Master Pongo


Book Description

In the summer of 1876, Berlin anxiously awaited the arrival of what was billed as “the most gigantic ape known to zoology.” Described by European explorers only a few decades earlier, gorillas had rarely been seen outside of Africa, and emerging theories of evolution only increased the public’s desire to see this “monster with human features.” However, when he arrived, the so-called monster turned out to be a juvenile male less than thirty-two inches tall. Known as M’Pungu (Master Pongo), or simply Pongo, the gorilla was put on display in the Unter den Linden Aquarium in the center of Berlin. Expecting the horrid creature described by the news outlets of the time, the crowds who flocked to see Pongo were at first surprised and then charmed by the little ape. He quickly became one of the largest attractions in the city, and his handlers exploited him for financial gain and allowed doctors and scientists to study him closely. Throughout his time in Europe, Pongo was treated like a person in many respects. He drank beer, ate meat, slept at the home of the head of the aquarium, and “visited” London and Hamburg. But this new lifestyle and foreign environment weren’t healthy for the little gorilla. Pongo fell ill frequently and died of “consumption” in November 1877, less than a year and a half after being brought to Europe. An irresistible read, illustrated with contemporaneous drawings, this critical retelling of the expedition that brought Pongo to Berlin and of his short life in Europe sheds important light on human-animal interactions and science at a time in Western society when the theory of evolution was first gaining ground.







The Three Mulla-mulgars


Book Description

This is the first and possibly the most famous of de la Mare's children's books. It started as a series of stories he told his own children. An animal fable of three royal monkeys who travel to find their missing father; and their adventures on the journey. --abebooks website.




Novels By Paul De Kock


Book Description

Reproduction of the original: Novels By Paul De Kock by Paul De Kock







Master Pongo


Book Description

Relates the story of a juvenile gorilla named Pongo, brought to Europe in 1876 and housed at the Unter den Linden Aquarium in Berlin. Examines human-animal interactions and science at a time when the theory of evolution was first gaining ground.




Latin American Folktales


Book Description

Over one hundred stories showcasing the wisdom and artistry of one the world’s richest folktale traditions—the first panoramic anthology of Hispano-American folk narratives in any language. Gathered from twenty countries and combining the lore of medieval Europe, the ancient Near East, and pre-Columbian America, the stories brought together here represent a core collection of classic Latin American folktales. Among the essential characters are the quiet man's wife who knew the Devil's secrets, the three daughters who robbed their father's grave, and the wife in disguise who married her own husband—not to mention the Bear's son, the tricksters Fox and Monkey, the two compadres, and the classic rogue Pedro de Urdemalas. Featuring black-and-white illustrations throughout, this Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library edition is unprecedented in size and scope, including riddles, folk prayers, and fables never before translated into English.




Creating the Hybrid Intellectual


Book Description

A contribution to the study of Peruvian anthropologist and creative writer, Jose Maria Arguedas. It asserts that it is through reading the role and trajectory of the feminine in Arguedian narrative that we can best understand the author's national vision.




The Flower Girl of the Chateau D'Eau


Book Description

Charles Paul de Kock (1793-1871) was a French novelist. His stories are mostly of middle-class Parisian life, of guinguettes and cabarets and equivocal adventures of one sort or another. The most famous are Andre le Savoyard and Le Barbier de Paris."




Truth


Book Description




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