Product Description
In this knockout book of animal photographs, perfect for the youngest animal lover, you'll discover all sorts of things. Did you know that orangutans are ticklish? Yes, they are—just like you and me. But be careful if you ever see a hippo yawning. It doesn't mean he's sleepy—it means he wants to fight.

The gorgeous up-close pictures and fascinating facts are complemented by behind-the-scenes peeks at how animal photographs are taken. (For instance, photographer Steve Grubman once had to lull a cow to sleep with soft music!) Animal lovers, young scientists, and budding photographers will all adore this beautiful nonfiction book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

fascinating facts
To accompany the wonderful photos there are very interesting facts about the animals. Descriptions on taking the photos are enlightening!

Smile and say ROAR!
This book, rich with photographs, has a double spread for each of the 13 featured animals. The text gives details on one facet of the animal: the noise it makes, its intelligence, or family. But the most memorable parts are the insider's view on animal photography by photographer Steve Grubman. He takes you behind the lens, with his words and photographs, to what happens when it's picture day for animals.

Although several of the photographs make you feel like the animals are about to jump into your lap, I expected a bit more from a book by an animal photographer. The photos are cut-outs of just the animals on plain backgrounds. Beautiful but, removed from any environment or objects they have an odd, unreal feeling. Are the coatimundi and lion the same size? It appears so in this book. This book feels more like two books. The book about animal photography (a two-page intro with photographs and one sentence on each animal's double spread) is funny, exciting, and really places you in an animal photographer's shoes. The book about animal facts is ... well, just another animal book.

Reviewed by Jodi M. Webb

Gorgeous animal photos!
I was drawn to this book by the mischievous looking orangutan on the cover. Inside, there's a combination of wonderful close-up portraits of animals, a main text with interesting facts about each animal and tiny sidebars with comments from the photographer on how he managed to get the shot. The most dramatic of these side notes was about how the tiger got loose from it's handlers at one point, forcing Grubman to make a mad dash out of the room! Grubman's photos, which feature many animals' direct gaze to the camera, capture so much personality and expression and are truly what makes this book amazing for any animal lover.

A wide variety of creatures including aardvarks, grizzly bears, giraffes, alligators, hippos and more, are mostly photographed framed against white or jewel-toned backgrounds, and in a few cases, shown with multiple photos side by side depicting their different moods. My favorite section was the jam-packed appendix which included tons of additional facts as well as few more photos. With an attractive layout featuring large, easy to read font, and relatively simple vocabulary, this book will be a pleasure for preschoolers and kindergarten age children.

Fabulous Book for the Animal Lover!
What a great book with quirky, fun animal facts.The photographs are gorgeous and there are interesting comments from the photographer about how he took these amazing pictures.Jill Davis finds the facts that flesh out the personality of each animal, so that learning about them is more personal and engaging.Fun for animal lovers of all ages!

A fun, fascinating fact-filled photogenic trip to the zoo
Did you want to go to the zoo today?But it is raining or the zoo is closed for the day?

Well, this book is the solution.It is beautifully photographed and loaded with interesting information about a wide range of animals and amphibians! Steve Grubman is a photographer who has a way with animals of all sorts and Jill Davis has a wonderful way with words!So much fun for readers of all ages!You will even learn how Mr. Grubman managed to get such longing looks from a lion! ... Read more

Product Description
Ever since Jane Goodall unlocked the mysteries of wild chimpanzees, and Dian Fossey lived among mountain gorillas, the world has been captivated by primates and the people who study them. Here, at last, is the riveting story of Birute Galdikas, a pioneering primatologist who has spent much of her life studying orangutans. In 1971, twenty-five-year-old Galdikas began living in the remote jungles of Indonesian Borneo, where she encountered menacing poachers, blood-sucking leeches, and swarms of carnivorous insects. Determined to penetrate the world of the elusive "red ape" in the name of science and conservation, Galdikas embarked on a quest of more than twenty years to become the foremost chronicler of orangutan life.

Her first task was to forge a bond of trust with the animals, but her initial forays into their world were thwarted by skeptical and territorial orangutans like handsome Cara, who hurled dead branches at Galdikas from the tree canopy above. Eventually, Galdikas became a surrogate member of the community, triumphantly claimed as "mother" by little Sugito, who clung to her fiercely, night and day, for months. Reflections of Eden is an exotic adventure, a history of vital scientific research, and the memoir of a remarkable woman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Wonderful Orangutan Book
While working in Jakarta, Indonesia, a co-worker showed me this book and I was fascinated.I ordered it immediately from Amazon and loved it.Of course, my interest in orangutans may have influenced my decision.After reading the book, I was able to make a trip to Tanjung Puting/Borneo in September of 2008.Reading the book provided the knowledge to make the trip much more interesting.Reading about Birute Galdikas' accomplishments with these animals and her devotion to them is an amazing story.

Leakey's Least Known Field Researcher
I bought this book at a talk by Birute Gladikas at New Mexico State University.I had heard of her work in Borneo, but many of my co-workers did not know who she was, although they would have easily recognized the name of Jane Goodall, and possibly Dian Fossey, in part because Goodall has been more in the news and in part because of Fossey's unfortunate death.As Gladikas gave her talk, it was again impressed on me how heroic all three had been in their efforts to study and then protect the great apes they were assigned.While it has been said that Fossey got too involved with her gorillas, leading to her murder, one can easily understand her rage at human brutality toward her subjects. Both Goodall and Gladikas had to face similar challenges and managed to survive (although not always easily!) For her part, Gladikas has captured the difficulties and triumphs of her life in "Reflections of Edan: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo".

Certainly all three young women faced unbelievable challenges in studying great apes in the wild.Goodall and Fossey had to deal with the political instability in Central Africa at the time of their studies on chimpanzees and gorillas, and Fossey was especially pressed by poachers.To a large degree Gladikas had to deal with both, but she did so with remarkable finesse and diplomacy.

