Gorillas in the Mist.

FOSSEY, Dian.

$3,000.00

Item Number: 146297

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1983.

First edition of Fossey’s classic work. Octavo, original cloth, pictorial endpapers, illustrated throughout. Association copy, inscribed by the author on the title page, “With deepest gratitude to Francesco Nardelli for introducing me to the gorillas of Howletts Dian Fossey Feb 11, 1984.” The recipient, Francesco Nardelli is an Italian naturalist who has dedicated his life to the protection and conservation of endangered species. He is also the co-founder, with John Aspinall, of the Sumatran Rhino Project, one of the most important coordinated efforts to save a critically endangered species. In 1980 he moved to England where he became Curator of Howletts and Port Lympne Zoo, John Aspinall’s Zoos in Kent. There he was curator of several breeding programmes including the African elephant Loxodonta africana, (first ever bred in UK), western lowland gorilla Gorilla g. gorilla, siamang Symphalangus syndactylus, red-shanked douc langur Pygathrix nemaeus surili langurs Presbytis sp. clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa, and snow leopard Uncia uncia. Near fine in a near fine dust jacket with light shelfwear, with Nardelli’s address stamped to the title page. Jacket design Robert Anthony. Signed first editions are uncommon, association copies are exceptionally rare.

One of the most important books ever written about humans connection to the natural world, Gorillas in the Mist is the riveting account of Dian Fossey's thirteen years in a remote African rain forest with the greatest of the great apes. Fossey's efforts to ensure the future of the rain forest and its remaining mountain gorillas are captured in her own words and in candid photographs of this fascinating endangered species. As only she could, Fossey combined her personal adventure story with groundbreaking scientific reporting in an unforgettable portrait of one of our closest primate relatives. Although Fossey's work ended tragically in her murder, Gorillas in the Mist remains an invaluable testament to one of the longest-running field studies of primates and reveals her undying passion for her subject. It was made into the 1988 film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey. It was nominated for five Academy Awards.