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The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide
Journalist Richard Conniff probes the age-old question "Are the rich different from you and me?" and finds that they are indeed a completely different animal.
He observes with great humor and finesse this socially unique species, revealing their strategies for ensuring dominance and submission, their flourishes of display behavior, the intricate dynamics of their pecking order, as well as their unorthodox mating practices.
Through comparisons to other equally exotic animals, Conniff uncovers surprising commonalities.
• How did Bill Gates achieve his single greatest act of social dominance by being nice?
• How does the flattery of the rich resemble the grooming behavior of baboons?
• What made the British aristocracy the single most successful animal dominance hierarchy in the history of the planet?
• How does Old Money's disdain for the nouveaux riches resemble the pig-grunting of mountain gorillas?
This marvelously entertaining field guide captures in vivid detail the behaviors and habitats of the world's most captivating yet elusive animal.
He observes with great humor and finesse this socially unique species, revealing their strategies for ensuring dominance and submission, their flourishes of display behavior, the intricate dynamics of their pecking order, as well as their unorthodox mating practices.
Through comparisons to other equally exotic animals, Conniff uncovers surprising commonalities.
• How did Bill Gates achieve his single greatest act of social dominance by being nice?
• How does the flattery of the rich resemble the grooming behavior of baboons?
• What made the British aristocracy the single most successful animal dominance hierarchy in the history of the planet?
• How does Old Money's disdain for the nouveaux riches resemble the pig-grunting of mountain gorillas?
This marvelously entertaining field guide captures in vivid detail the behaviors and habitats of the world's most captivating yet elusive animal.
346 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
43 people are currently reading
520 people want to read
About the author
Richard Conniff
31 books83 followersRichard Conniff, a Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the National Magazine Award, is the author most recently of House of Lost Worlds: Dinosaurs, Dynasties, and the Story of Life on Earth. He writes for Smithsonian and National Geographic and is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and a former commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. His other books include The Natural History of the Rich, Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time, and The Species Seekers. He lives in Old Lyme, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 6, 2008
An extended comparison between various animal species (everything from bluebirds to elephants) and that most peculiar subset of human species, the very, very rich. Although at times Conniff tries a bit too hard to link displays of wealth to evolutionary biology, he's never ever dull. Who doesn't, after all, love to hear tales of the rich and famous, especially when said R&F are being taken down a peg?
Using the animal kingdom as a reference point, too, leads to interesting themes Conniff explores in such chapters as "The Long Social Climb: From Monkeys to Moguls," "Living Large: The Habitats of the Rich," or "Take This Gift, Dammit!: Dominance the Nice Way." Thus virtually all behaviors the rich are famed for (and a few previously unconsidered) are linked to the quest for social dominance, mating displays, and natural selection. It's a refreshing and sometimes startling way to view this much-envied (and very small) sector of the population.
For sheer anecdotal value, this book comes up trumps. Conniff seems to have penetrated practically every überwealthy haunt around the globe, from Monaco to the palaces of the Mughals. The breadth of his survey over the natural kingdom and the social scene is impressive, not to mention that he dishes more juicy dirt than any tabloid rag could come up with, all ostensibly in the Name of Science. Great stuff.
I've got several of Conniff's books on the animal kingdom, Spineless Wonders and Every Creeping Thing, so it's interesting to see that he's extending his turf now to homo sapiens. His most recent book, The Ape in the Corner continues to examine human nature in terms of Nature.
Using the animal kingdom as a reference point, too, leads to interesting themes Conniff explores in such chapters as "The Long Social Climb: From Monkeys to Moguls," "Living Large: The Habitats of the Rich," or "Take This Gift, Dammit!: Dominance the Nice Way." Thus virtually all behaviors the rich are famed for (and a few previously unconsidered) are linked to the quest for social dominance, mating displays, and natural selection. It's a refreshing and sometimes startling way to view this much-envied (and very small) sector of the population.
For sheer anecdotal value, this book comes up trumps. Conniff seems to have penetrated practically every überwealthy haunt around the globe, from Monaco to the palaces of the Mughals. The breadth of his survey over the natural kingdom and the social scene is impressive, not to mention that he dishes more juicy dirt than any tabloid rag could come up with, all ostensibly in the Name of Science. Great stuff.
