The Human Zoo

Desmond Morris

Jul 2009 · Random House

About this eBook

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

Ratings and reviews

Awesome, eye opening book. Explains many things about human behaviour and makes you rethink lots of situations , looking at them from the different angle, taking into consideration how basic and simple humans really are.

An insight into why society is like it is today. Brilliant and Desmond Morris has affirmed all my own theories and realisations.

Tremendous. If a little dated.

About the author

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.