue Univ. Libs., West Lafayette, IN Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Wildlife Conservation Society vice president Schaller (The Last Panda) presents 19 short pieces culled from the dozens of articles and books he has published during half a century spent observing animals around the world. The selections include studies of the daily lives of such exotic beasts as jaguars in Brazil; tigers in central India; lions, wildebeest and cheetahs in Tanzania's Serengeti Plain; giant pandas in China; snow leopards in Pakistan; and chiru (antelope) in the uplands of the Tibetan Plateau. Entwined with his descriptions of the animals are vivid pictures of his own life in the field-treks to remote places, camps established in tents and huts, hours perched in trees and other uncomfortable posts. Schaller began his career as a field biologist but, as these essays show, broadened his outlook over the years to become an outspoken advocate for wild animals and their habitats, helping to establish many wildlife conservation programs. He states in his introduction that as he looks back over his career, he finds today's conservation discourse lacking in heart, with people speaking of nature as "natural resources." His delightful book, imbued with his own unabashed sense of wonder before nature's beauties, is an antidote to this pragmatic trend. 75 b&w photos not seen by PW. (Apr.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Ask a Question About this Product More... |