Zoo Quest

"A GREAT BOOK." --THE NEW YORK TIMES "MARVELOUS." --THE TELEGRAPH "A RARE GLIMPSE OF A FLEDGLING DAVID ATTENBOROUGH IN THE WILD." --VANITY FAIR Living legend and presenter of BBC's Planet Earth series Sir David Attenborough tells the story of his early career as a broadcaster and a naturalist in his own words. In 1954, David Attenborough, a young television presenter, was offered the opportunity of a lifetime--to travel the world finding rare and elusive animals for the London Zoo's collection, and to film the expedition for the BBC for a new show called Zoo Quest. This is the story of those voyages. Staying with local tribes while trekking in search of giant anteaters in Guyana, Komodo dragons in Indonesia, and armadillos in Paraguay, he and the rest of the team contended with cannibal fish, aggressive tree porcupines, and escape-artist wild pigs, as well as treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather, to record the incredible beauty and biodiversity of these regions. Written with his trademark wit and charm, Adventures of a Young Naturalist is not just the story of a remarkable adventure, but of the man who made us fall in love with the natural world and taught us the importance of protecting it--and who is still doing so today.

This is the full account of David Attenborough's recent Zoo Quest expedition to the islands of Indonesia. "Our plan," he writes, "was to travel widely throughout these islands, filming not only animals but also people and their everyday life. Our ultimate objective was to reach a small islet named Komodo, for we were going there to seek one of the most remarkable creatures alive today, the largest lizard in the world, the Komodo dragon." Zoo Quest for a Dragon describes an exciting 3,000-mile journey in Indonesia- to the enchanting island of Bali, where the author and his companion, Charles Lagus, were fascinated by the dancing, music and temples; to Java, where they climbed the sleep slopes of an active volcano and gazed down into the heaving cauldron; and to the interior of Borneo, where they stayed in the longhouses of the Dyak peoples, and observed and captured many animals including Benjamin, the baby bear, and Charlie, a mischievous orang-utan. Finally, in a hazardous voyage by prau under the captaincy of a gun-smuggler, they reached Komodo, and discovered and filmed a fabulous dragon. David Attenborough writes vividly about his travels, the people he met, and the animals he saw and captured. But above all it is an entertaining story, for as in his first book, Zoo Quest to Guiana, the author reveals his irrepressible sense of the ridiculous, his rich vein of humour, and his gift as a brilliant raconteur

This edition brings together slightly abridged, David Attenborough's accounts of three journeys. "Zoo quest to Guiana", "Zoo quest for a dragon" and "Zoo quest in Paraquay."

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - The gripping adventures of a young David Attenborough, published in a beautiful gift hardback, with a new introduction and a new selection of 90 pictures, including colour 'A marvellous book ... unputdownable ... utterly engaging' Telegraph 'An elegant and gently funny writer' The Times 'His writing is as impressive and as enjoyable as his TV programmes and there can be no higher praise' Daily Express In 1954, a young David Attenborough was offered the opportunity of a lifetime - to travel the world finding rare and elusive animals for London Zoo's collection, and to film the expeditions for the BBC for a new show called Zoo Quest. This book records those voyages, which mark the very beginning of a career that spans decades and stretches across continents, from Life on Earth to Blue Planet II, from the deepest oceans, the darkest jungles and everywhere in between'. Staying with local tribes while trekking in search of giant anteaters in Guyana, Komodo dragons in Indonesia and armadillos in Paraguay, he and the rest of the team battled with cannibal fish, aggressive tree porcupines and escape-artist wild pigs, as well as treacherous terrain and unpredictable weather, to record the incredible beauty and biodiversity of these regions. The methods may be outdated now, but the fascination and respect for the wildlife, the people and the environment - and the importance of protecting these wild places - is not. Written with Attenborough's trademark wit and charm, Adventures of a Young Naturalist is not just the story of a remarkable adventure, but of the man who made us fall in love with the natural world, and who is still doing so today. Praise for Sir David Attenborough 'A great educator as well as a great naturalist' - Barack Obama 'Sir David is a wizard of television, and, like Gandalf or Dumbledore, he has a near-magical gift for combining warmth and gravitas . . . the man who, for me, exemplifies the best in British broadcasting' - Louis Theroux 'When I was a young boy I used to love turning on the television and watching David's programmes and really feeling like I was either back out in Africa or I was learning about something magical and almost out of this planet' - Prince William

With this book Troelstra gives us a superb overview of natural history travel narratives. The well over four thousand detailed entries, ranging over four centuries and all major western European languages, are drawn from a wide range of sources and include both printed books and periodical contributions.