However, as Gladikas would say I'm sure, the real story is about the orangutans themselves.These creatures, which share 97% of our DNA, are as fascinating as the other great apes. These are perhaps among the least social of the apes and harken back to the early evolution of that branch of the primate line. It is a great shame that human greed for palm oil, timber, gold and zircons, as well as poached baby orangutans, has threatened them with extinction.Gladikas, like the other "Leakey angels", has had to turn her attention away from research to the conservation of the Bornean orangutans. She has done this very effectively and I really stand in awe of the difficulties she has faced in her efforts to prevent the loss of these wonderful animals.

I had a short conversation with Birute Gladikas as she signed the book after her talk and this only added to my admiration of her, and of the other women who took on the difficult task of observing wild great apes. I urge anyone who wants to understand the issues involved in the conservation of these wonderful cousins of ours to read this book!

I Wanted So Badly To Love It...
Birute Galdikas is known by fewer people than Fossey or Goodall. However, I knew her name well when I purchased this book, as I'm a big fan of primates, great apes in particular. This was the third book exclusively about orangutans I purchased, after "The Red Ape" and "Wizards of the Rainforest." This book was by far, my least favorite of the three. While Red Ape is scientific, bordering on dry, it's very thought provoking and informative. Wizards isn't written for a scientifc crowd, but the stories and pictures give you real insight into organgutan life and personality, and, in my opinion, is one of the best books I've ever read.

This book seemed to try to straddle the two areas, scientific and personal, and poorly at that. Galdikas also delved much further into her personal life than I cared to read about, from her feminist viewpoints, to her childhood, to her marriage and subsequent divorce. This book at times felt more autobiography than a book about orangutans. I respect her as a person and as a scientist, and I don't mean to take anything away from what she's accomplished, because it is truly amazing, but her book was the wrong platform to talk extensively about things other than orangutans.

There are some good pictures. There are a few anecdotal and amusing stories. I will glady keep the book in my ever growing primate library, but unlike some of the other books I have, I doubt this one will leave my shelf very often. If you get it used for $3.00, it's a fine purchase. I'd never pay for a "new" copy of it.

An essential insight
Galdikas provides an essential insight into the lives of orangutans before the current torrent of rainforest destruction. In this day of "Orangutan Island" and other necessary rescue efforts, it is helpful to learn the patterns of truly wild orangutan life before sanctuaries and rehabilitation. I found myself constantly highlighting and making notes in the margin of this book -- which I usually don't do.

Galdikas also gives a passionate and honest narration of the early days of orangutan advocacy, which she helped spur. Like many Westerners, I find the appearance of apathy on the part of Indonesian government utterly appalling. More than any other book that I've read on the subject, she explains the Indonesian culture driving their governmental policies and (in)actions.

This is a "must read" for anyone seriously interested in saving the orangutans. BUT you must follow it up with A Dark Place in the Jungle: Following Leakey's Last Angel into Borneo, a book by Linda Spalding that provides an insight into Galdikas. Spalding's book is essential to understanding why orangutan advocacy today is splintered between groups who lack transparency and, arguably, effectiveness.

Excellent work by Dr. Galdikas
Dr. Galdikas study and care of the orangutans of Borneo is greatly appreciated. My friends and myself enjoyed this book a great deal. Long live Dr. Galdikas and the magnificant orangutans of Borneo! ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever gotten tripped up trying to say a silly succession of similar syllables? Of course--everyone has!

It can be sometimes frustrating, but it's always funny! For example, you know New York's unique, but did you know that unique New York's also pretty chic? And if you switched your wristwatch with a new Swiss watch, could you tell which wristwatch was which?

Wordplay master Jon Agee tackles these and other tricky tongue twisters in a funny new title featuring his equally hilarious artwork. The combination will leave you speechless. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Cute
The adults really enjoyed this more than the kids. We laughed at each other trying to read these tongue twisters. The kids, I think were laughing at us because we were laughing so hard. Either way, everyone had fun with this book.

Fun tongue-twister poems for the entire family!
This cute book is full of creative tongue-twister poems and fun, colorful drawings. Contained in these poems are many well-known tongue twisters (such as "a noisy noise annoys an oyster," "unique New York" and "I saw Esau sitting on a seesaw"), which are expanded upon to create some very clever poems. The drawings are so fun and colorful.

We picked up this book at the library, and it ended up being a hit with the entire family! My 18-month-old son LOVES the fun pictures - he especially liked looking at all the monkeys. He even enjoyed having this book read to him.

My mother and grandmother both got a huge kick out of this book - my mom started reading it to my son, but when he left the room, she and my grandma were still up there reading and laughing aloud! My husband tried it out and couldn't help but read the entire book out loud, with no one else in the room.

It came at no surprise that this book was authored by Jon Agee, who wrote and illustrated one of my favorite books, Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog!: and Other Palindromes, an awesome and hilarious book on palindromes. He has done it again in Orangutan Tongs, and apparently has written a total of seven books on word-play - can't wait to check them all out!

Tricky, challenging poems perfect for speech students or those interested in unusual poetry
Jon Agee's ORANGUTAN TONGS: POEMS TO TANGLE YOUR TONGUE provides tricky, challenging poems perfect for speech students or those interested in unusual poetry. Some are easy to read and some hard, but all share the feature of having at least one tongue-twister! Funny drawings enhance the hilarious presentations.

humorous poems
Only the most adept reader can share this collection of poems aloud; they definitely can "tangle your tongue", "A three-toed tree toad tried to tie a two-toed tree toad's shoe." The humor of the text is cleverly enhanced in the watercolor illustrations: bold broad black lines surround swatches of bright color. Children, grades 3-6, will enjoy these amusing morsels.
... Read more

Product Description
"Kusasi is a three-hundred-pound male who could rip your arms and legs off like daisy petals if he wanted. Princess was taught sign language by a researcher and had a limited ability to combine vocabulary...."

