King Solomon's Ring

"Without supernatural assistance, our fellow creatures can tell us the most beautiful stories, and that means true stories, because the truth about nature is always far more beautiful even than what our great poets sing of it, and they are the only real magicians that exist." This book is wonderful in the original sense of that word, filled with wonder, and this quote from the Preface explains one reason this is so. Another reason is the sense that one is sitting peacefully on a pleasant evening while a true raconteur quietly meanders through his unexpectedly mesmerizing tales. I originally picked up this book looking for material to liven up a natural history essay on shrews; those tiny overlooked but wide-spread creatures better known as metaphors than animals. This classic book from a legendary naturalist includes one of the very few bits of writing on shrews outside formal scientific literature. Surely, I thought, Lorenz would have something interesting to say. In fact, he had many interesting things to say on shrews. After finding that he could tell an entertaining and informative tale that brought these apparently unexciting animals to life on the page, I naturally had to start back at the beginning and read the book through. Each chapter treats a different topic and can stands on its own. But read together they bring an understanding greater than their sum. Lorenz's skilled storytelling gradually reveals that what at first appeared to be many different threads are all actually part of one wonderful fabric.

Konrad Lorenz, though I've never heard of him, captivated me from the first page. He relates himself to King Solomon, who talked to animals through the use of a magic ring. From there on, he goes to explain animals and their behaviour, how it has affected him, and the passion and joy they can bring into one's life. His description of animal behaviour is also not solely for scientists. In fact, it is Lorenz's language that is the most astounding. He is able to convey all the complex ideas of animals behaviour into simple terms which all readers can understand. This is a great book for everyone, willed with passion by a man who loved who and what he was.

Confession - I'd never heard of Konrad Lorenz (even though he won the Nobel Prize in 1973), and I don't usually read books by Naturalists. I was driving between business meetings during the day, when I happened to tune in to BBC Radio 4 (same as National Public Radio in the USA), and by accident caught a book reading of Chapter 10 regarding Dogs. Then on another day I caught Chapter 11 on Birds. Captivated, I actually pulled over so that I could hear the whole chapter & find out what the book was and who the Author was. Then I ordered the book as a treat to myself for Christmas.Fantastic! With some abridging 'on the fly', this book could even be read to/by a younger audience say down to 8 years old, who would enjoy, laugh & cry at some of the stories contained herein. I wish my science teacher had read this to me when I was 8, rather than do some silly experiments with boring pond life (Chapter 2 would have taught me more about Pond Life)!

I first read this book in college and thought it was okay, easy to read, friendly style, not too scientfic. But as the years have passed it is one of those readings that has stayed with me and been useful in my everyday life. I've even had a copy sent to my son who loves his fish tanks. I've grown up around animals, but since reading this book I see the actions of animals as so closely related to ourselves. To know that birds mate for life, makes listening to birds call each other so much more romantic. To know that even fish have mating rituals makes my own rituals that much better and acceptable. This book has given me that perspective for some 15 years, I can say it has definitely changed the way I have viewed the world, thus the way I have lived in the world- and for the better.

"It has been theorized that cats which present dead mice to their owners, and which play with live mice in front of their owners, are not seeking approval. Rather, they are attempting to teach their oversized, deformed, clumsy, learning-impaired two-legged kittens how to make a living. They are responsible for your welfare, after all." This is just one of the many theories found in Konrad Lorenz's "King Solomon's Ring." In his book, Lorenz shows how some kinds of behavior are governed by the same process of natural selection as governs physical development. Animal behavior is absolutely fascinating. If you've never read Konrad Lorenz's "King Solomon's Ring", buy a paper copy. It may very well change your view of animals for the rest of your life. More and more you will appreciate the complex things that go on as you watch animals. This book is easy-reading and is filled with humor. I recommend it to all ages of animal lovers.