Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex among Apes

The first edition of Frans de Waal's "Chimpanzee Politics" was acclaimed not only by primatologists for its scientific achievement but also by politicians, business leaders, and social psychologists for its remarkable insights into the most basic human needs and behaviors. Twenty-five years later, this book is considered a classic.

Featuring a new preface that includes recent insights from the author, this anniversary edition is a detailed and thoroughly engrossing account of sexual rivalries and coalitions, of actions governed by intelligence rather than instinct. As we watch the chimpanzees of Arnhem behave in ways we recognize from Machiavelli (and from the nightly news), de Waal reminds us again that the roots of politics are older than humanity.

Even more enlightening than Machiavelli's The Prince, this book describes power takeovers and social organizations in a chimpanzee colony... I'll never look at academic or corporate politics the same way. - Jim Collins, Inc. "Gingrich has been an avid follower of de Waal's work for years. He has even placed de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics on his recommended reading list, along with better known texts such as the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Federalist Papers." - Business Week "Precise but eminently readable and indeed exciting... This excellent book achieves the dual goal which eludes so many writers about animal behavior - it will both fascinate the nonspecialist and be seen as an important contribution to science." - Times Literary Supplement "As much fun as a tree full of wild chimps." - American Journal of Primatology"

Frans de Waal is the C. H. Candler Professor of Primate Behavior at Emory University in Atlanta and the director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center. His books include The Ape and the Sushi Master; Peacemaking among Primates; and Our Inner Ape.