I've got several of Conniff's books on the animal kingdom, Spineless Wonders and Every Creeping Thing, so it's interesting to see that he's extending his turf now to homo sapiens. His most recent book, The Ape in the Corner continues to examine human nature in terms of Nature.
July 10, 2018
The Natural History of the Rich: A Field Guide by Richard Coniff (W.W. Norton & Co. 2002) (305.5234). I've just finished reading the first volume I've ever picked up by Richard Coniff which was entitled Spineless Wonders: Strange Tales From the Invertebrate World. After having read these two, I can aver that this author is fascinated by outliers.
While reading The Natural History of the Rich, I was struck by the fact that countless human behaviors that the author attributes to differences in wealth can just as easily be explained by the differences between the sexes. Coniff is spot-on when he sorts humanity into various piles based on interests, motivations, and passions. I think he's really onto something here, but I believe it's more a function of lust than a question of wealth. My rating: 7.25/10, finished 7/9/18.
While reading The Natural History of the Rich, I was struck by the fact that countless human behaviors that the author attributes to differences in wealth can just as easily be explained by the differences between the sexes. Coniff is spot-on when he sorts humanity into various piles based on interests, motivations, and passions. I think he's really onto something here, but I believe it's more a function of lust than a question of wealth. My rating: 7.25/10, finished 7/9/18.
December 25, 2010
Exactly what I wanted from it- humorous, slightly patronizing, steeped in anecdotes and allegory. I learned the most from the framework of dominance
Best sentence: p.235 "the women... were encouraged to perform karaoke, and other indecent acts."
P.264
"Such behaviours as delayed reproduction, mate-guarding, inbreeding, birth control, infanticide (particularly of daughters), primogeniture, and generation-skipping trusts have all served in various times and places as the Darwinian tools of dynasty building."
Best sentence: p.235 "the women... were encouraged to perform karaoke, and other indecent acts."
P.264
"Such behaviours as delayed reproduction, mate-guarding, inbreeding, birth control, infanticide (particularly of daughters), primogeniture, and generation-skipping trusts have all served in various times and places as the Darwinian tools of dynasty building."
September 13, 2010
This was another of the varied books I heard on tape. The book compared social patterns of affluent people with wild animals. It was
entertaining and light listening. I was reminded of a favorite book that I like to read with Riley, Jan Karon's 'Violet Comes to Stay' where the mother cat teaches Violet rules for catching mice: (1) prowl silently (2) plan your leap carefully (3) pounce boldly.
entertaining and light listening. I was reminded of a favorite book that I like to read with Riley, Jan Karon's 'Violet Comes to Stay' where the mother cat teaches Violet rules for catching mice: (1) prowl silently (2) plan your leap carefully (3) pounce boldly.
July 18, 2010
I just skimmed this. I wasn't in the mood for it. Conniff describes the habits of the super rich, using evolutionary psychology. He has a mix of precepts amid a ton of anecdotes. After a few pages, I wanted to get out of the marbled entryways, the private nightclubs and the exclusive beaches.
June 10, 2021
Amusing
The perspective provided on the subspecies “homo sapiens fortunatissimo” is amusing and consolating to read for the subspecies “homo sapiens ordinalis”. As a reader you wonder why there is sometimes so much focus on one topic ( the author for sure likes Blenheim castle and all family history around it) and on the other hand you wonder why some of the most well known examples of interbreeding, the Habsburgs, are not mentioned. A funny book that makes you conclude that we are just another kind of animal.
The perspective provided on the subspecies “homo sapiens fortunatissimo” is amusing and consolating to read for the subspecies “homo sapiens ordinalis”. As a reader you wonder why there is sometimes so much focus on one topic ( the author for sure likes Blenheim castle and all family history around it) and on the other hand you wonder why some of the most well known examples of interbreeding, the Habsburgs, are not mentioned. A funny book that makes you conclude that we are just another kind of animal.
May 15, 2018
Excelent book, with a lot of comparisons of the behaviors of the rich people between the animals.
Things like opulence, accumulation, territorial and social dominance, are behaviors similar to what happens in the animal world. This book is quite interesting, in the sense that it not only shows us what a rich man's code of life is like, but also his fears compared to the behavior of alpha males in the animal kingdom.
