Peoplewatching

Peoplewatching
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 578
Release: 2012-11-30
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1407071491

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.

Watching

Watching
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: MAX
Total Pages: 696
Release: 2006
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

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.

The Naked Ape

The Naked Ape
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher:
Total Pages: 205
Release: 1981
Genre: Human behavior
ISBN:

Leopard

Leopard
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2014-06-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1780233183

The sleek, spotted leopard may be the smallest of the big cats, but its ferocity and solitary style makes lions and tigers seem puny in comparison. Lacking the social mentality of other animals, the leopard is stealthy and selfish, ambushing its prey and carrying it high into a tree where it can dine alone. Humans call leopards the “perfect predator." In Leopard, renowned zoologist Desmond Morris seeks to show all sides of the cat, delving into the fascinating history of these incredible animals. Morris examines the leopard’s athletic elegance, predatory skill, wary shyness, and cunning intelligence while also exploring the animal’s parental devotion, preference for solitude, and capacity for revenge. In addition to tracing the evolution of leopards, he considers how humans have related to the animal throughout history. Leopards, he shows, have long featured in the art, mythology, and folklore of ancient Greece, Persia, Rome, and even England, where they have not lived for several millennia. But humans and leopards do not always coexist peacefully; as Morris explains, leopards have been known to attack humans when their food is scarce or they are injured. He reveals how humans have exploited the cats, attempting to train them for circus roles, and how today some people are now making strides toward the leopard’s conservation. He also describes their rich symbolism, appearances in literature and film, and the use of the leopard print in both haute couture and down-market fashion. Packed with compelling images of this amazing animal in action, Leopard sheds new light on these gorgeous cats.

The British Surrealists

The British Surrealists
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2022-03-03
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0500777284

Fêted for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art in Britain. Many banded together to form the British Surrealist Group, while others carved their own, independent paths. Here, bestselling author and surrealist artist Desmond Morris - one of the last surviving members of this important art movement - draws on his personal memories and experiences to present the intriguing life stories and complex love lives of this wild and curious set of artists. From the unpredictability of Francis Bacon to the rebelliousness of Leonora Carrington, from the beguiling Eileen Agar to the brilliant Ceri Richards, Morris brings his subjects foibles and frailties to the fore. His vivid account is laced with his inimitable wit, and profusely illustrated by images of the artists and their artworks. Featuring thirty-four surrealists - some famous, some forgotten - Morriss intimate book takes us back in time to a generation that allowed its creative unconscious to drive their passions in both art and life. With 105 illustrations

Catwatching

Catwatching
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 114
Release: 2009-03-26
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1409022218

The personality of the cat is a fascinating mixture of affection, domesticity and active independence. You may think you know your cat as he purrs in your lap, but come across your pet in the street on a dark night and you might think that Bagpuss suffers from a dual personality. Every single feline pet carries an inheritance of amazing sensory capacities, vocal utterances, body language and territorial displays. By answering such questions as 'what does a cat signal with its ears? 'why does a cat rub up against your leg?' and 'why does a cat swing its head from side to side when staring at its prey?', Desmond Morris decodes the private world of the cat. Your cat is full of surprises and our finest zoologist is about to reveal their secrets in this beautifully repackaged edition of a much loved bestseller.

The Human Sexes

The Human Sexes
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Total Pages: 254
Release: 1997
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780312183110

Based on a series shown on cable's The Learning Channel, a famous behaviorist shares his original and often startling take on human nature, gender roles, and the equality between men and women that appears our ancestral cultures.

The Lives of the Surrealists

The Lives of the Surrealists
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022-02-08
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0500296375

A lively history of the Surrealists, both known and unknown, by one of the last surviving members of the movement—artist and bestselling author Desmond Morris. Surrealism did not begin as an art movement but as a philosophical strategy, a way of life, and a rebellion against the establishment that gave rise to the World War I. In The Lives of the Surrealists, surrealist artist and celebrated writer Desmond Morris concentrates on the artists as people—as remarkable individuals. What were their personalities, their predilections, their character strengths and flaws? Unlike the impressionists or the cubists, the surrealists did not obey a fixed visual code, but rather the rules of surrealist philosophy: work from the unconscious, letting your darkest, most irrational thoughts well up and shape your art. An artist himself, and contemporary of the later surrealists, Morris illuminates the considerable variation in each artist’s approach to this technique. While some were out-and-out surrealists in all they did, others lived more orthodox lives and only became surrealists at the easel or in the studio. Focusing on the thirty-two artists most closely associated with the surrealist movement, Morris lends context to their life histories with narratives of their idiosyncrasies and their often complex love lives, alongside photos of the artists and their work.

Dogwatching

Dogwatching
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2016-08-04
Genre: Pets
ISBN: 1473547806

What is it about the canine personality which has singled this animal out from all the 4,236 species of non-human mammals to be man’s closest companion? Strangely enough, all dogs, from scruffy mongrels to haughty show champs, are members of the same species – that of the wolf. In Dogwatching, zoologist Desmond Morris gives answers to fascinating fundamental questions about our canine companions – questions so often overlooked by standard dog books, which concentrate on grooming, feeding and veterinary care. It is a book for dog-lovers everywhere, one which will lead to an even deeper bond of understanding and an insight into such remarkable and delightful creatures. Why do dogs bark? Why does a frightened dog put its tail between its legs? Why do puppies chew slippers? Why does a dog bury a bone? Why does a Pointer point? Why do we cure a hangover with the ‘hair of the dog’? Do dogs have a sixth sense? Why do some dogs chase their own tails?

Body Guards

Body Guards
Author: Desmond Morris
Publisher: Element Books, Limited
Total Pages: 234
Release: 1999
Genre: History
ISBN:

"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