The Human Zoo

Front Cover
Random House, Jul 2, 2009 - Social Science - 176 pages
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A must-read for anyone who has ever wondered why people do what they do, from the popular author of The Naked Ape.

This study concerns the city dweller. Morris finds remarkable similarities with captive zoo animals and looks closely at the aggressive, sexual and parental behaviour of the human species under the stresses and pressures of urban living.

‘Compelling and absorbing...Morris is concerned with the tension between our biology and our culture, as it is expressed in power, sex, status and war games’ New York Times

 

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THE HUMAN ZOO: A Zoologist's Study Of The Urban Animal

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This is a highly readable but thoroughly irritating book. Morris is a forceful stylist but the same quick flow of discourse which can be insightful about modern society often edges over into blunt ... Read full review

Selected pages

Contents

Tribes and Supertribes
1
Status and Superstatus 2
2
Sex and Supersex
3
Ingroups and Outgroups 76
7
Copyright

Other editions - View all

The Human Zoo
Desmond Morris,Morris Desmond
Snippet view - 1969
The Human Zoo
Desmond Morris,Morris Desmond
Snippet view - 1969
The Human Zoo
Desmond Morris
Snippet view - 1971
View all »

Common terms and phrases

able active advance already ancestors ancient animal artificial authorities balance basic became become began behaviour belong biological ceremonies city-dweller civilization co-operation cohesive forces colours competitive complex costume course cultures custom developed early evolved example existence fact farming follow force function gives greater grew helps human human animal Human Zoo hunter hunting identity impersonal imposed increasingly individual influence invention isolating kind known language leaders lives look major mean million mind monkey Morris mourning move Naked Ape natural never occasion organization particular pattern picture play population pressures problems Professor religion scene sharing simple social social identity society soon species spread step story sub-groups successful super-tribe thousand towns tribal tribe true twenty urban urge whole wild

About the author (2009)

Desmond Morris was born in Wiltshire in 1928. After gaining a degree in zoology from Birmimgham University, he obtained his D. Phil. from the University of Oxford. He became Curator of Mammals at London Zoo in 1959, a post he held for eight years.

He was already the author of some fifty scientific papers and seven books before completing The Naked Ape in 1967, which was to sell over 10 million copies throughout the world and be translated into almost every known language.

Desmond Morris has made many television programmes and films on human and animal behaviour, his friendly and accessible approach making him popular with both adults and children, and he is now one of the best-known presenters of natural history programmes.

He is also an accomplished artists and his books inlcude The Biology of Art, The Art of Ancient Cyprus and The Secret Surrealist, as well as his familiar series of Manwatching, Bodywatching, Animalwatching and Babywatching. His study of the meaning of gestures, Bodytalk: A World Guide to Gestures is published by Jonathan Cape.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Human Zoo
TitleThe Human Zoo
AuthorDesmond Morris
PublisherRandom House, 2009
ISBN1409020622, 9781409020622
Length176 pages
Subjects ›  ›  › 

Psychology / Movements / Behaviorism
Science / General
Science / Life Sciences / Zoology / Primatology
Social Science / Sociology / Urban
  
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