Homesick for a World Unknown

“[A] comprehensive biography of the renowned scientist and adventurer . . . A fine account of a life well lived, to the benefit of all who love animals.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“An invaluable portrait . . . As lavishly specific as its subject’s lifework . . . Horn is a spirited, virtuoso biographer and this tour de force is electric with Schaller’s dramatic and audacious pursuits, epic fortitude and determination, intrepidness and diplomacy, camouflaged pain and sheer ecstasy over the marvels of Earth, all charged by his resounding belief that ‘every being has an equal claim on life and freedom.’”—Booklist (starred review)

“A must-read for anyone interested in the history of conservation, as well as readers looking for solutions to current-day conservation crises.” —Laura Nan Hargrove, Library Journal (starred review)

“George Schaller seems to have met, and understood, every animal on earth, from Serengeti lions to South American jaguars to Tibetan brown bears. As notable for his foundational texts as for his unorthodox methods, Schaller could lasso an anaconda and mesmerize a panda. (Then there were the unusual pets, the lion cub, warthog, sand boa, and mongoose among them). First in the field, Schaller was the last of his kind; Miriam Horn makes us homesick for his brand of immersive adventure in this splendid, gracefully written biography.” —Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Revolutionary

“A magnificent and inspiring book on a magnificent and inspiring life. George Schaller’s work has forever changed our understanding of animals and the science of conservation and field biology, and this book explores the deep—and at times dark—well from which he draws his extraordinary courage, compassion, and insight. I was riveted from page one, and you will be, too.” —Sy Montgomery, National Book Award Finalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus

“Before there was Goodall or Fossey, before there were National Geographic wildlife films, school conservation clubs, Earth Day, there was George Schaller, our greatest naturalist. For 70 years, he has gone to Earth’s last wild places to understand their animals, to translate and advocate for them, all while seemingly never leaving a soiling footprint in his wake. This is the beautiful biography that those of us in awe of Schaller have waited for.” —Robert Sapolsky, New York Times bestselling author of Determined and Behave

“An enthralling, engaging masterwork, Homesick for a World Unknown follows almost day by day the life of the pioneering field biologist George Schaller. As he did, we live among Congo gorillas, Indian tigers, Serengeti lions, Tibetan bears. He taught Jane Goodall how to study chimps. He set an example for whole generations of scientists. What a story!” —Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Scientist

“A brilliant, beautifully crafted biography of the world’s most intrepid explorer and naturalist. Miriam Horn captures George Schaller’s relentless, patient encounters with Africa’s mountain gorillas, Nepal’s snow leopards and dozens of other fast-disappearing wildlife throughout the globe. Schaller’s life is a heart-rending story of physical courage, stamina and human empathy for the private lives of these remarkable creatures. Horn’s Schaller is at once an adventure story, a love story and an inspiring celebration of scientific inquiry. A formidable achievement.” —Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography