Between Man and Beast

Posted on 13 October 2017 by Monte Reel

The unbelievably riveting adventure of an unlikely young explorer who emerged from the jungles of Africa with evidence of a mysterious, still mythical beast the gorilla only to stumble straight into the center of the biggest debate of the day Darwin s theory of evolution.In 1856 Paul Du Chaillu marched into the equatorial wilderness of West Africa determined to bag an animal that, according to legend, was nothing short of a monster When he emerged three years later, the summation of his efforts only hinted at what he d experienced in one of the most dangerous regions on earth Armed with an astonishing collection of zoological specimens, Du Chaillu leapt from the physical challenges of the jungle straight into the center of the biggest issues of the time the evolution debate, racial discourse, the growth of Christian fundamentalism and helped push each to unprecedented intensities He experienced instant celebrity, but with that fame came whispers about his past, his credibility, and his very identity which would haunt the young man Grand in scope, immediate in detail, and propulsively readable, Between Man and Beast brilliantly combines Du Chaillu s personal journey with the epic tale of a world hovering on the sharp edge of transformation. Best Read [ Between Man and Beast ] Author [ Monte Reel ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr I received this book as a bound review copy This book written in clear, captivating prose was an absolute page turner I d never heard of Paul Du Chaillu but Monte Reel s account not only succeeded at highlighting the era s concern with racial and scientific issues among which figured Darwinism but also brought to life the story of the 19th century explorer With crucial issues surrounding racial equality, the ancestry of man, and the treatment of animals, the account is as interesting as it is I received this book as a bound review copy This book written in clear, captivating prose was an absolute page turner I d never heard of Paul Du Chaillu but Monte Reel s account not only succeeded at highlighting the era s concern with racial and scientific issues among which figured Darwinism but also brought to life the story of the 19th century explorer With crucial issues surrounding racial equality, the ancestry of man, and the treatment of animals, t...there was Jane Goodall, or even Tarzan and King Kong, the gorilla was a creature of mystery The beast s nomadic habits put it into only occasional contact with African villagers and next to no contact with Western missionaries and traders So when Paul du Chaillu, the son of a French merchant, first laid eyes on a gorilla in 1856 on an expedition into the African wilderness, he was instantly mesmerized No one else, aside from a handful of native there was Jane Goodall, or even Tarzan and King Kong, the gorilla was a creature of mystery The beast s nomadic habits put it into only occasional contact with African villagers and next to no contact with Western missionaries and traders So when Paul du Chaillu, the son of a French merchant, first laid eyes on a gorilla in 1856 on an expedition into the African wilderness, he was instantly mesmerized No one else, aside from a handful of native tribesmen, had ever seen this much In Between Man and Beast, Monte Reel charts du Chaillu s singular role in introducing the gorilla to modern science, and recounts the hype, debate, and competition that surrounded its d...Ok, so maybe marching into the equatorial African forrest and gunning down as many gorillas as you can find does not constitute the height of scientific observation and achievement, but that is just how most explorer naturalists rolled back in the 1850s That being said, Monte Reel has framed a fabulous story of the bourgeoning scientific world s learning of a then mythic creature It would be as if someone today went off in search of Bigfoot or the Yeti and found many of them All of this takes Ok, so maybe marching into the equatorial African forrest and gun...This is a work of non fiction that covers man quest into the unknown, his exploring and discovering of a great beast A white man had not traveled as far as our explorer in here across dangerous territory tribal controlled regions in remote areas of Gabon The public, the critics at first did not believe in his discoveries but time would tell and all would eventually talk of his expeditions and cash in on the discoveries The black and white movie King Kong has many of the explorers footsteps us This is a work of non fiction that covers man quest into the unknown, his exploring and discovering of a great beast A white man had not traveled as far as our explorer in here across dangerous territory tribal controlled regions in remote areas of Gabon The public, the critics at first did not believe in his discoveries but time would tell and all would eventually talk of his expeditions and cash in on the discoveries The black and white movie King Kong has many of the explorers footsteps used in done ways I did f...Great title, not so great book Rating 3 out of 5 This is a fairly boring book about an explorer named Paul Du Chaillu who became the first white person to see the mythical gorilla in the mid 19th century This came at about the same time that Darwin released his The Origin of Species and the evolutionary debate ran rampant The gorilla was incorrectly concluded to be man s closest relative, based on comparing skeletons Paul wrote a book which was received favorably, but then he questio Great title, not so great book Rating 3 out of 5 This is a fairly boring book about an explorer named Paul Du Chaillu who became the first white person to see the mythical gorilla in the mid 19th century This came at about the same time that Darwin released his The Origin of Species and the evolutionary debate ran rampant The gorilla was incorrectly concluded to be man s closest relative, based on comparing skeletons Paul wrote a book which was received favorably, but t...Indiana Jones, Allan Quartermain, Professor Challenger, Rick O Connell These are the names of men I grew up with The names of men I admired They came from film and literature They were not real, but they represented that intuitive spirit of adventure deep within every human being the testosterone producing, adrenaline pumping urge we have to shed the shackles of our domesticated 9 to 5 lives...Between Man and Beast illustrates how the seemingly disparate areas of biology, geography, religion and race all converged during the mid 19th century when explorer Paul du Chaillu travelled deep into the jungles of Africa to uncover evidence of a creature hitherto unseen by most of Victorian society The Gorilla.Du Chaillu didn t have the formal training of his prestigious peers, but he eventually received the academic support necessary to lead an expedition to Gabon While there, he crossed p Between Man and Beast illustrates how the seemingly disparate areas of biology, geography, religion and race all converged during the mid 19th century when explorer Paul du Chaillu travelled deep into the jungles of Africa to uncover evidence of a creature hitherto unseen by most of Victorian society The Gorilla.Du Chaillu didn t have the formal training of his prestigious peers, but he eventually received the academic support necessary to lead an expedition to Gabon While there, he crossed paths with gorillas, animals whose questionable existence had tantalized the imaginations of sc...This is what good nonfiction is all about A well told story that brings the subject to life in an interesting and compelling way It is the saga of nearly forgotten explorer Paul Du Chaillu who thrust the gorilla into the limelight the greater public arena for the first time with abundant specimens and detailed observations on their behavior.Du Chaillu emerged from obscurity to become the toast of the scientif...In a time when the world seems to have shrunk and all corners are easily reached, when the bright light of science and technology seem to eliminate any dark shadows from our world, it is hard to imagine the mystery, anticipation, and indeed fear that surrounded the exploration of Darkest Africa In the mid eighteen hundreds most of the African continent was an unknown mystery to the people of Europe It would be an age that...I was fortunate to get an advance copy from the publisher and found it to be a wonderful read I was intrigued to read this book from the start, especially as the cover made me think the about both the infancy of Darwinism exploration of the time as well as a statement that perhaps man is not as in control of nature life as he thinks Paul Du Chaillu, an unfortu...

English
13 October 2017

Monte Reel