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Summary: Humorous and educational. An animal lovers heaven.
Review: "It has been theorized that cats which present dead mice to their owners, and which play with live mice in front of their owners, are not seeking approval. Rather, they are attempting to teach their oversized, deformed, clumsy, learning-impaired two-legged kittens how to make a living. They are responsible for your welfare, after all." This is just one of the many theories found in Konrad Lorenz's "King Solomon's Ring." In his book, Lorenz shows how some kinds of behavior are governed by the same process of natural selection as governs physical development. Animal behavior is absolutely fascinating. If you've never read Konrad Lorenz's "King Solomon's Ring", buy a paper copy. It may very well change your view of animals for the rest of your life. More and more you will appreciate the complex things that go on as you watch animals. This book is easy-reading and is filled with humor. I recommend it to all ages of animal lovers.
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Summary: A beautiful book for all who love nature
Review: Confession - I'd never heard of Konrad Lorenz (even though he won the Nobel Prize in 1973), and I don't usually read books by Naturalists. I was driving between business meetings during the day, when I happened to tune in to BBC Radio 4 (same as National Public Radio in the USA), and by accident caught a book reading of Chapter 10 regarding Dogs. Then on another day I caught Chapter 11 on Birds. Captivated, I actually pulled over so that I could hear the whole chapter & find out what the book was and who the Author was. Then I ordered the book as a treat to myself for Christmas. Fantastic! With some abridging 'on the fly', this book could even be read to/by a younger audience say down to 8 years old, who would enjoy, laugh & cry at some of the stories contained herein. I wish my science teacher had read this to me when I was 8, rather than do some silly experiments with boring pond life (Chapter 2 would have taught me more about Pond Life)!
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Summary: Lorenz is definitely the "Father of Ethology"
Review: I first read this marvelous little book while taking a Comparative Ethology class in graduate school. It is truly a classic book of animal behavior. His approach, in this book anyway, was more of a comical narrative of his experiences in the field of ethology; however, the stories will remain timeless.
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Summary: how I got hooked
Review: I read this book while in high school and it prompted me to explore zoology. I recieved a BS in Zoology in 1969 and haven't looked back since. I suggest any parent to give this book to their child/children....it is mesmerizing. I now have geese to share with my grandchild and she dearly loves them.
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Summary: GREAT book!!!!!!
Review: In readable, friendly style, Konrad Lorenz uses illustrations from his everyday life among animals of all kinds to illustrate a variety of fascinating points. The balance between anecdotes and theory is well handled and the book stands out both as education and as entertainment. I find the sections dealing with keeping animals in captivity especially worthwhile - Lorenz explains clearly and concisely why most people feel sorry for captive animals for all the wrong reasons, this section should be required reading for most people who think that they are promoting 'animal rights'. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Interesting but Dated
Review: Perhaps because this book was so influential, a lot of what he says are now common sense. It's a good read and very amusing. Makes you want to bring in a bunch of animals to live with you so you can observe their behavior.
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Summary: if you are convinced of the evolution of the species
Review: The last two pages of the book explain why the human species does not have time to evolve a method of conflict resolution. The wolf survives mortal combat by "turning the other cheek", a behavior developed over many, many years. Humans enter combat with weapons that are not a part of their anatomy so the evolution of one on one response is not available. A learned method of conflict resolution is necessary.
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Summary: Highly rated...for a different reason entirely
Review: This book is an established classic. It's beloved by animal lovers the world over. Many of the observations therein are fascinating. And some of them are just plain hooey. Love it or hate it, you have to at least appreciate an author to dedicates himself so enthusiastically to anthropomorphizing animals to within a micrometer of their species' limits. The degree to which Lorenz interprets the intentions of his animals is positively breathtaking. It's an enormously fun read, but for your own sanity, take his conclusions with a small dose of caution.
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Summary: A peep into the animal/insect/fish/bird's brain
Review: This book is true to Lorenz' style - humorous, intelligent, large hearted and adventurous. Besides being entertained, I came away with humility borne of the knowledge that human beings aren't truly supreme. Even the littlest fish exhibits interesting thought processes and overriding maternal extincts. One just has to look hard enough!
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Summary: Fascinating book that everyone should read
Review: This is a gem of a book. Written by the father of ethology, the study of animal behavior in nature, it provides a surprising amount of fascinating information in such a small book. He covers a variety of animals, both domestic and wild, and a number of issues, such as breeding behavior and aggression. I read this book twice, the first time I whipped through it. Only after I read it more deeply the second time did I realize just how much is covered. It's a short book, with nice drawings and cute stories. So everyone should read this book. Even if you don't think animal behavior interests you, you might be surprised and this is the book that will get you hooked on the subject.
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