Through a Window: Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe

Book Description

THROUGH A WINDOW is the dramatic saga of thirty years in the life of a community, of birth and death, sex and love, power and war. It reads like a novel, but it is one of the most important scientific works ever published. The community is Gombe, on the shores of Lake Tangganyika, where the principal residents are chimpanzees and one extraordinary woman who is their student, protector, and historian. In her classic In the Shadow of Man, Jane Goodall wrote of her first ten years at Gombe. In Through a Window she brings the story up to the present, painting a much more complete and vivid portrait of our closest relative. We see the community split in two and a brutal war break out. We watch young Figan's relentless rise to power and old Mike's crushing defeat. We learn how one mother rears her children to succeed and another dooms them to failure. We witness horrifying murders, touching moments of affection, joyous births, and wrenching deaths. In short, we see every emotion known to humans stripped to its essence. In the mirror of chimpanzee life, we see ourselves reflected. Perhaps the best book ever written about animal behavior, Through a Window is also essential reading for anyone seeking a better grasp of human behavior.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing...!.......2007-05-28

Ever since reading Jane Goodall's book "Reason For Hope" (which is another highly-recommended one on my list), I have called her "Our Lady of Hope"; she truly has paved the way for a brighter future in her study of the animals and plants. And with her optimism and positive outlook, how could I not be floored by her work?

This book takes you on an emotional roller-coaster; tenderness (Flo's natural mothering instincts and her care for her children and her daughter, Fifi, imitating her mother), sadness (Flo's death and her son, Flint, pining away before dying; the short, tragic life of the unfortunate, long-suffering Gilka), horror (Passion and Pom savagely killing and eating their own community's newborns; the brutal warfare in the mid-70s), and amazement (at how very much like humans that animals are).

This book is simply a gem. And the images are marvelous: sometimes grim, sometimes tender, but seldom dull.

Surprisingly Entertaining.......2006-05-24

When I picked up this book it was because I randomly chose it from a pile of recommendations a friend gave me. I had no desire to read it, and the only reason I actually went through with it was that a) I would have to give the book back someday and b) she always recommends good-to-decent books. And despite the obvious reputation that Goodall has, I still had no desire to read it. Having recently picked up (and put down) Rachel Carson's The Edge of the Sea, I was in no mind to read another nature-based book. That gives you a good indication of my mindset going into this.

I'm glad I was wrong. I enjoyed this book much more than I would have imagined - it's a fascinating read. I say that having had virtually no prior interest in chimpanzee's nor Jane Goodall. I doubt I would have read this book on my own, since there are a million books begging to be read every time I open my eyes. Sometimes you need to go where you don't necessarily want in order to find a jewel.

The title of this book refers to the window that Goodall gets when she observes the chimps over the years. Through this window she gets an idea of how we, humans, have evolved from where we were to where we are. It gives her a glimpse of the similarities - sometimes uncanny - between chimps and humans. This window often leads to observations you can never expect. Goodall's observations and her way with words fully draw you into the narrative.

Goodall writes anecdotally, attempting to illustrate her point with examples of behavior she observes in the field. These instances make the book much easier to read than a pure scientific approach. Through the text you grow to like (and dislike) some of the chimps in the narrative, as well as easily finding yourself drawn into the various elements of (nearly human) chimp behavior.

The thing I find most surprising is that the stories which transpire between the "actors" are just as dramatic as a work of fiction. They say that fact is stranger than fiction. I don't know if I agree, but it can undoubtedly be interesting. It's certainly a surprise how similar the chimps are to us - or maybe it's not, which I guess is one of the points of the book.

If I have to take on the other POV, which I usually force myself to do in an effort to be fair, I suppose I have to say that despite all she has seen, she does at times force the issue that chimps are better than people. One thing I worried about was that Goodall would constantly laud how amazing the animals are and how we humans could learn from them. For the most part, she doesn't do this. From time to time she seems to be on the verge, but she balances it out with fair observations on both sides of the fence.

In all, it is a riveting book that is well-balanced and, to be sure, well researched. Goodall's years of experience no doubt come through with this book, and her ease behind the keyboard is surprising. I did not find this clunky in the normal vein of science texts at all. In fact, it was a smooth read, almost to a word. Granted, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the subject matter discussed in Through A Window is sure to entertain most people who pick it up. Excellent book and highly recommended.

