Primates: The Amazing World of Lemurs, Monkeys, and Apes [Paperback]

Art Wolfe (Author, Photographer), Russell Mittermeier (Foreword), Barbara Sleeper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Internationally renowned nature photographer Art Wolfe has created a rare and moving portrait of Earth's vanishing primates. An incredible visual journey, Primates offers an exciting glimpse of gorillas, monkeys, apes, and other primates at home in the jungle. Wolfe traveled around the globe capturing as many species of primates on film as possible, journeying to the remote jungles of Central and South America, Uganda, and Rwanda, and to research centers and wildlife refuges worldwide. The resulting photographs celebrate the exotic beauty of these intelligent and, all too often, endangered species. From the playful antics of adolescents to the tender gestures between mother and child, Primates reveals an animal culture that has been, until now, almost completely inaccessible. Biologist Barbara Sleeper's accompanying text presents fascinating insights drawn from her many years spent observing primates. A marvelous blend of word and image, Primates offers a studied look at these remarkable creatures and their vanishing habitat.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Natural history writer Sleeper and nature photographer Wolfe teamed up to provide photodocumentation of cat species in Wild Cats of the World (Crown, 1995). In their newest collaboration, they continue their examination of large mammals with large, full-colored glossy photographs of close to 100 primate species. These magnificent plates bring the animals up close, providing rich detail, and exhibit species rarely photographed such as the golden-handed tamarin and the aye-aye. The authors break down the primate species by geographical location but fail to address taxonomic relationships. Succinct text of 75-100 words touches on the basic behavior, food sources, and physical characteristics of each animal, but the glorious photogaphs makes this book a winner. For popular natural history collections.?Raymond Hamel, Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Ctr. Lib., Madison
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Esteemed photographer Art Wolfe has been called "a master of composing nature into art" by Raymond Sokolov of the Wall Street Journal.

Primates not only illustrates more than one hundred species in two hundred superb photos, but reveals some of the most recently discovered and extremely rare. It is both fascinating and moving to gaze at so many strange, often strangely beautiful, faces and figures. . . William Conway, president, Wildlife Conservation Society

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811814343
• ISBN-13: 978-0811814348
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 10 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #23 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Primatology

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is by far the best primate book I have seen yet!, January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Primates: The Amazing World of Lemurs, Monkeys, and Apes (Paperback)

Filled with excellent photographs by Art Wolfe, this book shows more than 100 species of monkeys, apes, and lemurs. Seperated by geographical location and family, each specie represented has a short and comprehensible synopsis accompanying one or more beautiful photos. A great introductory book to the world of primates, I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the field. Thomas R. Null, A Walk on the Wild Side: International Nature and Wildlife

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous photos and good, solid info on primates, May 30, 2000

By 

Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Primates: The Amazing World of Lemurs, Monkeys, and Apes (Paperback)

Primarily a photography book, PRIMATES offers an intimate and often humorous (but not condescendingly so) look into wild primate life. Even the brief text, by Barbara Sleeper, is first-rate, revealing details about each species not often encountered by lay people. This is not meant to be a comprehensive text, however, but a celebration of some of our closest relatives. The photography is at times stunning, capturing intelligence, emotion, innovation, and above all personality. If you love primates, or are even vaguely attracted to their study, this is a must-have book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to the wonderful world of primates!, January 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Primates: The Amazing World of Lemurs, Monkeys, and Apes (Paperback)

This book is suitable for all ages. I just loved Art Wolfe's photographs. With so much emphasis on "trendy" primate species like gorillas and chimpanzees, this book introduces readers to the dozens of primate species of which you may never have heard. Like the gibbons, the lesser and often forgotten apes - whose domestic lives are lived by the standards humans so often fail to meet (sexual equality, no color bars, paternal role in infant rearing, monogamy)! Plus tiny marmosets you can old in the palm of your hand. All these animals are there. I loved this book. It is not a comprehensive guide or identification manual like Noel Rowe's book which I also like. It is a pleasant and readable book! Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League