Author:Peter Wohlleben
Can horses feel shame? Do deer grieve? Why do roosters deceive hens?
We tend to assume that we are the only living things able to experience feelings but have you ever wondered what’s going on in an animal’s head? From the leafy forest floor to the inside of a bee hive, The Inner Life of Animals opens up the animal kingdom like never before. We hear the stories of a grateful humpback whale, of a hedgehog who has nightmares, and of a magpie who commits adultery; we meet bees that plan for the future, pigs who learn their own names and crows that go tobogganing for fun. And at last we find out why wasps exist.
Always fascinating… Wry, avuncular, careful and kind, Wohlleben guides us from one creature to the next
—— Richard Kerridge , GuardianWohlleben presents short chapter in bite-sized portions, so the reader has a constant sense of learning something new almost with every page ... The formula is provably winning. I still felt I was on a robust learning curve as subjects as diverse as motherly love, gratitude, deception, desire, shame and knowledge of good and evil were explored one by one ... fascinating
—— Katharine Norbury , ObserverWohlleben is connecting with something big here… He truffles up some wonderful animal facts, too… Wohlleben’s empathy with animals can be touching and illuminating
—— James McConnachie , Sunday TimesEntertaining and enthusiastic
—— Tim Smith-Laing , Daily TelegraphThe Inner Life of Animals will rock your world. Surprising, humbling, and filled with delight, this book shows us that animals think, feel, and know in much the same way as we do -- and that their lives are, to them, as precious as ours are to us.
—— Sy Montgomery, author of THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS[Wohlleben] neatly combines anecdotes and scientific evidence in his search for the answers to some basic questions, such as do animals feel things the way we do?... Wohlleben has no doubt that all animals have a rich inner life. By the end of this delightful, surprising book, most readers will be persuaded that he is right.
—— Nick Rennison , Daily MailThe tone is friendly and informal and the prose largely free of scientific jargon… Entertaining and thought-provoking
—— Mark Cocker , SpectatorWouldn’t it be fascinating to know what animals think? Here, Peter Wohlleben explores a range of bestial emotions we didn’t know existed… unveiling remarkable insights into their hidden lives in the process
—— Country LivingA fascinating read
—— Sam Swannack, on COUNTRYFILEPeter Wohlleben’s convincing, highly readable stories about free-living and domestic animals show there’s much overlap between how humans and other animals experience bonding, loss, and the great, shared themes of life.
—— Carl Safina, author of BEYOND WORDS: WHAT ANIMALS THINK AND FEELAnimal lovers everywhere will be enthralled. Find out what squirrels, deer, and other animals really do out in the woods.
—— Temple Grandin, author of ANIMALS IN TRANSLATIONWith the same charm and clarity that drew so many readers to The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben has produced another gem. I found delight on every page, thanks to the author’s rare skill at blending scientific discoveries with his own wealth of insightful personal experiences.
—— Jonathan Balcombe, author of WHAT A FISH KNOWSA tour de force. Wohlleben’s love of animals is apparent on every page of this absorbing book, and he has a special gift for allowing the rest of us to feel his enthusiasm and share in his knowledge and personal observations in a very simple way … Reading this book is pure delight.
—— Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of WHEN ELEPHANTS WEEPAn important reminder that while we surely are different from other animals, the similarities in our cognitive, emotional, and moral lives are not only surprising and daunting, but very real.
—— Marc Bekoff, author of THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF ANIMALSCaptivating… Intriguing… Wondrous
—— Saga MagazineA book which is so fascinating and moving that it has genuinely made me more fond of trees.
—— BooksellerEditor's Choice: An enthralling book about forensic science and the many faces of death.
—— Caroline Sanderson , The BooksellerProfessor Black’s elegant exploration of death crafts a bridge that allows us, the living, to journey into her mesmerizing world. Her intimate examination of each layer and facet of death, is both intelligent and tender. Through her unflinching eye, we come to understand that life and death are indeed two parts of a continuous whole and that there is much insight to be gained if we approach each of these with curiosity rather than fear.
—— Dr Rana Awdish, author of In ShockIf you ever wondered about the life of a forensic anthropologist, Sue Black reveals the truth behind the TV screens.
—— Val McDermid, award-winning author of THE MERMAIDS SINGINGA beautifully written memoir full of reflections on the deaths of strangers and family members.
—— Oliver Thring , Sunday TimesShe often finds herself dealing with the most macabre cases of murder. But the no-nonsense Scot is an upbeat character with a dry sense of humour, clearly identifiable in her memoir.
—— Hannah Stephenson , Daily RecordIdeal reading if you're a cheerful soul who likes to think about death. And think how it'll brighten your conversation on holiday.
—— The TimesBooks of the Year
—— The TimesBest of the Year: Memoir
This book captures the profundity of human life while displaying a sense of humour, and peels back the skin to reveal a world few of us ever discover
Dame Sue Black, the woman who inspired the hit television show Silent Witness and has done for forensic science what Strictly has done for ballroom dancing, is an unlikely but deeply worthy national treasure.... Black's memoir, like her story, is curiously vibrant and life-affirming.
—— Alex Massie , Scottish FieldYou can't help but warm to this retired professor of anatomy and forensic anthropology who chose "the many faces of death" as her medical speciality, yet is herself so vividly alive. Like [David] Nott, Black travelled the world at times, sifting maggots, bullets and human body parts in war zones. Despite it all, she remains convinced that our humanity transcends the very worst of which our species is capable.
—— Rachel Clarke author of forthcoming Dear LifeAll That Remains provides a fascinating look at death - its causes, our attitudes toward it, the forensic scientist's way of analyzing it. A unique and thoroughly engaging book.
—— Kathy Reichs, author of TWO NIGHTS and the Temperance Brennan seriesThis fascinating memoir, dealing with everything from bodies given to medical science to the trauma caused by sudden, violent ends, offers reassurance, and even hope, to the fearful and cynical.
—— Alexander Larman , The ObserverA gripping natural-history detective story. Was Rist a cunning con-artist who more or less got away with the perfect, albeit clumsy crime? Or was he hopelessly addicted to feathers, to his hobby, and to his status as a young fly-tying protégé without the economic means to realise his dreams and potential?
—— Caught by the RiverThis well written account of the known facts is well worth a read
—— birdwatch MagazineIt was hard to put the book down… Read it yourselves, enjoy it and learn from it!
—— British Birds