Thirty Years of Goodall Research in Gombe.......2003-11-06

Jane Goodall's contributions to our knowledge of chimpanzees has been remarkable. Because she first arrived in Africa completely untrained as an observer of animal behavior, she was able to bring a humanist's instincts to her work; her natural ability to see details and connections, as well as her affection for her subjects, culminated in published results that rocked the scientific community. THROUGH A WINDOW picks up her observations where IN THE SHADOW OF MAN left off. Here, she follows the lives mostly of the children of the original group. She has organized her chapters by theme: Mothers and Daughters, Sons and Mothers, War, Power, Love, and more. Within these chapters, she explores the specific lives of the Gombe chimps and their relationships with their relatives and group members. By tackling specific topics of behavior, she is able to fully integrate the range of her experiences, from first observations to those made thirty years later. As Goodall is quick to point out, what she assumed at first did not necessarily prove to hold fast over time.

No less fascinating than IN THE SHADOW OF MAN, this book is extraordinary for its insight into chimpanzee personalities, relationships, and culture. If you have never before read Goodall's books, you will be surprised by the strong echoes of human behavior in these wild and highly individual chimpanzees. Goodall has made enormous contributions to our understanding of non-human primates, and should be widely read.

"man is more capable of bad than good"- Machiavelli.......2003-09-22

Jane Goodall's study of chimpanzee behavior and the fact that human and chimpanzee DNA only differ by over 1% shows the fact that humans do have human nature, or to be precise human biological nature.

It confirms that most humans all over the world do have more tendency of doing bad than good. Even thou Machiavelli was referring only to people of his region, what he had observed is actually a "sample population",if we use statistics,of most people all over the world. Stephen Jay Gould argued in the introduction of "in the shadow of man" that we cannot say that we now know the essential and ineluctable darkness of human nature as others claim (obviously he was talking about the work of his rival Richard Dawkins, who wrote his findings in "The Selfish Gene")because what Jane Goodall saw in her first 30 years in Gombe only showed the whole panoply of chimpness, that this can only emphasize the far vaster range of capacities (for both good and evil)that humans possess.

But has Stephen Jay Gould studied the written history of the human race for the last 5,000 years? if he did, didn't he saw the patterns of human behavior for the last 5,000 years that was obviously tending more towards the bad than the good? can it be said that human behavior for the last 5,000 years is just a product of cultures all over the globe? or isn't it obvious that our human biological nature has something to do with it also? shouldn't we ask this question, that even thou there is culture all over the globe, why did humans have a pattern of tendency to do one thing instead of the reverse of that (which is mainly more towards the bad than the good), for the last 5,000 years? because we must admit if we really don't want to do something, then after a while we will rebel from doing that something, for we can't take it anymore. But the last 5,000 years clearly showed that we are more motivated by our human biological nature, than by culture.

Some people might even claim that the last 5,000 years of human history is not really that bad, but more towards the good, because historians and history books only record major events like wars, and conquest of people. That history does not record the day to day lives of humans for the last 5,000 years. But haven't we seen enough evidence that the day to day occurences in our world today, has also happened in the day to day lives of people back then? like rape, murders, thefts, bullying of powerless people, abuses of all sorts, have been happening since the dawn of man. This bad things that happen in humans day to day lives do happen, its just that we don't hear about them. For these things happen all over the world and not concentrated in one area. If its happening in our everyday lives now, its likely that its been happening since ancient times in the day to day lives of ancient people. They just don't know that it happens everyday, for they do not hear of information from distant lands, since again, events like these are not concentrated in one area, but is scattered all over the globe.

So if bad things happen in day to day lives of people all over the world since ancient times, then wouldn't that accumulate to evil? isn't it obvious that we live in an evil world, for bad things happen everyday, we just don't have a clue that it happens day to day in our lives for the information is hidden from us by people, or the information is just beyond our reach. Its like what Richard Dawkins said, "just because you don't like the idea that you live in a harsh and ruthless world, doesn't mean that the reality of it could be denied". Its not a pessimistic view of human nature, its just pinpointing reality.

Think about it, read the history of the human race for the last 5,000 years and know what happens to peoples day to day lives all over the world, thats been happening since the dawn of man, you will see where most people tend towards most, bad or good.

A Riveting Sequel.......2002-06-20

In "In the Shadow of Man", Jane Goodall introduced us to the Chimpanzees of Gombe. If anything, this sequel is even more fascinating.

The whole study reads like a sweeping saga. As "Shadow" closed, the "main characters", the Flo family, were thriving, though there was a tinge of sadness with the realization that Flo wasn't getting any younger.

