Desmond (John) Morris - Selected books

Zoologist, writer, and painter, born in Purton, near Swindon, Wiltshire, S England, UK. While a pupil at Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire, he developed his interests in zoology and painting. He later held his first one-man exhibition in Swindon (1948) and has since gone on to gain international recognition for his Surrealist works. He studied zoology at Birmingham University (1948) and Oxford (1951–4), then did research into animal behaviour under Nikolaas Tinbergen. His later career as head of Granada TV's Film Unit at London Zoo (1956–9), and curator of mammals for the Zoological Society (1959–67), developed his interest in the explanation and demonstration of animal behaviour to the public. Already the author of scientific papers, his study of human behaviour in The Naked Ape (1967) became a best seller, popularizing sociology and zoology, and was followed by many television programmes on animal and social behaviour. His other books include The Human Zoo (1969), Manwatching (1977), The Soccer Tribe (1981), Animal-Watching (1990), Illustrated Babywatching (1995), Body Guards (1999), Peoplewatching (2002), The Naked Woman (2004), and Watching: Encounters with Humans and Other Animals (2006).

His studies focus on animal and human behaviour, explained from a zoological point of view.

In 1951, having obtained a First Class Honours Degree in Zoology from Birmingham University, he began research for his doctorate in animal behaviour at Oxford.

In 1957, he curated an exhibition of chimpanzee paintings and drawings at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, including paintings by a young chimpanzee called Congo.

Dr. Morris oversaw the creation of the gestural and body language for the Paleolithic human characters in the 1981 film Quest for Fire.

Selected books

The Mammals A Guide to the Living Species (1965) – a comprehensive listing of all mammal genera, all non-rodent non-bat species, and additional information on select species. The Naked Ape (1967) – an unabashed look at the human species. The book is notable for its focus on humanity's animal-like qualities and our similarity with apes. The Human Zoo (1969) – a continuation of the previous book, analyzing human behaviour in big modern societies and their resemblance to animal behaviour in captivity. Intimate Behaviour (1971) – this book examines and analyzes any physical contact acted out by human animals. Manwatching (1977) reprinted as Peoplewatching (2002) Gestures: Their Origin and Distribution (1979) Animal Days (1979) - Autobiographical Soccer Tribe (1981) Pocket Guide to Manwatching (1982) Inrock (1983) Bodywatching – A Field Guide to the Human Species (1985) – Hundreds of photos analyzing the human body from hair down to the feet. Catwatching (1986) – a study of one of the most popular of household pets across the centuries. Dogwatching (1986) – an in-depth study of "man's best friend". Animalwatching (1990) Babywatching (1991) The Human Animal (1994) The Naked Eye (2001) Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of over 1000 Dog Breeds (2001) Peoplewatching: The Desmond Morris Guide to Body Language (2002) The Naked Woman (2004) Linguaggio muto, Di Renzo Editore, (Roma), 2004