Bibliography
Program - Monkey
Aesop's Fables, selected and adapted by Jack Zipes (Signet Classic, 1992) First collected in 300 BCE, the fables of Aesop have long been considered part of the wisdom of the Western world. Along with the familar "The Fox and the Sour Grapes", "The Ant and the Grasshopper" and "The Tortoise and the Hare", this collection of two-hundred and three fables also includes "The Monkey and the Camel", "The Monkey and the Dolphin" and "The Monkey and the Fisherman".
Chinese Opera: Images and Stories, by Siu Wang-Ngai with Peter Lovrick (UBC, 1997) Lavishly illustrated with colorful photographs, this book contains synopses and pictures from four Chinese operas featuring Sun Wukong, the Monkey King - "Monkey Business in Heaven", "Monkey Steals the Magic Fan", "Monkey and the White Bone Demon" and "Monkey and the Cave of Spiders". All of these are episodes from the famous Ming dynasty novel, Journey to the West.
Monkey, by Wu Ch'eng-en translated by Arthur Waley (Grove, 1943) Published anonymously in the 16th-century, the Hsi Yu Ki or Journey to the West tells the story of Monkey, the irrepressible trickster of Chinese legend, joins a pious monk Tripitaka and two companions Sandy and Pigsy, on the monk's quest to bring the Buddhist scriptures back from India to China.
Zen: Direct Pointing to Reality, by Anne Bancroft (Thames & Hudson, 1979) With 107 illustrations (15 in color) in 96 pages, this is a very visual introduction to Zen Buddhism. There happen to be a few paintings of monkeys and a poem or two in which we can see some Zen monkey-imagery.
Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit, a novel by Daniel Quinn (Bantam, 1992) "TEACHER SEEKS PUPIL. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person." The protagonist of the novel answers this newspaper ad and finds that the teacher is a gorilla... What follows is said to be the "adventure of a lifetime."
Magic: The Final Fantasy Collection, by Isaac Asimov (Harper, 1996) Includes an essay "Look Long Upon A Monkey" (1989), in which Asimov explores some of the cultural resistances and aversions to the theory of evolution; he suspects that there would have been no trouble with it, if only humanity could have been left out.
In the Shadow of Man, by Jane Goodall (Houghton Mifflin, 1971, rev.1988) The best-selling account of the early years of the author's field study of, and adventures with, chimpanzees in Tanzania. Illustrated with a number of drawings and 80 photographs, it is a most engaging book.
Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence, by Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson (Houghton Mifflin, 1997) "Bold, original and devilishly provocative," said one reviewer, "- and one hell of a good read." Why are men more violent than women? Why do men kill, rape and wage war? Examining recent scientific data about primates of all sorts from an evolutionary perspective, the authors put forward thoughtful and provocative explanations about the deep rootedness of human violence and other, less violent possibilities.
In Quest of the Sacred Baboon: A Scientist's Journey, by Hans Kummer (Princeton, 1995) Translated by M. Ann Biedermeier-Thorson, the book presents a description and analysis of the structures of Hamadryas baboon society. In particular two types of fighting behaviors, styled as "The Net" and "The Sword" and associated with females and males respectively, are explored. Once analyzed, these patterns and principles of relationship can be suggestive in our attempts to understand human society.
Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, by Daniel C. Dennett (Simon & Schuster, 1995) The author, considered by some to be "one of our most original and most readable philosophers", focuses on Darwings theory of natural selection and rigorously and lucidly explores its meaning and logical implications.
The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal, by Jared Diamond (HarperCollins, 1992)
The Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris (Dell, 1967) Written by a zoologist, and a bestseller in its day, The Naked Ape approaches the questions of anthropology from the perspectives of zoology: How does understanding humans as animals contribute, enrich and deepen our understanding of humanity?
Ape Man: The Story of Human Evolution, by Rod Caird with Robert Foley (Macmillan, 1994) Based on a four-part television series, this book explores "the story of our evolution, and of the people who have devoted their lives to discovering the truth about our origins." With photographs, pictures, and diagrams of bones, monkeys, people and archeological digs, and paintings of reconstuctions of human ancestors, it's an engaging, if popular treatment of the materials.
Evolution and the Myth of Creationism: A Basic Guide to the Facts in the Evolution Debate, by Tim M. Berra (Stanford, 1990) An unappologetic presentation of questions and answers involved in the debate surrounding theories of creation and evolution from an evolotionist's perspective. Includes interesting sections on the Scopes "Monkey" Trial, and on the relations among the members of the primate family.
The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism, by Ronald L. Numbers (U.Cal., 1992) A fascinating account of the religious and social roots, personalities, theories and stratgies of the Scientific Creationism movement.
The Genesis Solution, by Ken Ham and Paul Taylor (Baker, 1988) A short book (that appears also in film form) that proposes an evangelical/fundementalist Christian solution to the perceived problems of "evolutionism, abortion, immorality, homosexuality, family turmoil"--i.e. a literal interpretation/understanding of the Genesis creation story. With pictures and pithy, "sound-bite" style, it provides a quick, easily accesible introduction to Creationism's concerns and positions.
Genesis and Science, by Harold W. Clark (Southern, 1967) This small, readable booklet is written from a creationist perspective, by a "professor of science" long involved in the Scientific Creationism movement, "in the hope that it may help confirm faith in the literal record of creation and the Flood."
The Monkey Wars, by Deborah Blum (Oxford, 1994) Written by a science writer who won a Pulitzer Prize for the articles that inspired this book, The Monkey Wars explores the scientific, social, political and ethical complexities involved in the controversies between advocates and opponents of animal research, particularly that involving monkeys and apes.
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