Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Wolf in the Parlor by Jon Franklin - Available

The Wolf in the Parlor

The Eternal Connection Between Humans and Dogs

by Jon Franklin
George K. Wilson
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Of all the things hidden in plain sight, dogs are one of the most enigmatic. They are everywhere, but how much do we really know about where they came from and what the implications are of their place in our world? Jon Franklin set out to find out and ended up spending a decade studying the origins and significance of the dog and its peculiar attachment to humans. As the intellectual pursuit of his subject began to take over Franklin's life, he married a dog lover and was quickly introduced to an ancient and powerful law of nature: Love me, love my dog. Soon Franklin was sharing hearth and home with a soulful and clever poodle named Charlie.


And so began one man's journey to the dogs, an odyssey that would take him from a 12,000-year-old grave to a conclusion so remarkable as to change our perception of ourselves. Building on evolutionary science, archaeology, behavioral science, and the firsthand experience of watching his own dog evolve from puppy to family member, Franklin posits that man and dog are more than just inseparable; they are part and parcel of the same creature. Along the way, The Wolf in the Parlor imparts a substantial yet painless education on subjects as far-ranging as psychological evolution and neurochemistry. In this groundbreaking book, master storyteller Franklin shatters the lens through which we see the world and shows us an unexpected, enthralling picture of the human/canine relationship.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 12, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781400193400
      • File size: 310808 KB
      • Duration: 10:47:30

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator George Wilson is both saving grace and driving force in his expert rendition of Franklin's plodding narrative. There's a lot that's interesting in this history of the co-evolution of man and dog, but Franklin ekes it out almost grudgingly, while pouring on a heavy ladle of personal memoir and reflection. Each piece of information is an epiphany, every advance in understanding won only after long internal labor. Wilson smoothes out and, to an important extent, justifies this imbalance between style and substance, providing a balance and purposefulness the text sometimes lacks. Recommended for those who love stories of the dog novice who's eventually won over, and then heartbroken, by the frolics, intelligence, instinct, and all-too-brief domestic career of one irresistible pooch. D.A.W. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from June 29, 2009
      Pulitzer Prize–winning science journalist Franklin (Molecules of the Mind
      ) draws on a slew of disciplines—evolutionary theory, zooarcheology, behavioral science, ethnology, bio-philosophy and keen firsthand observation—to formulate a challenging but enticingly plausible theory about the psychological leash binding humans and canines. His thesis: beginning about 12,000 years ago, as wild wolves evolved into “follower wolves” and were subsequently domesticated by early man, a kind of mind meld occurred. As this neurological attachment took shape, the dog shed 20% of its brain mass because, biologically, humans had “agreed to do its thinking” for it, while mankind lost 10% of its brain mass because dogs became “our beast of emotional burden.” Franklin buttresses his inventive assertion with a combination of absorbingly loquacious ruminations on the behavior of his own dog, Charlie, and a rigorous compilation of scientific facts rooted in a decade of study about the nature of wolves and dogs. As concepts of the canine go, Franklin's is notably audacious. And among a plethora of books on breeding, disciplining, loving and lamenting the loss of man's best friend, this thoughtful discourse is a best of breed.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading