Overview

Full Product Details

9780271082165

Table of Contents

Reviews

Haikal's history of the small, sleepy, playful little gorilla who became known as Master Pongo shows how a single animal could challenge expectations and change the way Western scientists and the general public thought about these enigmatic creatures. The book is a compelling read and outstanding example of how to recover the life story of an animal from the past. -Nigel Rothfels, author of Elephant House Haikal has, with brevity, drawn together around one animal important issues relating to nineteenth-century scientific interest in primates; ideas about gorillas in popular culture and imagination; the nature of zoos and animal exhibition; the popular, scientific, and civic politics and economics of such exhibitions; and the relationships between natural history, exploration, and the colonial enterprise at the time. This is no mere story of a gorilla. -Garry Marvin, University of Roehampton

“Haikal has, with brevity, drawn together around one animal important issues relating to nineteenth-century scientific interest in primates; ideas about gorillas in popular culture and imagination; the nature of zoos and animal exhibition; the popular, scientific, and civic politics and economics of such exhibitions; and the relationships between natural history, exploration, and the colonial enterprise at the time. This is no mere story of a gorilla.” —Garry Marvin,University of Roehampton “Haikal’s history of the small, sleepy, playful little gorilla who became known as Master Pongo shows how a single animal could challenge expectations and change the way Western scientists and the general public thought about these enigmatic creatures. The book is a compelling read and outstanding example of how to recover the life story of an animal from the past.” —Nigel Rothfels,author of Elephant House

Haikal's history of the small, sleepy, playful little gorilla who became known as Master Pongo shows how a single animal could challenge expectations and change the way Western scientists and the general public thought about these enigmatic creatures. The book is a compelling read and outstanding example of how to recover the life story of an animal from the past. -Nigel Rothfels, author of Elephant House Haikal has, with brevity, drawn together around one animal important issues relating to nineteenth-century scientific interest in primates; ideas about gorillas in popular culture and imagination; the nature of zoos and animal exhibition; the popular, scientific, and civic politics and economics of such exhibitions; and the relationships between natural history, exploration, and the colonial enterprise at the time. This is no mere story of a gorilla. -Garry Marvin, University of Roehampton

Author Information

Mustafa Haikal is a historian and author of numerous nonfiction books in German. Thomas Dunlap has translated more than fifteen works from German into English.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available