Solomon, the legend goes, had a magic ring which enabled him to speak to the animals in their own language. Konrad Lorenz was gifted with a similar power of understanding the animal world. He was that rare beast, a brilliant scientist who could write (and indeed draw) beautifully. He did more than any other person to establish and popularize the study of how animals behave, receiving a Nobel Prize for his work. King Solomon's Ring, the book which brought him worldwide recognition, is a delightful treasury of observations and insights into the lives of all sorts of creatures, from jackdaws and water-shrews to dogs, cats and even wolves. Charmingly illustrated by Lorenz himself, this book is a wonderfully written introduction to the world of our furred and feathered friends, a world which often provides an uncanny resemblance to our own. A must for any animal-lover!
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'It is one of the best and most penetrating non-technical books about animals and animal nature that has ever been written ... every sensitive reader will agree that the book is a work of humanity, wisdom and balance as well as of delightful humour.' – W H Thorpe
About the Author
Konrad Lorenz (1903-89). Pioneering and world-renowned scientist of animal behaviour. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Psychology in 1973.
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Why should I tell first of the darker side of life with animals? Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Why should I tell first of the darker side of life with animals? Read the first page
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
If King Solomon's Ring enabled him to speak to the animals, this book enabled us to understand them a little better, and although many discoveries have been made in the last decades in Ethology and in Animal Behavior, Konrad Lorenz work remains actual and that's why King Solomon's Ring, like any Konrad Lorenz book is an essential classic to any animal-lover, behaviorist, or psychologist.
I truly recommend this book to anyone interested in the animal mind, even to those with no scientific interest in the subject, this book makes an excellent reading, and allows to reflect about the beauty and complexity of the animal world, that was, and in a certain way it still is, our world ( although we seem to have forgotten).
I truly recommend this book to anyone interested in the animal mind, even to those with no scientific interest in the subject, this book makes an excellent reading, and allows to reflect about the beauty and complexity of the animal world, that was, and in a certain way it still is, our world ( although we seem to have forgotten).
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A rare 5 stars for this one, simply delightful, a joy to read. Lorenz is so full of love for his craft, yes I say craft because that is the way he treats his study of animal behaviour. Not an average scientist but rather somehow he has that rare ability to both love his work and be able to write about it to a lay audience with wonderful wit, charm, wisdom and grace. He's a little like Adolf Portmann except with more humour but the same love.
I mentioned that he writes this book for lay readers, not scientists, and unlike the contemporary crowd, who often write in a more condescending way he manages to get across the animals and their complex behaviour without ever at any stage making the reader think himself inadequate to the task. He writes as a human being experiencing the wonders of the natural world and does not artificially reduce it to ashes and leache the life out of it as others do. Here he actually makes people want to become naturalists or biologists. There is no finer writer in the sciences.
In the book, a little tome of 190 pages, he discusses a whole range of animals he studies notably, often from his own home where he keeps an entire managerie of ducks, geese, jackdaws, parrots, dogs, hamsters, water shrews etc etc. The whole house is alive with the raucous cries and crazy comings and goings of his companions. He gives much to the reader such as how to manage an aquarium properly, how to look after animals correctly so their lives are well lived and the book is chocka-block full of animal tales. The kind of tales myths and legends are grown from. I mean that the tales are often so remarkable, e.g. the intelligence shown by his pet raven or the story of two men carrying a canoe followed by several goslings, a large red dog and some ducklings. It is droll and humourfull and full of joy. And, in it, all the way through are his wondrous drawings portraying everything he tells of in the book.
A must have book for everyone, anyone.
I mentioned that he writes this book for lay readers, not scientists, and unlike the contemporary crowd, who often write in a more condescending way he manages to get across the animals and their complex behaviour without ever at any stage making the reader think himself inadequate to the task. He writes as a human being experiencing the wonders of the natural world and does not artificially reduce it to ashes and leache the life out of it as others do. Here he actually makes people want to become naturalists or biologists. There is no finer writer in the sciences.
In the book, a little tome of 190 pages, he discusses a whole range of animals he studies notably, often from his own home where he keeps an entire managerie of ducks, geese, jackdaws, parrots, dogs, hamsters, water shrews etc etc. The whole house is alive with the raucous cries and crazy comings and goings of his companions. He gives much to the reader such as how to manage an aquarium properly, how to look after animals correctly so their lives are well lived and the book is chocka-block full of animal tales. The kind of tales myths and legends are grown from. I mean that the tales are often so remarkable, e.g. the intelligence shown by his pet raven or the story of two men carrying a canoe followed by several goslings, a large red dog and some ducklings. It is droll and humourfull and full of joy. And, in it, all the way through are his wondrous drawings portraying everything he tells of in the book.
A must have book for everyone, anyone.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first read this as a teenager, it made a tremendous impression I was delighted to obtain another copy, and enjoyed it just as much as at first reading, but now appreciate just how advanced his thinking was. Unqualified recommendation for anyone who is in the slightest bit interested in animals.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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Bought as a present, lined up to expectations. Recipient very pleased indeed with this book, I'd read it years ago and enjoyed it very much.
Published 1 month ago by P D Newton
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Excellent book!
My dad once had a copy of this book when I was a kid and I started to read it then. He loaned the book to someone and it was never returned. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Walker
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perfect and quick
This was my first transition on amazon...The item came in very quickly, and in perfect state as predicted: excellent deal!
Published 19 months ago by moni
3.0 out of 5 stars
Showing its age
This book has for decades enjoyed such a reputation that my expectations were set high when I started reading. It did not quite live up to them. Read more
Published on 12 Jun 2007 by Dr. Egbert Van Herk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thought-provokingly entertaining
Lorenz was an exceptional academic in many regards. This is perhaps one of the reasons why he was often criticised by his peers for his writing style and approach to academic... Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2007 by G. Molnar
4.0 out of 5 stars
Speaking with animals
If King Solomon's Ring enabled him to speak to the animals, this book enabled us to understand them a little better, and although many discoveries have been made in the last... Read more
Published on 1 July 2002
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