For centuries the shaggy red orangutan lived in peaceful seclusion in the jungles of Southeast Asia and kept the ancient secrets about its quiet, contemplative nature. But that time has come to an end, as one of the earth's most intelligent creatures has, sadly, also become one if its vanishing species.

"I went up a muddy brown river called the Sekonyer into the jungles of southern Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, to see orangutans as they really are and to know them the way they deserve to be known..."

In The Intimate Ape, journalist Shawn Thompson brings together a global assemblage of primatologists, conservationists, and volunteers to reveal the intricate life of these majestic primates. As he travels through the steamy rainforests of Sumatra and the jungle river valleys of Borneo, visiting nature preserves and observing conservation programs, Thompson describes the emotional and intellectual lives of orangutans and recognizes the people who have committed their lives to understand, protect, and ultimately rescue this powerful yet sensitive relation of humanity.

"An extraordinary book that adds to our understanding of the animal world."--From the Foreword by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Mind-Blowing Book
It is one of the most insightful books I've red inalong time. Not only you learn about our wonderful cousins the orangutans, but the author's ability to transport you through his personal journey in search of the orangutan and the people who had dedicated their lives to protect, help, rescue and rehabilitate these great Apes. Every person in this planet should read The Intimate Ape at least once.

An incredible book

Shawn's book The Intimate Ape is incredible. It is a significant, memorablework andan entertaining, heartfeltand compelling read. I feel my review cannot live up to the book. If you want to find out more about the inner spirit or the egos of individual orang utans and the strong individuals who feel each and every orang utan is worth fighting for, this is the book for you. If you want to immerse yourself in the jungle habitats of Borneo it is the book for you. Please read it for yourself and then recommend it to others if you enjoy it like me.

The book is not a romanticised view of the orang utans. They come with warts and all, as do the humans who interact or try to interact with them. Shawn Thompson presents his intimate reflections, gathered over some years, in a vivid, lively and engaging narrative which is often moving in the extreme. Part of the charm is that he is not a full time conservationist or scientific researcher.He seems rather to be like you or me and pretends to be no more than the warm-hearted, respectful journalist/writer/observer that he is.

Shawn truly gives us an intimate look into the world of different and individual orang utans, captive and wild, and leaves us definitely wanting more. He also leaves us, without being sanctimonious or didactic, acutely aware of the dire plight ofthe orang utan through our human domination of this planet and our destruction of the rain forest, the orang utans' habitat. The book reveals the total magic of the orang utan and how they inspire and change the people who interact with them. You feel the orang utans and the people as the complete individuals that they are. The characteristics thoughtful, gentle, devious, scheming, mischievous, dignified, wild, aggressive, quiet, contemplative, sensitive, aware, curious, bullying, intelligent, confident, serene, kind, determined, dominant, charismatic, humbling, awe-inspiring can be applied equally to humans or orang utans in this narrative.

I found it very poignant when, towards the end of the book, Sean wrote that the orang utans gave him an idea of something good in life worth saving but that sadly the plight of the orang utans themselves has not improved. Sean made me realise that we do not just want to be left with memories of orang utans when we have only explored a fraction of their worth. The book gives a tantalising glimpse into something wonderful but which we could lose all too soon.

an intimate look not only at the vanishing world of the orangutan but also at remarkable individuals working for its survival
The orangutan is fast disappearing, its forests eaten up by our voracious appetite for land and timber. Only tens of thousands survive in the wild, and we are discovering the amazing intelligence of this great ape just as it seems poised on the verge of extinction. This is a remarkable book that not only looks at the orangutan but at the unusual individuals who have dedicated their lives to their study and protection - people like John MacKinnon, who "became part of the forests of Borneo and Sumatra... slept in the jungle and wrote about the hum of frogs and crickets". People like Willie Smits - the man who has regrown rainforest from nothing to house the orangutans he rescued. People like Birut Galdikas, "our Lady of the Forests", who first brought reports to the world of the real nature of the orangutan. Thompson tracks them down, gets through the barriers, gets under their skins. Reading "The Intimate Ape" I felt that I knew people better, not just in the tragic destruction of the greedy, but also in the selfless and scientific devotion - the strengths and the weeknesses - of those that care about these close cousins of ours. Shawn Thompson keeps it personal, sharing his own reflections as he travels slowly upstream in Borneo, with illegally logged timber floating down past him. He takes a good photo too, and the book has a well-chosen selection. Highly recommended, of course, for anyone interested in really knowing more abut the work of saving the orangutan and its rich forests, but also for anyone who wants a well-written and insightful read about what is happening in an unwatched corner of our world.

Intimacy in 'The Intimate Ape'
Shawn Thompson has a winner on his hands.This recently released book was worth all of the time and travel spent preparing for it.The fact that Thompson took a period of years to collect his information, as well as his own personal thoughts, before writing is such a strong point.This wasn't a hurriedly done visit to the orangutans' habitat, a quick meeting/interview with some key people in orangutan conservation....no, it was a compilation of visits and talks and travels, and that is what provides the intimacy.If you are interested in orangutans and their survival, this is a book to put on your list.As Thompson travelled the muddy rivers through Indonesia in his klotok, he shares his personal thoughts, even shares his family with the reader.Thompson recalls interviews and discussions with key people involved in orangutan conservation...I felt like I was riding around with Thompson and Willie Smits, personally feeling the strong presence and unpredictability of Smits.And sitting on the dock at Tanjung Puting with Birute Galdikas, trying to figure out my own feelings about her as the two conversed at different times over the years.The conversations with Thompson and his subjects are so complex and thorough, you become a part of it.The relationship of Gary Shapiro and the orangutan Princess as described by Thompson becomes easy to enter.This is an extraordinary look at the red apes and the people committed to saving them.You feel as one with the orangutan.You feel as one with Thompson and his subjects.You feel as one with Thompson and his son and the man steering the klotok with his feet.How else could you describe or define intimacy?The orangutans have a new hero in their corner.

