The Way of the Panda: The Curious History of China's Political Animal

Henry Nicholls

Pegasus Publications, 2011 - Nature - 319 pages

Giant pandas have been causing a stir ever since their formal scientific discovery just over 140 years ago. For almost a century they defied classification; they outwitted hunters and escaped trappers, left the public elbowing and zoo turnstiles spinning, were sent on diplomatic journeys, branded onto products and turned into company logos. Thanks to the World Wide Fund for Nature this species became the face of global conservation. Yet in spite of humankind's evident obsession with the giant panda, it is only in the last few decades that scientific research has begun to show us what this mysterious, frequently misunderstood creature is really like.

Henry Nicholls uses the rich and curious history of the giant panda to do several things: to ponder our changing attitudes towards the natural world; to offer a compelling history of the conservation movement; and to chart the rise of modern China on its journey to become the self-sufficient, twenty-first-century superpower it is today.

What people are saying

Review: The Way of the Panda: The Curious History of China's Political Animal

User Review  - Santo - Goodreads

Other than tigers, I would say that pandas are my favorite animals. The choice of tigers is an obvious one; born in the Chinese year of the tiger, I am always awed at the grandness, strength, and ...

Review: The Way of the Panda: The Curious History of China's Political Animal

User Review  - Susan Beecher - Goodreads

Truly fascinating book about China and pandas

About the author

Henry Nicholls writes regularly for Nature, New Scientist and BBC Focus as well as the science journals Endeavor and Galapagos News. His first book, Lonesome George, told the story of the last giant tortoise of Pinta in the Galapagos and was shortlisted for the 2007 Royal Society General Book Prize. Henry lives in London.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Way of the Panda: The Curious History of China's Political Animal
• Author: Henry Nicholls
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Pegasus Publications, 2011
• ISBN: 1605981885, 9781605981888
• Length: 319 pages
• Subjects: Nature / Animals / Bears; Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection