Paul du Chaillu’s explorations in Gabon re-examined

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A new book “ Between Man and Beast: An Unlikely Explorer, the Evolution Debates, and the African Adventure that Took the Victorian World by Storm” has been published by journalist Monte Reel.  In it, he examines the life of explorer Paul du Chaillu, and the sensational impact his tales from Gabon and exhibitions of stuffed gorillas had on the scientific community in Europe. The book questions the truth behind of many of du Chaillu’s allegedly outlandish claims and is, ironically, subject to the same criticism itself in a review published in the journal Nature (Nicholls, 2013).


Nicholls H (2013) Evolution: Beastly surprises. Nature,  495, 310–311

Reel, M (2013) Between Man and Beast: An Unlikely Explorer, the Evolution Debates, and the African Adventure that Took the Victorian World by Storm Doubleday: 352 pp.


 


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