cover image The Eighth Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar

The Eighth Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar

Peter Tyson. William Morrow & Company, $27.5 (400pp) ISBN 978-0-380-97577-8

Combining travelogue, political discourse, ethnographic analysis and ecological exploration, this unusual book surveys an unusual subject: Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island. Situated only 250 miles off the coast of Africa, Madagascar is biologically unique. Not only does it have a rich animal and plant life, it also houses a huge number of endemic species found nowhere else on earth. Impressed with ""the island's singular people. The striking beauty of the landscape. And the wonder of the wildlife,"" Tyson--online producer of NOVA and a veteran science writer--set out, four years ago, to make sense of the island's natural history. He visited four different scientists there--a herpetologist, a paleoecologist, an archeologist and a primatologist. In this impressive volume, he writes about what he learned on these visits, successfully conveying both the flavor of field research and the biological mysteries of the island nation. Tyson reflects on questions of science (where did all these rare species come from?) as well as on more practical matters (how can a country that's so financially poor save its rich environmental resources?). He also presents engaging historical information and offers an exuberant discussion of the Malagasy language. Because Tyson tends to focus on his personal experiences, and he emphasizes wildlife over human life, the Malagasy people themselves regrettably remain in the background. Otherwise admirable, the book suffers for this absence. Agent, Theresa Park. (June)