Awards
- Short-listed for Royal Society Prize for Science Books: General Prize 2007
- Shortlisted for Royal Society Prize for Science Books: General Prize 2007.
Overview
Lonesome George is a 5ft long, 200lb tortoise aged between 60 and 200. In 1971, he was discovered on the remote Galapagos island of Pinta, from which tortoises had supposedly been exterminated by buccaneering whalers and seal hunters. He has been at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island ever since, on the off-chance that scientific ingenuity will conjure up a way of reproducing him and resurrecting his species. Meanwhile a million tourists and dozens of baffled scientists have looked on as the celebrity reptile shows not a jot of interest in the female company provided. Today, Lonesome George has come to embody the mystery, complexity and fragility of the unique Galapagos archipelago. His story echoes the challenges of conservation worldwide. It is a swashbuckling tale of combat and collecting on the high seas, Darwin, sexual dysfunction, hostages, moonlit escapes, culture clashes, cloning, DNA fingerprinting and eco-tourism.
Full Product Details
Author: Henry Nicholls
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Imprint: St Martin's Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.40cm
, Height: 3.50cm
, Length: 20.60cm
Weight: 0.338kg
ISBN: 9781403945761
ISBN 10: 1403945764
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 04 April 2006
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
'Is he gay, impotent or just bored? Read this fascinating book for the full story. It skilfully blends historical derring-do with cutting-edge conservation biology.' - NewScientist 'A warmly enjoyable book - a pleasure to read.' - www.popularscience.co.uk 'Nicholls' lively tale takes the reader on a journey through the Galapagos - and how much there is to loose.' - BBC Focus Magazine 'This marvellous look at the conservation of nature, as embodied in one enormous reptile, is highly recommended.' - Booklist
Author Information
HENRY NICHOLLS writes for many of the world's leading science periodicals including Nature and Science. Following his PhD in Evolutionary Ecology with Tim Birkhead (Promiscuity and The Red Canary), he edited The Encyclopedia of Life Sciences and wrote for BioMedNet News before becoming Editor of the leading history of science journal, Endeavour. He lives in south London with his wife and new son.