This book is a "must read" for anyone interested in orangutans
I strongly encourage anyone who wants to know more about the social life of orangutans - both wild and captive - to pick up this book. It is simply brilliant.

I've spent the last couple of years learning about these magnificent animals, and Shawn's insights -- garnered from conversations with a veritable "who's who" of orangutan researchers and caregivers -- are entertaining and enlightening. There are a lot of "aha!" moments in the book, and I feel like I am emotionally connecting to the individual orangutans. (Surely, Princess would sit down with me too???)... But just as intriguing are Shawn's insights into the scientists and zookeepers who have contributed so much to our knowledge and to the efforts to save orangutans from extinction. Reading Shawn, I finally have a glimmer of understanding about the jealousies and the disagreements that plague the world of orangutan conservation. He also lets us see the collaborations and sharing.

As if all of this wasn't enough, we are lucky that Shawn also has a wonderful writing style. At times poetic, and other times delightfully sardonic, Shawn's literary ability makes a terrific read all the more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, his knack for telling the truth leaves us with the possibility -- no, the probability -- that orangutans are heading for extinction unless (as has become increasingly unlikely) society does a 180 and takes drastic action to save Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests. No cheery "we are all working together to save the orangutans" for this book, and I'm glad to see it. We need to face reality, and Shawn helps the reader do that.

I've added "The Intimate Ape" to two other books -- "Thinkers of the Jungle" and "Wizards of the Rainforest" -- as "must read" books for anyone interested in orangutans or, indeed, in saying goodbye to them. "When you say good-bye, you think of the sweet moments," Shawn writes. This book gives us those moments. ... Read more

Product Description
In The Octopus and the Orangutan, Eugene Linden takes readers on another unforgettable journey into the minds and hearts of animals, going beyond our everyday encounters with animals at home and in the zoo in a wide-ranging collection of real-life anecdotes.

The Octopus and the Orangutan finds intelligent behavior in surprising new places, ranging from the octopus's garden to the crow's nest.Amazing feats of stealth, deception, and larceny accompany unexpected acts of kindness and friendship.Animals show they are sensitive souls and tough negotiators both with their human keepers and with one another in this entirely new collection of stories sure to delight animal lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Things To Consider
I bought this book because primate intelligence, specifically great apes, is of great interest to me. This book certainly had a couple new tales I had never heard about before in that realm, but most interestingly, was the other animals species it mentioned.

Intelligence in not just apes, but dogs, dolphins, elephants, and more.

At times the reading got a bit tedious and occasionally dull, but it usually picked back up before I got ready to shelve the book in favor of more exciting reads.

The final chapter was very interesting. It was somewhat reflective on humanity, as we have declared ourselves the smartest of the smart, yet we also determine and judge what defines intelligence to begin with. Also, despite all those brains, we still make some very, very dumb decisions about how we treat one another, how we treat the other animals we share the planet with, and indeed how we treat our planet to begin with. That was probably the most thought provoking part of the book.

Mediocre Science (At Best), But Funny
This book is very engaging, but it is really thin on anything beyond entertainment.

Too often, even the author has to make preemptive comments about the dubiousness of his comments. Even he realizes that what is said is not science or even really hypothesis. At best it is anecdotal. At worst it is shockingly misleading as it suggests lines of research that could waste millions of dollars of research funding. The author keeps reiterating, "What is there to lose if we are wrong?" And every time I find myself yelling, "Progress? Money? Effort?" And then a string of bad words that I won't type here.

It's so annoying that it destroys the entertainment value of the book. The author is completely convinced that animals are conscious and intelligent, and he refuses to brook any other possibilities. He colors the book with statements such as, "If a society is judged by how it treats its weakest members, how will we be judged for the way that we treat animals in the zoo." This is amusing, because the last time that I checked, a society was made up of organisms of the same species. Cats and dogs are not a part of our society. Cats and dogs are ancillary to our society. Pure and simple. They, as the most domesticated and integrated, part of human culture, are not a part of our society. So, this is just stupid.

Grade: C+

Harkius

Great content delivered with a light touch
This is not a deep behavioral treatise about animal intelligence, but is nonetheless thought provoking.Which I like.The author examines a reasonably wide range of anecdotal incidents from around the world that, for the thoughtful reader, will elicit those deeper questions. After reading a chapter (or two) I always found myself rethinkng what I had read for some time before moving on.The author is careful to point out where he is editorializing or speculating about what some curious event may "mean", and remains fairly neutral in this regard.The easy going style of exposition favors the inquisitive reader and is always fun and enjoyable.This is simply "a good read" for just about anyone who shares a curiosity about the subject--whether a beginner or a bit more advanced.I recommend this book to everyone.

good and bad
I am currently in the middle of this book. While reading this book, I have noticed that the author sometimes talks to you as though you are sitting in college and should understand everything hes saying... maybe its just me, but I wish that he would speak to us like human beings and not to try to sound so intelligent.I hope that makes sense. On the other hand, most parts of the books so far, I am unable to put the book down.A chapter or two has actually had me in tears, especially when he talks about how chimps use sticks as weapons towards eachother in the wild to beat on eachother which can sometimes lead to death of female chimps.Even though it has its sad points, overall I feel this book will be amazing and I will look forward to future books this author will write

An engaging look into animal behavior
Based on personal experiences with handlers, zoo keepers, trainers, owners, and scientists around the world. This book gives an insightful look into the interaction of animals, both with humans and other
animals. Addressing the age old argument, 'are animals sentient creatures'.
... Read more

Product Description
Jorge Luis Borges is the hero of this literary whodunit by one of Brazil's most celebrated writers.

