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A PERFECT HARMONY: The Intertwining Lives of Animals and Humans Throughout History
What would today's world be like if man had not domesticated animals? This is the question that celebrated animal expert Roger Caras explores in A Perfect Harmony. A fascinating and colorful combination of history, anthropology, and personal experience, the book examines animal species both familiar and exotic in order to illustrate their monumental impact on the development of civilization. Accessible, absorbing, and wonderfully appealing, A Perfect Harmony illuminates a vital but virtually ignored aspect of human the partnership between man and domestic animals through the ages.
At the dawn of civilization, Caras asserts, man alone was unable to take the giant steps necessary to achieve our current levels of technology and sophistication. But at each stage in our cultural evolution, he writes, domesticated animals enabled us to move on to the next level. The extent of our dependence upon these animals - which have provided us with food, clothes, shelter, and means of transport - is beyond calculation. By turns wicked and wry, passionate and poignant, Caras illustrates how every domesticated animal from the reindeer to the silkworm has provided some valuable service to its human masters and has, in many cases, altered the course of history.
At the dawn of civilization, Caras asserts, man alone was unable to take the giant steps necessary to achieve our current levels of technology and sophistication. But at each stage in our cultural evolution, he writes, domesticated animals enabled us to move on to the next level. The extent of our dependence upon these animals - which have provided us with food, clothes, shelter, and means of transport - is beyond calculation. By turns wicked and wry, passionate and poignant, Caras illustrates how every domesticated animal from the reindeer to the silkworm has provided some valuable service to its human masters and has, in many cases, altered the course of history.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 1996
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Roger A. Caras
105 books25 followersRoger A. Caras was an American wildlife photographer, writer, wildlife preservationist and television personality.
Known as the host of the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Caras was a veteran of network television programs including "Nightline," "ABC News Tonight" and "20/20" before devoting himself to work as president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and to becoming an author.
Known as the host of the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Caras was a veteran of network television programs including "Nightline," "ABC News Tonight" and "20/20" before devoting himself to work as president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and to becoming an author.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 12, 2022
Minor additions to the text and an historic image added, 12 July 2022
This is an absorbing work on the relationship between animals and humans over the centuries; Caras talks expansively about animals kept for food, work, sport or just for companionship. He looks at our relationship with livestock animals; goats, sheep, cattle and pigs, and with beasts of burden; horses, camels and elephants. And of course, dogs, who are many things to humankind.
I was particularly interested in dogs and elephants. I had a dachshund when I was young and later on beagles both pure and mixed. I have also been on an elephant ride (more of that later).
Dogs have been closely associated with humans from earliest times, although the assumption that dogs are descended from wolves needs to be qualified. As Caras puts it, somewhat awkwardly, the dog is descended from ‘the wolf, with another but unidentified constituent’ (p77). Perhaps an early form of dog. The question remains open. What is clear is that from nine to twelve thousand years ago there were animals which were already dogs not wolves. And there were distinct breeds or types from ancient times: wolf-like polar dogs in Europe, shepherd type dogs and hound like dogs in the British Isles. Plus greyhounds in Egypt, pariah dogs in Asia and Africa. Apparently the dingo was carried to Australia.
The huge variety of dogs we see now is the result of early domestication and centuries of cross breeding. Domestication is signified by the retention of juvenile characteristics and the encouragement through breeding of desired characteristics, for example the herding instinct. The border collie will round up every living thing it can see- all day, every day. I note that Caras makes no mention of the capacity seen in several breeds for attacking and destroying books: like my dachshund Tekal, who chewed The Bill Wannan Book of Australian Yarns; Linus the Beagle who mauled Brilliance of the Moon (Tales of the Otori #3); Linus’s sister Lucy later got into the act by destroying Heinrich Harrer’s Seven Years in Tibet, a much treasured book from my childhood. And more recently Coco the beagle Jack Russell cross decided that Christian Wolmar’s Railways and The Raj: How the Age of Steam Transformed India would be delicious. There are photos of some of these brigands on my profile.
