Chris Herzfeld

This book is absolutely brilliant. First class research, thoughtful analysis and beautifully written, it’s the best text on primate research I’ve read in years.

The book covers basic “who did what and when” ancient history and then moves on to describe the history and development of the modern science. It takes a broad sweep look into the kinds of research done, and briefly discusses the players and their best work.

Warning: most of the book dwells on happy stuff like painting, signing and observations in the wild but some of the medical and isolation experiments were absolutely foul.

What is absolutely lovely is that you get to stand back and see how the perceptions of the scientists at the time influenced not only how they worked but on their interpretation of what they observed. Herzfeld’s own thoughts and her brief overviews of current academic takes are thought provoking and will have me coming back for a second and third read.

Another delight is that this book is also full of fascinating facts not usually discussed, like pointing out that the publicity in the 60s, 70s and 80s went to women like Diane Fossey and Jane Goodall, but that men made up 80% of researchers and took up all the top university posts.

If you are a psychologist, sociologist, or anthropologist then this book is an absolute most. It should be required reading for everyone taking a college degree in these disciplines. Is it a book for non-academics? I’d say absolutely yes! If you are interested in human nature or an avid nature documentary watcher, then you’re going to totally adore this book.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and am reviewing voluntarily.… (mehr)