Things like opulence, accumulation, territorial and social dominance, are behaviors similar to what happens in the animal world. This book is quite interesting, in the sense that it not only shows us what a rich man's code of life is like, but also his fears compared to the behavior of alpha males in the animal kingdom.
November 27, 2017
I find evolutionary biology and psychology fascinating, and this has plenty. Mostly, though, this book is full of entertaining anecdotes about the super wealthy. It's the sort of fun read I can't imagine anyone not enjoying. Summary: "Yes, they're weird; here are some illustrations and explanations."
April 8, 2018
This book was a pleasant read but it was quite DATED. I think some of the information still applies today. Most of the information was common sense...
“Food & Sex are what the Darwinian struggle is all about.”
“Food & Sex are what the Darwinian struggle is all about.”
September 12, 2017
Well written, really enjoy the story-telling and his writing style.
December 10, 2018
Interesting.
February 8, 2016
This book is hilarious; an absolute gem of wit and anthropology. I highly recommend it for anyone seeking a reprieve from deep philosophical inquiry into the mien of human nature, or anyone in general seeking an enlightening laugh.
Speaking of, I almost died laughing on multiple counts reading certain passages which drew stunning parallel between human hierarchy and bestial behavior. Richard Conniff himself is a veritable comic genius, lacing his observations with punctual, precise humor. Not once did his writing ever come across as anything more or less than genuinely erudite, honest and humorous. (Check out p.193 for some astute visual comparisons between wealthy human elites and their animal counterparts).
All in all, a beautiful farce reminding us that we are only the most sophisticated animal on the planet.
Speaking of, I almost died laughing on multiple counts reading certain passages which drew stunning parallel between human hierarchy and bestial behavior. Richard Conniff himself is a veritable comic genius, lacing his observations with punctual, precise humor. Not once did his writing ever come across as anything more or less than genuinely erudite, honest and humorous. (Check out p.193 for some astute visual comparisons between wealthy human elites and their animal counterparts).
All in all, a beautiful farce reminding us that we are only the most sophisticated animal on the planet.
August 19, 2010
I was updating my Amazon wishlist and saw this book listed at $.01 for a hardback. It's sad to see such a great book listed for next to nothing, but it means that if you find the subject interesting you can get a copy for about the same amount (including shipping) as driving to the library (if you live about 4 miles from the library). Why not pick up a copy? Read the blurb at Amazon and see if it's worth the cost of a coffee and biscotti.
August 27, 2007
facts and humour go along well together. especially when its about human behaviour. apparantly, changing your social status (up, or down) does not necessarily make you more or less human.
its full of cliche, but with real comparison to animal behaviour. you'd enjoy every page, smile or laugh your way through in an effortless quick read.
highly recommended to own. get the hard cover.
its full of cliche, but with real comparison to animal behaviour. you'd enjoy every page, smile or laugh your way through in an effortless quick read.
highly recommended to own. get the hard cover.
December 3, 2016
Remarkable and full of sincerity all around.
Paranoia in addition to irrational FEARS against others.
Little white lies and huge deception to protect current status against "new comers".
HILARIOUS and so instructive !!
Paranoia in addition to irrational FEARS against others.
Little white lies and huge deception to protect current status against "new comers".
HILARIOUS and so instructive !!
July 25, 2018
Very funny biology of very specific kind of humans - those super rich ones, using evolutionary psychology. Many anecdotes interleaved with scientific research, comparisons with animals etc. Nice for students, low probability of getting bored.
November 2, 2007
Pretty decent pulp non-fiction, popular/speculative science book.
I thought the writer had a personable and humorous style. Very readable.
I thought the writer had a personable and humorous style. Very readable.
May 11, 2008
Very interesting ideas.
August 20, 2009
Written by journalists for National Geographic and Architectural Digest. Witty, hysterical and insightful. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
October 14, 2012
Loved this book. Entertaining and thought provoking.
May 28, 2011
Really interesting and funny book about social dominance. I definitely recommend it.
dnf
September 29, 2018Semi-satirical, semi-scientific look into biology of rich people from behaviour to genetics. Just not the right thing for me right now, though I enjoyed the 1/4 that I read.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews