Desmond Morris, author of The Naked Ape and Manwatching, is a household name. He is admired and renowned as a natural historian, a keen observer of both animal and human behaviour. This is his long-awaited autobiography. The autobiography begins with a shy young boy who, while everyone else was dancing on the streets, celebrated VE day by observing a colony of rooks. After studying the behavioural habits of the ten-spined stickleback at Oxford, Morris became Curator of Mammals at London Zoo and quickly became a familiar figure in homes all over Britain as presenter of Zootime, delighting millions of tea-time viewers with a daring attempt to pick up a deadly scorpion by its tail or a tumble off the back of an elephant, An-An. As Curator of Mammals at the zoo, life was as bizarre behind the cameras as in front of them, not least when a whale turned up in the Thames at Kew or when a pair of ferocious bears escaped and caused havoc with a lavatory. In 1967, with the publication of the landmark book The Naked Ape, Morris turned his attention to humans. Since then he has continued his work on human and animal species, written many other successful books and has presented a number of television series. Desmond Morris's travels have taken him to some sixty countries, from the cities of North America to the islands off the Mediterranean, Europe, the Pacific and Africa. This book tells the story of many of these adventures, in fascinating and often hilarious detail.

Peoplewatching is the culmination of a career of watching people - their behaviour and habits, their personalities and their quirks. Desmond Morris shows us how people, consciously and unconsciously, signal their attitudes, desires and innermost feelings with their bodies and actions, often more powerfully than with their words.

A Finalist for the National Book Award When Ada leaves home for her freshman year at a Historically Black College, it’s the first time she’s ever been so far from her family—and the first time that she’s been able to make her own choices and to seek her place in this new world. As she stumbles deeper into the world of dance and explores her sexuality, she also begins to wrestle with her past—her mother’s struggle with addiction, her Nigerian father’s attempts to make a home for her. Ultimately, Ada discovers she needs to brush off the destiny others have chosen for her and claim full ownership of her body and her future. “Candice Iloh’s beautifully crafted narrative about family, belonging, sexuality, and telling our deepest truths in order to be whole is at once immensely readable and ultimately healing.”—Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times Bestselling Author of Brown Girl Dreaming “An essential—and emotionally gripping and masterfully written and compulsively readable—addition to the coming-of-age canon.”—Nic Stone, New York Times Bestselling Author of Dear Martin “This is a story about the sometimes toxic and heavy expectations set onthe backs of first-generation children, the pressures woven into the familydynamic, culturally and socially. About childhood secrets with sharp teeth. And ultimately, about a liberation that taunts every young person.” —Jason Reynolds, New York Times Bestselling Author of Long Way Down

"Most people - even those who insist they are not superstitious - have some sort of amulet or charm that they keep 'just for luck'. Whether these are worn, carried, kept in the home or placed on a horse, boat or car, they are still used as Body Guards to ward off bad luck or attract good fortune." "In this book, the world-famous author Desmond Morris traces the traditions and legends behind over 100 of the most important Body Guards. He explains how each charm or amulet has been used, examining the powers attributed to it and its significance today. The author's own extensive collection of amulets, acquired during his travels in more than 70 countries, has been specially photographed for the book."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Internationally bestselling author and world-famous human behaviorist Desmond Morris turns his attention to the female form, taking the reader on a guided tour of the female body from head to toe. Highlighting the evolutionary functions of various physiological traits, Morris's study explores the various forms of enhancement and constraint that human societies have developed in the quest for the perfect female form. This is very much vintage Desmond Morris, delivered in his trademark voice: direct, clear, focused, and communicating what is often complex detail in simple language. In THE NAKED WOMAN, Desmond builds on his unrivalled experience as an observer of the human animal while tackling one of his most fascinating and challenging subjects to date. -- Publisher description.