First published 2007
George Schaller has spent decades in remote corners of the world studying wildlife behavior. This collection gathers nineteen pieces originally published in magazines, offering readers access to writing that shaped modern field biology. Schaller takes readers from Indian tiger habitats to Brazilian swamps where jaguars hunt, from Rwandan mountains where gorillas live to the Serengeti plains where predators and prey interact. He describes expeditions to find new species along the Vietnam-Laos border and searches for snow leopards in the Hindu Kush mountains. His work with giant pandas in Sichuan province receives detailed treatment. Each chapter includes new introductions that provide context for the original research. Schaller's photographs document both animal behavior and the realities of fieldwork, showing temporary camps from African highlands to Chinese mountain tents. The book spans a career that produced influential studies and classic works including The Year of the Gorilla, The Last Panda, and the National Book Award-winning The Serengeti Lion.
Genres: biography, nature, animals, non-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: expedition, research
Setting: Africa, Brazil, China, Hindu Kush, India, Laos, Rwanda, Serengeti, Vietnam
Period: 20th-century
272 pages · Hardcover · Sierra Club Books