“A Magnificent Tribute” Science Magazine Review
In her meticulously researched, gripping biography, Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller, Miriam Horn conveys how Schaller’s work in the Congo revolutionized our understanding of gorillas and, more broadly, of methodology for ethological field work. Far from the brutal aggressors of popular stereotype, gorillas acted as family-oriented apes with an intelligence that could best be understood by hours of patient note-taking. Across 6 continents and 32 countries, Schaller went on to observe and advocate for the protection of diverse animals, at times accompanied by his anthropology-trained wife Kay.
Horn divides the book into nine chapters. Following an initial pair on Schaller’s early years, each subsequent chapter reflects a focus on species and geography: gorillas in Congo; tigers in India; lions in the Serengeti; snow leopards, mountain goats, and mountain sheep in Pakistan and Nepal; jaguars in Brazil; pandas in China; and antelope and brown bears in Tibet. An epilogue rounds out the volume, noting additional research ventures. “It was Central Asia that claimed the largest measure of [Schaller’s] devotion” throughout his lengthy career.
Material gleaned from Horn’s extensive interviews with Kay, who died in 2023, and George, who will turn 93 in May 2026; two brief field trips with Schaller in Mexico and India; and archival research based around Schaller’s widespread correspondence successfully brings alive Schaller’s professional and personal experiences … All told, Horn’s biography is a magnificent tribute not only to a giant of a scientist but also to a nearly vanished way of doing field-work.