As "Window" opens, the inevitable happens, and we learn how each of Flo's children coped with her death - including a foreshadowed tragedy. We then watch her sons find their place in the male hierarchy and see what her daughter has learned about successful parenting from her mother.

The "supporting cast" is as interesting as that of "Shadow" - like Jomeo, a large male who never reached the high position one would have anticipated; Goblin, the Machiavellian politician who works his way up the ranks by befriending Alphas; Evered, who never reached a particularly high position but may have had the last laugh on all the males by quietly fathering the most children of the lot of them and Passion, the psychotic, nightmarish baby cannibal who sounds like something out of a horror movie.

The book also documents the brutal, disturbing territorial war that proved that Chimpanzees are capable of violence against eachother. This is a war that would have never been recorded had the study ended when originally scheduled - showing why long term studies are needed for long lived animals like chimps and elephants.

Both books should be among the first in the collection of everyone with the slightest interest in animal behavior. I keep up with the continuing story on internet, but I still can't wait for Ms. Goodall to continue with another book about what happened next.

Average customer rating:
Through a Window - My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe

Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ID5PH2

Average customer rating:
Through a Window: My Thirty Years With the Chimpanzees of Gombe.
Jane Goodall
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OROR76

Average customer rating:
Through a Window: My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe.

Manufacturer: 0
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ICJ3I0

Book Description

Here are 330 trail-tested, hunter-proven tips from people who know elk hunting -- members of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Customer Reviews:

Good collection of tips.......2005-10-15

This is a good book to sit and peruse when you have idle moments, the "tips" are all only about a paragraph long. These tips are time-tested bits of advice from experienced elk hunters regarding such practical issues as clothing, gear, handling the meat, etc. They may not all be applicable to your situation, but if you find just one tidbit that makes your hunt easier, safer, or more enjoyable, it's worth the price of the book.

Good for its purpose.......2003-11-15

If you're looking for a comprehensive guide to elk hunting, this isn't it! On the other hand, if you just want to spend some time looking through the thoughts and ideas of other elk hunters, buy this book.

Yes, some of the suggestions are contradictory. That's because this is a compilation of ideas from many different people. Ask three different hunters the best way to take an elk and you'll probably get five different answers! And all five of them are in this book.

For me, this is the perfect "bathroom book." You know, the one you can pick up and glance through when you've got nothing else to do. You don't have to start at the beginning and read through to the end. Open it to any page and see what another hunter has to say.

Especially considering the very reasonable price, I definitely recommend this book.

Marginal.......2003-01-07

Many of the tips in this book may be O.K for a begining hunter, but anyone who has spent very much time in the field, will not find many new ideas. I suppose any new idea may be helpful, but I was disappointed to only find a few.

Tips and Tactics Only Average.......2002-01-14

Elk Hunting Secrets offers more conflicting anecdotes than helpful suggestions. The stories and tips, while often amusing, seemed to conflict with each other more often than not and as such could leave the curious but unexperienced elk hunter scratching his head. My recommendation is: if you are an experienced elk hunter, you will find the stories and tips interesting, funny, and maybe from time to time, helpful. For the price, its not a bad little book. For the inexperienced hunter, look elsewhere before turning to this book. You may end up being more confused than enlightened.

One afterthought - the tips for camp and horse care were for the most part very good. If you are the leader or host of a yearly elk camp, this book may have something for you.

Somewhat less than 330 tips.......2000-07-09

When the title says tips that is exactly what it means, this is a compendium of blurbs about elk hunting that range from one liners to several paragraphs. While this book has some interesting and useful information a lot of it is not detailed enough, and there is a lot of tongue in cheek for a book that is supposed to be serious. A little more editing to remove the filler would have been useful. For the price, its not too bad, but if you expect integrated information on elk hunting spend the extra money for one of the more in-depth books.

Radical Elk Hunting Strategies: Secrets of Calling Elk in Close

Average customer rating:

Radical Elk Hunting Strategies: Secrets of Calling Elk in Close
Mike Lapinkski
Manufacturer: Stoneydale Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Hunting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0912299428

Book Description

In clear and lucid text, expert Mike Lapinski takes up elk hunting where other writers leave off -- the secrets of calling elk in close. Any hunter who's worked elk knows the real test of calling elk in comes in the last 60-70 yards and Mike Lapinski has developed a solid strategy for accomplishing just that.

As both a writer and recognized expert bowhunter, Lapinski has taken a number of bull elk over the past several years using his "radical elk hunting stragegies." His system works in both text and photograph, and this new book shows you how you can make it work too! With chapters on the rut, radical hunting techniques, working the immature bull, the herd bull, and others. Lapinski helps both the rifle and bowhunter who go after elk in the early season.

Average customer rating:

An important second book

enjoyed most of the book

High Pressure Elk Hunting: Secrets of Hunting Educated Elk
Mike Lapinski
Manufacturer: Stoneydale Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mammals | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Hunting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Radical Elk Hunting Strategies: Secrets of Calling Elk in Close

Solving Elk Hunting Problems: Simple Solutions to the Elk Hunting Riddle

The Complete Book of Elk Hunting: Tips and Tactics for All Weather and Habitat Conditions (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)

The Elk Mystique

Elk Tactics

ASIN: 0912299649

Customer Reviews:

An important second book.......2002-05-10

Mikes previous book, "Radical Elk Hunting" should be read first. You may have to find a used copy. This second book added to the "Radical" method. It extended the technology to encompass the ability of the Elk to adapt to changing enviornments and hunting pressures. I found it very useful and informative. The hunter must change his approach to elk hunting as fluidly as the Elk changes his approach to survival in his enviornment.

enjoyed most of the book.......1999-08-06

the first 150 pp were well written and very interesting though simplistic and pertained to what i was looking for. Not very in depth but entertaing.

Product Description

This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book includes sample plans, author information, vocabulary building ideas, cross-curriculum activities, sectional activities and quizzes, unit tests, and ideas for culminating and extending the novel.

Customer Reviews:

best book in my tenage years.......1999-04-29

A Wrinkle In Tine, waas "FORCED READING IN JUNIOR HIGH", BUR I was so enthralled by it, I've never given it up. I am 34 years old, and I, from time to time read books that I grew up with, ie the hobbit, the blue dolphin and the plack pearl.

I love A wrinkle in time. It is my favorite book right now!.......1999-04-04

A Wrinkle in Time had to be one of my favorite books. I read it in one day i just couldnt put the book down!!!

Book Description

Description: Visionaire, the limited-edition fashion and art quarterly consistently pushes the boundaries of what a publication can be. For their 43rd installment, Dreams become reality in an issue "printed" entirely without ink. Exploring cutting-edge technology, photographs and illustrations are transformed into ethereal works of art through a process called laser cutting. Contributors include Craig McDean, Maurizio Cattelan, Adam Fuss, Mario Sorrenti, Simon Periton, and Bruce Weber. These intricate, lace-like masterpieces are protected in a specially designed hard-cover book and slipcase.

Customer Reviews:

Dream Screens.......2004-10-20

Visionaire is always spectacular, and even when it falls flat, it's a great failure. But this issue is among the finest they've produced, a compilation of dream imagery as imagined by first rank artists and photographers, rendered in impossibly delicate laser-cut screens. The technique is flawless, the execution mind-boggling, and the resulting object is a work of art that vastly exceeds the sum of its parts. Many highly-regarded artists have contributed to the issue, and the extraordinary elegance with which these incredibly fragile artworks are presented is simply astonishing. It's amazing, and produced in such a limited edition that you would be foolish not to buy one immediately before they sell out.

Always Intriguing.......2000-07-18

Created in 1991 from his one bedroom apartment, Stephen Gan turned a $10 per issue labor of love into a $150.00 per issue work of art. Amazingly, he still publishes Visionaire with as much intensity, creativity, and originality as the issue before and most importantly - his attention to detail is closer to a parent doting on his child, than a publisher overseeing a magazine. After all - Visionaire is Gan's brainchild. Now far removed from that one bedroom apartment and, at times, charging up to $400.00 per issue, Gan and Visionaire have become a unique fashion-publishing dynasty. Top fashion/art/photo contributors such as Karl Lagerfeld, Mario Testino, Alexander McQueen and Nick Night - among many others - willingly submit their work to Visionaire without compensation. With thirty-two limited edition issues already published since 1991, not every one has been a winner; although Visionaire is original and creative in every respect, it still doesn't make each issue worthwhile or, worth $150 - $400. However, most are fascinating in their thematic approach and satisfying as a work of art. Because of the unavailability of past issues, a current review can only contain the more recent and obtainable issues of Visionaire. "Chic" (#22) is clearly the most impressive of late, due to a theme that encompasses one of the central components in fashion. This is a fashion lover's ultimate scrapbook. Edited by Mario Testino, the issue is brimming with fashion photographs, from current to classic. Combined with these images are swatches of material from famous designer houses. As if this wasn't enough, "Chic" also contains a white napkin with Paloma Picasso's lipstick print, an envelope containing a letter from Catherine Deneuve to Yves Saint Laurent, and a tiny piece of fabric from the Versace dress Madonna wore to the opening of Evita. Toning down a bit for the next issue, "The Emperor's New Clothes" (#23) is lavishly packaged in a wooden box and contains forty 11x14 sepia-toned photographs by Karl Lagerfeld. The entire suite of nude photographs is wrapped in a satin bow. Lagerfeld's images are on par with any of today's great fashion photographs. That he is also one of the best and most well known clothing designers in the realm of current fashion, only confirms Lagerfeld as an endearing renaissance man. "Movement" (#27), as the theme implies, extrapolates on the idea of motion by using clear pages that, when turned, conveys both movement and metamorphosis. "Woman" (#28) contains various artists' interpretations on the theme - however, several of the images need such deep-seated, subjective interpretation, that one wonders why they were ever included. "Woman" is clearly the least inventive of the recent issues. Encased in a Philippe Starck designed white, plastic, pillow-like casing, "The Bible" (#29) integrates chapters from the Old and New Testament with photographs and paintings. The book's size and weight is due in part to the thickness of its cardboard pages, which turn like a children's book but reveal intense, erotic, and oftentimes nightmarish images that parallel each of the Bible passages. With each new issue, Visionaire is designed to amaze and delight. After nine years, it is a credit to Stephen Gan's `vision' that Visionaire continues to gain popularity. Like a haute couture gown, the exclusivity of Visionaire makes it all the more fashionable, rendering it another must-have accessory for the in-crowd.

A good collection of avant-garde Biblical images.......2000-07-16

Comprised of some cool contemporary depictions of Biblical events, clever "Visionaire-esque" packaging and presentation, and a fine lineup of contributors, this book definitely has value as a collector's item. Yet, I'm torn. I really do like this book, but it could have offered so much more.

"Visionaire #28: The Bible," contains 41 images (e.g., photos, paintings, graphics) pertaining to verses of the Bible, submitted by over 40 artistic contributors. Each image takes up the left and right side of the opened page, complemented by the Biblical chapter, verse and text; the title of the work; and credits for the artist, stylist, model, etc. The book looks like a big, white Bible with gold-edged, stiff, cardboard-like pages.

I must say, there is good deal of striking imagery in here, especially "The Annunciation" (Gregory Crewdson), "No Room at the Inn" (Mary Ellen Mark), "Mother and Child" (Jean-Paul Goude), "Salome and John the Baptist" (Andres Serrano), and "The Ascension" (Raymond Meier). Other notables include works by Lagerfeld, Testino and Meisel. There are also several excellent paintings and computer-generated graphics.

Given the magnitude and importance of the Bible, this book could easily contain twice as much art. Also, with over half the pages dedicated to the books of Genesis, Luke and Revelations, I feel a little shortchanged knowing how much Biblical history was left out. I truly believe there was a great deal more artistic "fun to be had" that Visionaire #28 passed up.

Of the two Visionaire books I've studied, I like this one much better, even though packaging and collector's novelty weigh just as heavily (they shouldn't) as artistic merit. I may sound overly critical, but a 5-Star art/photo book has to have "wow factor" on almost every page. This is a good effort, but falls short of a top rating.

[Note that I didn't mention the price]

BITE THE BULLET AND JUST BY IT!.......2000-02-20

You don't know Visionare yet? You can't believe that a "magazine" can cost $150? Get with it already! "Visionare #28: The Bible" has to be one of the best issues of this ongoing art multiple. Incredible works created by a who's who of the avant-garde art world. This issue is worth the hefty price for the custom-designed Philippe Starck "pillow" case alone.

Still not convinced to shell out $150? Have a look at what the past issues sell for on Ebay. This is not a impulse purchase - it's an investment! Buy it before it's too late.

Karl Taps

a fantastic art book.......2000-01-05

when i bought this book,my first impresion was a shock to me, because the Phillipe starck design is a wonderfull piece of art,i didn't seen the book yet.i consider very interesting and i enjoyed so much.the meisel's pictures are stunning and "mother and son" too. if you have enought money to buy it, do it now,because you'll have into your hands a fantastic art book for all your life.

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