Vogelstein is a loner who has always lived among books. Suddenly, fate grabs hold of his insignificant life and carries him off to Buenos Aires, to a conference on Edgar Allan Poe, the inventor of the modern detective story. There Vogelstein meets his idol, Jorge Luis Borges, and for reasons that a mere passion for literature cannot explain, he finds himself at the center of a murder investigation that involves arcane demons, the mysteries of the Kaballah, the possible destruction of the world, and the Elizabethan magus John Dee's theory of the "Eternal Orangutan," which, given all the time in the world, would end up writing all the known books in the cosmos. Verissimo's small masterpiece is at once a literary tour de force and a brilliant mystery novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

"Even the most fantastical of stories requires a minimum of verisimilitude."
BORGES AND THE ETERNAL ORANGUTANS is a delightful parody or spoof of a detective story and, at the same time, a Borges story.

Vogelstein, the first-person narrator for the first 120 pages of the novella (the last 11 pages consist of a letter from Borges), is a reclusive and obscure writer from Brazil who greatly admires Borges.He finally meets his literary hero when he attends a meeting in Buenos Aires of the Israfel Society, which is dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe and his works. Before the conference actually begins and papers are presented and insults traded, one of the attendees is found murdered in his locked hotel room.Vogelstein, Borges, and a criminologist named Cuervo (think "Raven") confer with one another in an effort to solve this classic "locked room mystery".Cuervo relies on more conventional forensic methods, while Borges and Vogelstein rely on Borgesian modes of inquiry.In his letter at the end of the novella, Borges announces the solution and identifies the murderer.

In addition to being an affectionate spoof, BORGES AND THE ETERNAL ORANGUTANS also is a fun intellectual romp through the arcane and occult worlds of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, John Dee, and -- especially -- Jorge Luis Borges.Readers already familiar with the work (and worlds . . . or universes) of those writers will no doubt derive an extra fillip of pleasure from the book.For example, Borges "solves" the mystery using some of the same reasoning involving threes and fours that figured in his story "Death and the Compass".But really, no specialized knowledge is required for enjoyment of THE ETERNAL ORANGUTANS.Be forewarned, however:after reading it, you might be prompted to investigate further (or return to) Borges, or Poe, or Lovecraft, or Dee, or even Rudolf II, King of Bohemia.As for me, I am prompted to seek out "The Club of Angels", the only other work of Luis Fernando Verissimo in English translation.

I have not given THE ETERNAL ORANGUTANS five stars only because it is, essentially, fluff -- a literary confection -- much like, say, P.G. Wodehouse.But it is superbly confected (again, like P.G. Wodehouse).For devotees of Jorge Luis Borges, however, it may well merit a full five stars.

A quick adventure in a literary mystery
This is a fun book that uses mirrors and deception to twist your mind around loads of history and literary references.Although it is short it packs quite a bit into 135 pages.I can't say this is an easy read but it is a completely enjoyable one.I wonder if a bit was lost in translation though.

More for Borgeans than lovers of detective fiction
As more of a Borgean rather than an admirer of Lovecraft or Poe, I enjoyed this but it failed to grab me. Definitely belongs to the realm of fantasy fulfillment, as a Brazilian translator heads out to Buenos Aires to solve a mystery with none other than the blind Argentinian master. As is to be expected, the yarn is more about literature and involves little more than two men sitting in a library swapping arch meta-references.

Absolutely a pleasure to read
This is a very witty short novel about a Brazilian translator of detective fiction who loves the work of Borges.The man, Vogelstein (his family escaped the nazis and immigrated to Brazil when he was a small child -- only his mother remained in Europe and thus died), is given the opportunity to meet Borges since an international meeting of Poe experts is scheduled to be held in Buenos Aires.When an offensive, mean spirited German is murdered at the meeting (in a classic locked room case), Borges and Vogelstein join intellectual forces to solve the mystery.Secret meaning is ascribed to everything possible; is the necronomicon involved???; were Poe and Lovecraft onto something??Even though I must say that I basically figured out the crime before it even happened, I laughed and enjoyed my way through this book.I assume the original is probably even better than the translation.I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys literary references, hidden codes, and perfect revenge.

Imaginative and Delightful
A short delightful read! Very interesting narration, imaginative story-telling and replete with various literary references - this was a short and delightful read! The book is a celebration of the writing legacy of Edgar Allan Poe & Borges in a sense and although at its core, the story is a whodunit, it goes beyondthe scope of a typical murder mystery with its various (often obscure to me!) literary and philosophical ruminations. Its short enough to complete in 1 sitting though I probably ruined it by reading it over 4-5 sittings! ... Read more

Product Description
"

The local people know him as the ""Man of the Forest,"" who refused to speak for fear of being put to work. And indeed the bear-like Sumatran orangutan, with his moon face, lanky arms, and shaggy red hair, does seem uncannily human; one of our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, the orangutan may have much to tell us about the origins of human intelligence, technology, and culture. In this book one of the world's leading experts on Sumatran orangutans, working in collaboration with nature photographer Perry van Duijnhoven, takes us deep into the disappearing world of these captivating primates.

In a narrative that is part adventure, part field journal, part call to conscience, Carel van Schaik introduces us to the colorful characters and complex lives of the orangutans who inhabit the vanishing forests of Sumatra. In compelling words and pictures, we come to know the personalities and temperaments of our primate cousins as they go about their days: building double-decker tree nests; using leaves as napkins, gloves, rain hats, and blankets, and sticks as backscratchers and probes; nurturing their infants longer and more intensely than any other nonhuman mammal. Here are the births and deaths, the first use of a tool, the defeat of a rival, the gradual loss of influence that, while fascinating to observe, may also help us to reconstruct human evolution.

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent book on orangutans
The author writes from the view of a plant-life expert, and shows how food is crucially related to orangutan social life, tool use, andgeographical distribution. Included are a few very pertinent graphs and maps. Besides the excellent text, the photos are by far the best of any orangutan book I have seen. Each shows labeled details of just about everything discussed in the book (tool use and how tools are tailor made for each task/each fruit, the mother's care and teaching of her infant at different stages of its development, orangutan sex life, and much more). It's unusual to have great, original photos (instead of old enlargements of Camp Leakey or the sometimes poor quality shots obtained in the swampy forest lighting). This is a five star plus!

