Lonesome George :The Life and Loves of the World's Most Famous Tortoise
Lonesome George :The Life and Loves of the World's Most Famous Tortoise
paperback
Published:
4 May, 2007
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Description
Lonesome George is on the stamps of the Galapagos Islands. He is a 5ft long, 200lb tortoise aged between 60 and 200. In 1971 he was discovered on the remote island of Pinta, from which tortoises had supposedly been exterminated by whalers and seal hunters in search of a square meal. He was carted off to his current home, the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island. He has been there ever since, on the off chance that scientific ingenuity will conjure up a way of reproducing him, and resurrecting his species. Meanwhile a million tourists and dozens of baffled scientists have looked on as George shows not a jot of interest in the female company provided.
Henry Nicholls details the efforts of conservationists to preserve the Galapagos ' unique biodiversity and illustrates how their experiences and discoveries are echoed the world over. He explores the controversies raging over which mates are most appropriate for George and the risks of releasing crossbreed offspring into the wild. His story draws together the islands' geology, evolution, history of human exploitation and imperrilled future. It features strong characters, from Charles Darwin, to cloning pioneer Ian Wilmut, to the beautiful Swiss graduate who spent four months trying to persuade George to have sex. Some 100,000 tourists visit the Galapagos Islands each year; all drop in on George.
Prizes
Short-listed for Royal Society Prize for Science Books: General Prize 2007
More Details
| Type | Book |
|---|---|
| ISBN13 | 9780330450119 |
| ISBN10 | 0330450115 |
| Number Of Pages | 256 |
| Item Weight | 174 g |
| Product Dimensions | 130 x 197 x 15 mm |
| Publisher / Reseller | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Format | paperback |
Media Reviews
Like the best human-focused biographers, Nicholls uses his unusual subject as a springboard into more universal territory. He aptly portrays Lonesome George as a sort of reptilian Forrest Gump, an unwitting bystander continually thrust to the forefront as society's defining crises play themselves out around him. -- Wired This marvellous look at the conservation of nature, as embodied in one enormous reptile, is highly recommended. --Nancy Bent, Booklist Is he gay, impotent or just bored? Read this fascinating book for the full story. It skilfully blends historical derring-do with cutting-edge conservation biology. -- NewScientist Told with real affection and humour...a fitting tribute to one of the voiceless victims of human progress. -- Guardian A warmly enjoyable book...a pleasure to read. --www.popularscience.co.uk Nicholls' lively tale takes the reader on a journey through the Galapagos - and how much there is to lose. --BBC Focus Magazine This is a wonderful tale of an almost mythical beast. Rich in historical detail George's story is one of pathos, despair and hope with some quirky reproductive biology thrown in for good measure. Nicholls has done us all a service, reminding us of the fragility of life in general and of one very special chelonian in particular. -- Tim Birkhead, author of Promiscuity and The Red Canary
Not simply the story of a tortoise but the tale of that icon of evolution, the Galapagos archipelago, and of the heroics and (sometimes) seeming futility of the conservation movement. The science is compelling, the tone is light - highly recommended. --Olivia Judson, Seed Magazine
It is a cracking tale - and crackingly well told. It is also salutary. Giant tortoises are indeed extraordinary - but not as strange as human beings. --Colin Tudge, author of The Secret Life of Trees
If Darwin were alive today he would be fascinated by Henry Nicholls' splendid account of this solitary survivor from Pinta
GoodReads Reviews
Author's Bio
Dr Henry Nicholls writes for many of the world's leading science periodicals, including New Scientist, Nature and Science , and is editor of the history of science journal Endeavour. After completing a PhD in evolutionary biology, Henry edited The Encyclopaedia of Life Sciences and wrote for BioMedNet. He lives in south London with his wife and son.