Caras raises a very interesting question about elephants, which of course have had an important relationship with humans for thousands of years. He asks: ‘Has he [humankind], in fact, ever domesticated either elephant? [Asian elephant and African bush elephant]. Despite the endless references to his having done so, it is my opinion that he has not. Man has utilised elephants to a remarkable degree, but that should be viewed as something entirely different from domestication’ (pp123-24)
While recognizing that elephants can and are breed in captivity, in zoos, this is still rare and difficult, no more than the 'captive maintenance of elephants' (p124). Caras contends that humans have not controlled elephant breeding, especially of working elephants, therefore the animal remains unaltered. They are gathered from the wild, often returned there, and they are the same animals they were at the beginning. In Asia, to breed, a working cow elephant is released in the wild, breeds randomly, then coaxed back. Working elephants can be dangerous and breeding bulls worse, according to the author. He adds that while elephants are prodigious problem solving workers, they are subject to the discipline of the mahout and the harsh measures necessary to keep them under control.
***
Betty the Asian elephant at Melbourne Zoo, 1955-56
Sometime around 1959 or 1960 on a visit to Melbourne zoo I had a ride on Betty the Asian elephant. About eight children, four on each side, were strapped into wooden bench seats, the whole structure straddling Betty’s broad back, then taken on a lurching ride round the zoo. It was fantastic- we were up so high. The rides were discontinued in 1962 for safety reasons in line with policies being adopted by other zoos at the time. I understand completely, but I’m glad I’m old enough to have enjoyed riding on an elephant.
***
A note about the illustrations which are numerous and quite delightful, in the style of black and white etchings or engravings, but nowhere could I find credits for them, which is a shame, because they enhance the text more than somewhat.
This is an absorbing work on the relationship between animals and humans over the centuries; Caras talks expansively about animals kept for food, work, sport or just for companionship. He looks at our relationship with livestock animals; goats, sheep, cattle and pigs, and with beasts of burden; horses, camels and elephants. And of course, dogs, who are many things to humankind.
I was particularly interested in dogs and elephants. I had a dachshund when I was young and later on beagles both pure and mixed. I have also been on an elephant ride (more of that later).
Dogs have been closely associated with humans from earliest times, although the assumption that dogs are descended from wolves needs to be qualified. As Caras puts it, somewhat awkwardly, the dog is descended from ‘the wolf, with another but unidentified constituent’ (p77). Perhaps an early form of dog. The question remains open. What is clear is that from nine to twelve thousand years ago there were animals which were already dogs not wolves. And there were distinct breeds or types from ancient times: wolf-like polar dogs in Europe, shepherd type dogs and hound like dogs in the British Isles. Plus greyhounds in Egypt, pariah dogs in Asia and Africa. Apparently the dingo was carried to Australia.
The huge variety of dogs we see now is the result of early domestication and centuries of cross breeding. Domestication is signified by the retention of juvenile characteristics and the encouragement through breeding of desired characteristics, for example the herding instinct. The border collie will round up every living thing it can see- all day, every day. I note that Caras makes no mention of the capacity seen in several breeds for attacking and destroying books: like my dachshund Tekal, who chewed The Bill Wannan Book of Australian Yarns; Linus the Beagle who mauled Brilliance of the Moon (Tales of the Otori #3); Linus’s sister Lucy later got into the act by destroying Heinrich Harrer’s Seven Years in Tibet, a much treasured book from my childhood. And more recently Coco the beagle Jack Russell cross decided that Christian Wolmar’s Railways and The Raj: How the Age of Steam Transformed India would be delicious. There are photos of some of these brigands on my profile.
Caras raises a very interesting question about elephants, which of course have had an important relationship with humans for thousands of years. He asks: ‘Has he [humankind], in fact, ever domesticated either elephant? [Asian elephant and African bush elephant]. Despite the endless references to his having done so, it is my opinion that he has not. Man has utilised elephants to a remarkable degree, but that should be viewed as something entirely different from domestication’ (pp123-24)
While recognizing that elephants can and are breed in captivity, in zoos, this is still rare and difficult, no more than the 'captive maintenance of elephants' (p124). Caras contends that humans have not controlled elephant breeding, especially of working elephants, therefore the animal remains unaltered. They are gathered from the wild, often returned there, and they are the same animals they were at the beginning. In Asia, to breed, a working cow elephant is released in the wild, breeds randomly, then coaxed back. Working elephants can be dangerous and breeding bulls worse, according to the author. He adds that while elephants are prodigious problem solving workers, they are subject to the discipline of the mahout and the harsh measures necessary to keep them under control.