A Barrel of Pongos
Homo sylvestris (man of the forest) is now placed cladistically at a farther remove from Homo sapiens than chimpanzees or gorillas, having been genetically isolated for 6 to 7 million years, and geographically isolated in two populations for perhaps 150,000 years. Author Carel van Schaik considers these two populations - on Sumatra and on Borneo - as distinct species, and concentrates on the fascinating life-styles of the Sumatran Pongo abelii. The text is based on patient and sometimes perilous field observation of the orangutans in the environment of swampy forest to which they are supremely adapted. Fossils are mentioned, but this is not a book of archaelogy. Thus it's enlivened by stunning photos of living pongids at home, climbing, eating, playing and seemingly having fun, and... using tools! building structures! activities only barely credited to chimps and previously assumed to be human-only behavior.

Is this a book about human evolution, as the subtitle suggests? Not really. Author van Schaik modestly and non-dogmatically suggests that the orangutans have a culture of learned behaviors which facilitates their survival, and that at some early moment of human evolution, "our" behaviors must have been similarly rudimentary yet remarkable. Is that suggestion even debatable? To me, it seems obviously so, though many details remain to be uncovered. At what stage of hominid evolution did such cultural behaviors appear?Van Schaik posits "convergent" evolution of primate social behaviors and technologies, and argues that such cultural adaptations have not been constant, but rather have been learned, lost, reinvented, etc. according to environmental pressures. The Sumatran orangutans, by observation, employ more such social and cultural strategies for subsistence than their "kin" on Borneo.

A beautiful love affair, this book is! Indeed the 'red apes' are beautiful beings, whose idyllic existence is threatened by their insatiable cousins, us. Almost every book of field observation by any naturalist these days ends with the same sad sermon. Just as "we" are learning to appreciate and understand the cultures of our kindred species, and to learn about ourselves from them, we are threatening to bring them to extinction. Honestly, I find myself tempted to don a cape, snatch up my ray-gun, and volunteer as a super-hero game warden to protect the dwindling habitat of the the Sumatran pongos from the international market-place in kitschy hardwood furniture. In my dreams...

Orangutans are gregarious when they can be
The orangutan has been seen as a loner, wandering a forest that offers just enough food to pay the cost of collecting it. But this may be because homo sapiens have liked to farm where orangutans could afford to congregate. Schaik found a swamp where orangutans still congregated.

Just by itself, this book will tell you things about orangutans - the 'other' surviving not-humans - that no one knew until very recently. If you read this before or after reading "The Red Ape: Orangutans and Human Origins" by Jeffrey H. Schwartz (which points out that morphologically, humans and are orangs are very close, and the genetic evidence is not really as solid and cross-referenced as you might have thought) you might find yourself immune to all arguments by analogy with chimp behavior for quite some time.

Out of isolation
About 14 million years ago, an African ape with a penchant for solitude strolled eastwards.Her descendents became the "red apes" of Borneo and Sumatra - the orang utan.Unlike their African cousins, orang utans don't regularly form troops or "gangs".As isolated forest wanderers, they are immensely difficult to study, especially compared to mountain gorillas or chimpanzees.Their isolation has led to more myths than facts about them - until Carel Van Schaik began reporting his findings.This book summarises his work in a stunning presentation of narrative and images.More importantly, it overturns many false ideas of how orang utans fit in the primate lineage.Our lineage.

Spending seven years in a swampy jungle brought van Schaik into intimate contact with orang utans.He discovered novel behaviour and unexpected talents.Among the most surprising revelations was the use of tools.Orang utans are at least as adept as gorillas with tools.There is clear planning in the selection and application of tools.Twigs as tools are made "oversize" before actual use, trimmed to the proper dimension before applying them.There are several fruits requiring special tools for seed retrieval, and photographs show a variety of shapes and lengths.Unlike chimps, however, orang utan tools are manipulated ["lipulated?"] with the mouth more than the hands.Van Schaik and his photographer, Perry van Duijnhoven, depict the tools and their owners with superb images.

With fewer predators to cope with [outside of humans, of course], the Red Ape has followed a different path from its African cousin.Gorillas, too, live on fruits and leaves, but remain ground dwellers.Chimpanzees run in organised troops, while the orang utan's social structure is more flexible.Orang utan young remain with the parents for years, providing many opportunities for parental training.The culture of orang utans must be learned anew with each generation, van Schaik stresses.The intelligence is there to absorb the education, and the habits aren't ingrained.Nest making is symptomatic, with the young building their construction skills over time.Early nests are ramshackle, and during inclement weather, a young ape may shift from his own nest to her mother's for better shelter.Nor is all this behaviour universal.Van Schaik notes the variations among populations he observed.

"Culture", of course, is a term humans wish to retain for their sole use.Van Schaik devotes a chapter to demolishing that restrictive view.He also expands the role of "symbolism", another shibboleth of cultural anthropology.We've restricted the application of "symbolism" to exclude other primates.The structure of orang utan society, he says, demonstrates how symbols are used for identification and communication.This isn't limited to physical artefacts, but may be found in vocalisations and other manifestations of individuality.He explains how training the young imparts cultural and social norms, something humans have limited to their own realm.The five great ape species exhibit vast differences in many aspects, but, van Schaik argues, that only demonstrates that ape intelligence has been utilised appropriately for each species.The intelligence was already there.It was adapted to provide the necessary behaviour for its environment.Ours was adapted most extensively.One aspect of that adaptation is that our species is threatening the existence of the other four.In particular, the Red Apes of Indonesia are being subjected to severe threat. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

A wonderful story
This book flows quite beautifully, from the general biology of orangutans and their habitat to theories about the development of their culture. Van Schiak does not try to anthropomorphize the apes, but instead takes a reasoned view of their lives and shows that they do in fact have certain varying traditions and methods of tool use. Through it all, van Schiak explains his methodology and reasoning quite clearly.

It really is truly amazing how similar we are to the apes. Even one difference van Schiak points out, the presence of infanticide in Orangutan groups, bears an uncanny resemblance to our own Shakespearean past (Hamlet, for one). Yet, at the end, van Schiak is sure to point out those traits which are uniquely human.

A great read for ape-lovers or culture behaviorists. ... Read more

Product Description
Praise for the previous edition:"A fascinating firsthand account of the behavior and intelligence of orangutans, Russon's book is also an account of the successes, failures, and politics of orangutan rehabilitation in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra... The book is lavishly illustrated with full color photographs." - Choice

The only great apes found in Asia, these arboreal wizards are by nature elusive and solitary, and inhabit nearly inaccessible tropical rainforests. The tragedy is that orangutans are almost extinct, surviving in the wild only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra where human influx is rapidly appropriating their habitat.

Based on fifteen years of research, this extraordinary and definitive book focuses on orangutan intelligence and behavior.

This book includes:- A scientific history of orangutans- Detailed descriptions of orangutans and their natural habitat- Astonishing behavior patterns- Rehabilitation operations at Camp Leakey and Wanariset- The complex politics of orangutan rescue work- Results of orangutans released back into the forest- Updated resources- What the future holds for these primates.

With one hundred color photographs taken by the author during her visits to the rainforests, Orangutans is an absorbing and instructive look at the unusual world of orangutans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Like a TV documentary, but better
After reading a short biography about Birute Galdikas, I wanted to learn more about the interesting world of organgutans.Some Amazon reviewers of her books highly recommended this one instead, and I thank them for the good advice.What a wonderful and insightful book--Anne Russon doesn't shine the light on herself.Instead she incorporates brief details about her purpose in studying orangutan behavior into a broader-scoped book which furnishes the ABCs (and more) of orangutan life.I was particularly surprised to read about the negative impact Earthwatch and ecotourism has had.As another reviewer noted, delightful pictures grace almost every page, and they are strategically inserted to correspond with what is being read.This book will inspire you to learn more about our closest relatives.Anne Russon also provides information in the back of the book to do just that.

Touching book, touching pictures...
Anyone who gets this book is likely a fan of the orangutan to begin with, as was the case with me. I found this book only increased that feeling.

It's written simply, not overly scientific at all. I found it a very revealing look into the lives of our red-haired cousins. Their society, their habits, their mannerisms, and their personalities are all detailed in the pages of this book.

The book doesn't discuss threats to the animals too much, but logging and habitat destruction are touched on. It provides a sad reminder to the plight these gentle creatures face.

My favorite part by far was all the pictures. I found them to be the best part of reading this book. Some will make you laugh, some will make you sad, but all make you think and wonder what is going on in the head of the featured orang(s).

I'd definitely suggest getting this for anyone who is a fan of the orangutan, great apes, or animals in general.

If you want to stay emotionally disattached, don't read this book
If you want to learn about orangutans as a species, but are afraid of getting close to individual animals who show personalities, likes and dislikes, moods, and -- yes -- cultural adaptations, then stay away from this marvelous book.

Anne Russon writes simply and wonderfully. She patiently takes the reader through an evolution of thought and appreciation for the individual orangutans who go through rehabilitation, until we are caught up in the successes and failures they experience.

Most of us will never spend time at an orangutan sanctuary, so we rely on Russon for her insights. And she doesn't let us down. Her great strength is in portraying these animals as individuals who have lives that are distinctive and of value.

I wish she would start a website as an "afterward" for this book, and keep us up to date on the fates of the individuals we met in these pages. Let's hope that they make it through the wanton destruction and murders that are threatening the orangutans of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Good science writing on Orangutans
Not taking anything away from Birute Galdikas who has been studying Orangutans longer than Anne Russon, but this book is different than Galdikas' two books, and as a scientific overview of these great apes it is hard to beat. Galdikas' REFLECTIONS OF EDEN mixed natural history with memoir, and ORANGUTAN ODYSSEY is slim - less text and more photographs - and serves as a good coffee-table book.

Russon worked with ex-captive and former pet Orangs who were stationed at a rehabilitation center learning how to be "wild". Her descriptions of their behavior is fascinating. They have extended childhoods, and in the wild they would spend this time with their mothers learning by imitation. In captivity their learning ability has been transfered into a fondness for using human tools. The incredible imitative skills of Orangs was a revelation for Russon. This is something that primatologists have stressed as significant about all the great apes. Galdikas recognizes this as a challenge in reintroducing apes to the wild. Frans de Waal goes further and has done studies on how such "human imprinting" has impinged on the animal's "culture".

Russon only provides an introduction to such topics as animal intelligence and whether or not they have a culture. Her examples of Orang learning and imitative behavior make for a thoroughly interesting read and may encourage readers to further explore the subject. I therefore highly recommend this well written book.

Inlook on animal psychology
Interesting and funny look at the behavior of the endangered species of orangutans. This book describes the experience of Russon and her colleagues' work in transitioning abused and pet orangutans back to livingin a natural environment. Orangutans are visibly very cunning animals,which have managed to trick the researchers in this national park more thanonce. Russan recounts her experience with an orangutan that insisted onwashing clothes, and describes stories of them raiding secured guard postsand untying canoes and taking them up and down the river.

