Book Reviews

Hollzy

I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread to review zoological books. There are a lot of great books out there and I hope that this thread will help everyone find something enjoyable to read - whether they're a working zoologist or just have an amateur interest. I'll start us off.

I read King Solomon's Ring by Konrad Lorenz maybe two months ago and I really enjoyed it. He discusses all the animals he kept in his home in Altenberg and his studies of their behaviour. I think every animal lover would thoroughly enjoy it, though keep in mind, his chapter on dogs is mostly dated/incorrect. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of jackdaws.

The book Africa: Eye to Eye with the Unknown by Michael Bright is an accompaniment to Attenborough's recent Africa series. Being a huge fan of David Attenborough and wanting to learn more about the continent I will visit for the first time this summer, I was quick to acquire it! It's a great coffee table book to pick up and flick through from time to time. It's well written and honestly it's worth getting it just to admire the photography.

Ziphius

King Solomon's Ring really is a wonderful book.

I would recommend Curious Naturalist by Niko Tinbergen as companion piece. It also deals with animal behaviour but I think in a more rigorous and scientific manner than Lorentz's book.

Hollzy

I did actually read half of Curious Naturalists afterwards but I've been busy recently so I ended up bringing it back to the library and I'll read the rest after my exams. It is definitely more detailed and scientific. I was about five or six chapters in when I had to postpone it. It was interesting but I think when I go back to it I'll enjoy reading about gulls more than I have about the wasps.

Ziphius

Hollzy wrote: »

I did actually read half of Curious Naturalists afterwards but I've been busy recently so I ended up bringing it back to the library and I'll read the rest after my exams. It is definitely more detailed and scientific. I was about five or six chapters in when I had to postpone it. It was interesting but I think when I go back to it I'll enjoy reading about gulls more than I have about the wasps.

It's worth going back to. I keep meaning to re-read it.

You're in Senior Fresh science?

Adam Khor

I highly recommend "Parasite Rex" by Carl Zimmer. It is kind of gross but fascinating all the same; I learned tons and honestly it changed my vision of the world. Still one of my all time favorites. :>

I also recently read "Eels" by James Prosek which is an interesting read especially if like me, you don´t know much about eels to begin with. It is not a very detailed scientific account, but rather a tale of how the author travels the world trying to learn more about eels and the way people see them- plenty of interesting legends and folklore about them, and some really intriguing similarities between the mythological eel of very different places across the world.

Hollzy

It's worth going back to. I keep meaning to re-read it.

You're in Senior Fresh science?

Yep, I certainly am!

Thanks Adam, I'll keep an eye out for those! Parasite Rex in particular sounds really interesting!

Hollzy

I just finished Pippa's Challenge by Joy Adamson. I'd watched Born Free when I was little but I'd never read any of her books before. I must say I was really shocked. It was worth reading because though some of her methods were questionable, it really drives home how little was known about cheetah at the time and they were the first to attempt reintroductions of that kind so they certainly set the ball rolling.

There are a lot of unpleasant statements throughout the book. The frequent racism and discussions about the female cub being a "freak" and thinking about "destroying her" when she exhibited perfectly natural behaviours really are quite unbelievable.

I looked her up briefly after finishing the book and found out she was murdered. It would be interesting to rewatch Born Free now, knowing a little bit more about her!

OpenYourEyes

For anyone interested in the conservation side of zoology, "Fighting for Birds" by Mark Avery is a very good read - he's had a career with the RSPB working at various levels, and tells some very interesting stories. It very much highlights the importance and difficulties of dealing with people when it comes to wildlife conservation - which is generally where much of the issues arise (e.g. raptor releases in ireland in recent years).

I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in conservation, particularly in Ireland and the UK.

JuliusCaesar

Has anyone read Bekoff's The Emotional Lives of Animals? I read it a couple of years ago and thought he made some very good points, but that he went way beyond the evidence and that spoiled it for me a bit.

Beats me how anyone could say that animals don't have emotions. Mammals anyway. Now how they experience emotion, that's another question.