The four great apes--gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee), and orangutan--are human beings" closest relatives. This lavishly illustrated book is a superb guide to all four species. The chapters are organized by topic--ecology, social life, mind, and conservation--and do an exceptional job of comparing the species to each other, not just to humans. You end up with a good feeling for the characters of the different apes and how they differ in environment and personality, from the quiet gorillas to the sensual bonobos. For instance, orangutans in the wild are solitary, so among primatologists they have a reputation for being less socially intelligent than the others. But zookeepers know them as the animal Houdinis, leading tool users and escape artists. The Great Apes includes many sidebar biographies of both human primatologists and famous individual apes. Ham (the space chimp), Kanzi the bonobo, and matriarch Flo of Gombe Stream Reserve get equal time with Diane Fossey, Frans de Waal, and Jane Goodall herself. Altogether, it"s the best single-volume guide to our next of kin. --Mary Ellen Curtin