I recommendthis book to anyone who has interests in psychology, especially that ofanimals and people with pets. ... Read more

Product Description
Riley and family visit the rain forests of Borneo to learn how figs, fig wasps and orangutans all rely on each other for survival. Riley spots sun bears, proboscis monkeys, flying snakes and more while coming to the rescue of an orphaned orangutan! A children's book series unlike any other, the multiple award-winning Adventures of Riley books feature rousing excitement, real-life science and scientists, and eye-popping multi-media visuals. ... Read more

Product Description
This latest title in the Welcome to the Whole World series reveals all there is to know about orangutans. With outstanding color photographs and intriguing text, children can discover fascinating details about this exotic animal. They can read about how orangutans communicate, what makes them similar to and different from humans, and just what their families are like. ... Read more

Product Description
That look in her eye is so human. She cradles her baby in her arms with such pride and tenderness. She interacts with family and peers in a way that suggests deep kinship, friendship, and trust. Meet the orangutan of Borneo in her natural habitat through the amazing adventures of National Geographic photographer Tim Laman and his wife, Harvard professor Cheryl Knott; and learn clearly the threats that now face this incredible primate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review
Reviewed by: Wayne Walker

Do you know what kind of animal King Louie on Walt Disney's film The Jungle Book was?If you said monkey, you'd be wrong.He was an ape.But what kind?Gorilla?Chimpanzee?No.Orangutan.Do you know where orangutans live?The story of The Jungle Book takes place in India, yet orangutans live in Borneo and Sumatra, islands of the Indonesian archipelago off southeast Asia, although one source that I read says that in the past they were found in China and Java.Do you know what orangutans eat?They prefer fruits and nuts, but they also like termites as a snack!However, they do not eat bananas, at least in the wild, because bananas do not grow in the rain forest which is their natural habitat.Do you know what the word "orangutan" means?In the Indonesian language it means "person of the forest" because long ago local people realized how similar orangutans are to people.

In this book, authors and photographers Tim Laman and Cheryl Knott take us "up close and personal" with some of the orangutans of Gunung Palung National Park on Borneo, such as Jari Manis who, when it started to rain, grabbed some leafy branches and held them over his head to block the rain like an umbrella.They tell about orangutan life.Where do orangutans live?In trees.In fact, they are the world's largest arboreal or tree-living animals.Laman and Knott also talk about what the future holds for orangutans.Side bars contain information on how to tell monkeys from apes, how to speak orangutan, and how one must study orangutans.Also there are five pages in the back with suggestions on how we can help orangutans and learn more about them, facts at a glance, a glossary, and a bibliography of books, articles, films, and websites for more information, as well as an index for reference.When it comes to learning about orangutans, don't let anyone "make a monkey out of you," but get this book and read all about this amazing animal. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

The Forgotten Great Ape
Orangutans by Robert Shumaker is a beautiful book, full ofpictures and interesting facts about orangutans.These amazing apes are among oour closest relatives, and are the great tool users among great apes.Read this book, and you will want to know more about orangutans

"Orangutans" is a Library Youth Services "must buy"
What a fantastic addition to any Youth Services collection! The photos and text coordinate beautifully and make for a very interesting read.This book can easily be used for a wide range of ages from grade school through high school.We are excited to enrich our library with this selection. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes how baby orangutans whose mothers have died are nurtured by human babysitters at Camp Leakey in the rain forests of Borneo, until they are ready to live in the wild. ... Read more

Product Description
This book describes one of our closest relatives, the orangutan, and the only extant great ape in Asia. It is increasingly clear that orangutan populations show extensive variation in behavioural ecology, morphology, life history, and genes. Indeed, on the strength of the latest genetic and morphological evidence, it has been proposed that orangutans actually constitute two species which diverged more than a million years ago - one on the island of Sumatra the other on Borneo, with the latter comprising three subspecies.

This book has two main aims. The first is to carefully compare data from every orangutan research site, examining the differences and similarities between orangutan species, subspecies, and populations. The second is to develop a theoretical framework in which these differences and similarities can be explained. To achieve these goals the editors have assembled the world's leading orangutan experts to rigorously synthesize and compare the data, quantify the similarities or differences, and seek to explain them.

Orangutans is the first synthesis of orangutan biology to adopt this novel, comparative approach. It analyses and compares the latest data, developing a theoretical framework to explain morphological, life history, and behavioural variation. Intriguingly, not all behavioural differences can be attributed to ecological variation between and within the two islands; relative rates of social learning also appear to have been influential. The book also emphasizes the crucial impact of human settlement on orangutans and looks ahead to the future prospects for the survival of critically endangered natural populations. ... Read more

Product Description

Offering fascinating insight into life in the rain forest, this book follows an orangutan through its day as it sleeps, eats, and moves.

... Read more

Product Description
Research on the mental abilities of chimpanzees and bonobos has been widely celebrated and used in reconstructions of human evolution. In contrast, scant attention has been paid to the abilities of gorillas and orangutans. This volume aims to complete the picture of hominoid cognition by bringing together the work on gorillas and orangutans and setting it in comparative perspective. This book's introductory chapters set the evolutionary context for comparing cognition in gorillas and orangutans to that of chimpanzees, bonobos, and humans. The remaining chapters focus primarily on the kinds and levels of intelligence displayed by orangutans and gorillas compared to other great apes, including performances in the classic domains of tool use and tool making, imitation, self awareness, social communication, and symbol use. ... Read more

Product Description
Did you know that a female king cobra guards her eggs? Or that orangutans drink rainwater that collects on leaves? This title features big colourful photos and simple text that explore these fascinating creatures and their habitats. It includes easy-to-use maps showing where each animal lives its amazing life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent educational reference book
In a mere 32 pages this bookcovers the animal's natural habitat, characteristics, prey and predator and much more. The pictures are simply beautiful and I love that they used bold large font so that kids and parents can read it without squinting. The way the facts are layed out throughout the book seems more like a game so kids won't even think of it as "learning" or "hard work". I purchased the whole set-18 books individually. They are ridiciously cheap on Amazon on other websites they are going for over $200 for the set. Makes a great gift for an animal lover or an excellent way to start an inexpensive animal encyclopedia in your home. ... Read more