***
Betty the Asian elephant at Melbourne Zoo, 1955-56
Sometime around 1959 or 1960 on a visit to Melbourne zoo I had a ride on Betty the Asian elephant. About eight children, four on each side, were strapped into wooden bench seats, the whole structure straddling Betty’s broad back, then taken on a lurching ride round the zoo. It was fantastic- we were up so high. The rides were discontinued in 1962 for safety reasons in line with policies being adopted by other zoos at the time. I understand completely, but I’m glad I’m old enough to have enjoyed riding on an elephant.
***
A note about the illustrations which are numerous and quite delightful, in the style of black and white etchings or engravings, but nowhere could I find credits for them, which is a shame, because they enhance the text more than somewhat.
July 29, 2012
I expected this to be a great book for history geeks and animal lovers alike, but it ended up being nearly a dud. The text is surprisingly easy to get through, not dry at all, and the various animal groups are presented in easily-digestible chapters. Only a few really interesting facts are presented; the rest is no surprise. No hard science is presented; he says over and over, "We don't have any strong theories on where or when this species was domesticated, so I'll say it was there and then." It was interesting to learn how closely certain animals are related, and how numerous certain animals are used for farming. I'd recommend this book for middle-school students wanting to learn more about the animal kingdom.
Plot: B
Writing: C-
Vocabulary: C
Level: Intermediate
Rating: G
Worldview: Evolution, Atheism (inferred)
Plot: B
Writing: C-
Vocabulary: C
Level: Intermediate
Rating: G
Worldview: Evolution, Atheism (inferred)
August 30, 2010
I have mixed feelings about this book. It nicely summarizes the domestication histories of the majority of domestic animals, including ducks, honeybees, and other oft forgotten species. However, the author's tone--particularly in the introduction--is very "Oh, the animals!", and he's sometimes a little sexist. Additionally, there are at least several factual errors.
April 20, 2023
The main hypothesis of the book is that civilization as we know it would not have been possible without domestication of animals. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a different animal or group of animals, from animals used in agriculture (as source of food and materials or as source of labor power) to animals used as companions. While initally, Caras still (if superficially) touches upon the question how the animals impacted the development of societies and civilization as a whole, he increasingly seems to lose sight of it throughout the book. As a result, the chapters in the second half of the book are mostly overviews of where and when certain animals were domesticated or used in some way. While these overviews certainly have some value and no doubt contain some interesting facts (e.g. that the Romans kept dormice in jars and ate them, or that, again, the Romans kept mongooses as pets to deal with snakes and rodents), they cannot serve as proof of Caras' initial hypothesis.
Where he does discuss that hypothesis in more detail, he does so by bringing up more hypotheses that themselves would need to be proven first: without the domestication of animals, humans can not have a healthy diet and therefore end up suffering from diseases or deficiencies; without domestication of animals, societies would have remained isolated and therefore wouldn't have developed new ideas or new technologies; without companion animals, humans prone to stress and high blood pressure tend to die early and not have many offspring (!).
Somewhat unrelated, throughout the book, the author speaks of "man" and "his/him" when referring to humans, only sometimes mentioning women explicitly - to improve readability, as he points out in the beginning.
Finally, the title for the book is chosen poorly, as Caras himself mentions repeatedly how badly humans treat animals.
Where he does discuss that hypothesis in more detail, he does so by bringing up more hypotheses that themselves would need to be proven first: without the domestication of animals, humans can not have a healthy diet and therefore end up suffering from diseases or deficiencies; without domestication of animals, societies would have remained isolated and therefore wouldn't have developed new ideas or new technologies; without companion animals, humans prone to stress and high blood pressure tend to die early and not have many offspring (!).
Somewhat unrelated, throughout the book, the author speaks of "man" and "his/him" when referring to humans, only sometimes mentioning women explicitly - to improve readability, as he points out in the beginning.
Finally, the title for the book is chosen poorly, as Caras himself mentions repeatedly how badly humans treat animals.
February 28, 2013
I found the first part of the book, on the generalized history of humans and animals, a bit of a bore, but that was only in comparison to anticipated information. I enjoyed that each animal or animal group had their own chapter, laid out in a similar manner, so to be able to compare and contrast information about each. It was a broad overview, which should be expected of a book that covers everything from goats and sheep, to rats and mice (yes, the latter were in there!).
February 2, 2020
The subject of the book is fascinating. A brief exploration of the many animals we humans have had a relationship with in our history.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews