Man Meets Dog (Kodansha Globe) [Paperback]

Konrad Z. Lorenz (Author), Annie Eisenmenger (Illustrator), Donald McCaig (Designer)

Book Description

Series: Kodansha Globe | Publication Date: October 1994

Lorenz, a Nobel Laureate in animal behavior, here concentrates his vast learning on the animals most closely bound to humankind--dogs and cats. With wisdom and humor he discusses dogs and children, dogs' relationship to human language, canine and feline relationships, and much more. Over 100 line drawings.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Originally published in 1954, Nobel laureate Lorenz's classic look at complex human-canine relationships includes a new introduction by Donald McCaig.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'A book that is provocative and informative, and profoundly civilizing.' – The New York Times --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 211 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha America; First edition thus. edition (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568360517
• ISBN-13: 978-1568360515
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,789,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book is worth every penny and then some., December 9, 2003

By 

Frank Bierbrauer (Cardiff, Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Man Meets Dog (Hardcover)

As usual with Konrad Lorenz the book deserves 5 stars. He has the most charming writing style and writes of his many dogs, and cats, in tones of wonder, friendship, joy, surprise and love. Here is a man who found his life task, he simply couldn't do anything else, it is his love, his joy his purpose in life. Its rare that this happens so easily in someone's life and in that sense he is a most fortunate man as well as the fact that he recognised this path early on in his life, even as a young boy.

Lorenz not only enjoys writing but does so from both a practical and deeply knowledgeable orientation. In this book he describes the many remarkable experiences he had with his dogs and also gives plenty of practical adice: such as when to buy a dog, what sort of dog to buy, dogs and children, canine personalities etc etc. As with his other book "King Solomons Ring" the book is full of his wonderful little drawings which are most expressive of each character trait of his dogs and cats.

The book is simply invaluable as a guide to sharing your life with your very own devoted friend, whether it be a jackal or lupus dog. there is much that was unknown to me such as the previous distinction between dog types or the fact that a dog's eyesight is poor and that dogs are capable of lying, astonishing.

The book is worth every penny and then some.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars outdated, though still worth a read, May 17, 2004

By 

David Group (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man Meets Dog (Hardcover)

Lorenz is a keen observer of dog behavior and a wonderful teller of tales. On that level, the book is very enjoyable and highly recommended. Where is comes up short, though, is in the science.

While his many tales are very insightful, they are not necessarily indications of general behavior. And though the book is a wealth of information, some information is clarified or discredited by more recent research (see Desmond Morris' DOGWATCHING and Stephen Budiansky's THE TRUTH ABOUT DOGS). His jackal/wolf theory about dog evolution, in particular, is invalid. He gives some valuable information about dog ownership, though this book is not a complete guide to owning a dog.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book ever for training a dog as a family pet, December 3, 1997

By 

Al Fisher "Brief Al" (U.S. and Slovenia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Man Meets Dog (Paperback)

A slim and witty volume with many anecdotes from Lorenz's work as an animal behaviorist. But the jewel in the book is a single chapter where he lays out how to train a dog so that the dog understands what you want of him. Train your dog in two weeks, 30 minutes a day.