Through a window: my thirty years with the chimpanzees of Gombe

Abstract

Every college library and most public libraries should probably have a copy of this important and controversial book because it is likely that for many years it will remain the authoritative source for the nonspecialist in at least three areas: the behavior of wild chimpanzees, the autobiography of Jane Goodall's mature years, and a powerful statement for the animal rights movement regarding captive apes. The book also serves as a companion volume to Goodall's more technical Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior (CH, Dec'86) and will assist undergraduates in visualizing the behavior patterns and accumulated data sets in that reference volume. Topics covered include infant and maternal behavior, social and sexual behavior of both males and females, and detailed accounts of dominance relations between the animals. Cognitive behavior and evolutionary strategies are briefly discussed, but memorable biographies of specific chimpanzees make up the bulk of the book. The autobiographical chapters on Goodall as a mature scientist are an important addition to studies of women ethologists, most of which concentrate on women in their younger years. Libraries should resist the attempts to label this book as "anti-science" because of its strong animal rights attitude, as these attitudes are taken very seriously by the public. Black-and-white and color photographs; useful index and appendixes on the care and conservation of apes. All levels of readers.