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Last Chance to See Paperback – October 13, 1992

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,853 ratings

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"Very funny and moving...The glimpses of rare fauna seem to have enlarged [Adams'] thinking, enlivened his world; and so might the animals do for us all, if we were to help them live."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Join bestselling author Douglas Adams and zooligist Mark Carwardine as they take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures. Hilarious and poignant--as only Douglas Adams can be--LAST CHANCE TO SEE is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth's magnificent wildlife galaxy.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Lively, sharply satirical, brilliantly written . . . shows how human care can undo what human carelessness has wrought.”—The Atlantic
 
“These authors don’t hesitate to present the alarming facts: More than 1,000 species of animals (and plants) become extinct every year. . . . Perhaps Adams and Carwardine, with their witty science, will help prevent such misadventures in the future.”
—Boston Sunday Herald
 
“Very funny and moving . . . The glimpses of rare fauna seem to have enlarged [Adams’s] thinking, enlivened his world; and so might the animals do for us all, if we were to help them live.”
—The Washington Post Book World
 
“[Adams] invites us to enter into a conspiracy of laughter and caring.”
Los Angeles Times
 
“Amusing . . . thought-provoking . . . Its details on the heroic efforts being made to save these animals are inspirational.”
The New York Times Book Review

From the Back Cover

"Very funny and moving...The glimpses of rare fauna seem to have enlarged [Adams'] thinking, enlivened his world; and so might the animals do for us all, if we were to help them live."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Join bestselling author Douglas Adams and zooligist Mark Carwardine as they take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures. Hilarious and poignant--as only Douglas Adams can be--LAST CHANCE TO SEE is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth's magnificent wildlife galaxy.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (October 13, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345371984
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345371980
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.14 x 0.61 x 7.93 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,853 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
1,853 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and humorous with its wit and charm. They appreciate the informative content and meaningful descriptions of endangered creatures. The writing style is described as fantastic, smooth, and lucid enough for everyone to read. Customers describe the story as engaging and fascinating. They find the book heartwarming yet poignant at times, and praise the author's work as brilliant.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

105 customers mention "Readability"105 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and engaging. They appreciate the author's wit and charm, as well as the weird animal names. The book can make readers laugh or cry at different moments, with its serious undertone and message.

"...That's what makes it such a powerful book, and one everyone should read...." Read more

"...He made a witty, true, and interesting parallel between vulgar tee-wearing tourists (who happened to be from a non-uk country) convergently..." Read more

"...30 some years later. It's still an amazing read and I love Douglas Adams style...." Read more

"...the value is worth it." Read more

58 customers mention "Information quality"58 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and humorous. It imparts serious conservation information in a fun, fascinating way. Readers say it makes them empathize with the animals discussed and appreciate the fragility and beauty of endangered species and ecosystems.

"...But at the same time, Adams's courage, compassion, humility, and humor make a compelling case for humanity's continued existence as a species." Read more

"...He made a witty, true, and interesting parallel between vulgar tee-wearing tourists (who happened to be from a non-uk country) convergently..." Read more

"...Easy read. Super interesting. Highly recommended" Read more

"...on the situations they encounter, combined with his brilliant, insightful, and frequently hilarious narratives that make this book special...." Read more

44 customers mention "Writing quality"44 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book. They find it well-written with Douglas Adams' natural wit and charm. The descriptions are smooth and lucid enough for everyone to read. It reads like a Hitchhiker's or Dirk Gentley book, but on a different subject.

"...The beauty is that it's also smooth and lucid enough that everyone can read it...." Read more

"...Easy read. Super interesting. Highly recommended" Read more

"...This intonation adds emphasis and accent where words are too subtle. His real fear comes through better with his spoken words...." Read more

"...I keep giving them away. It is fantastically written with Douglas Adams' natural wit and charm, but it manages to convey the seriousness..." Read more

24 customers mention "Story quality"21 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's story engaging and funny. It provides a great introduction to the dramatic and irreversible damage our growth has caused. The true stories are told in a lively and fascinating manner. The seriousness of the subject is eased into readers' perception while still providing plenty of humor. The first chapters are worth reading, though some chapters are not so good. Overall, customers find the book inspiring and a cautionary tale about what we are losing on our planet.

"...Adams' natural wit and charm, but it manages to convey the seriousness of the subject very well...." Read more

"...: the material and what it covers - extinction - is of an extremely serious nature, yet the reader can't help but chuckle at some of the ways in..." Read more

"This is a beautiful, poignant, hilarious nature narrative...." Read more

"...a very important ecological conservation message, but the amusing true stories of trying to get from one place to another on questionable vessels..." Read more

19 customers mention "Heartwarming"15 positive4 negative

Customers find the book humorous and poignant at the same time. They say it brings humor to a somber topic, bringing them to tears at times. The book is described as bittersweet, bringing humor to a sober topic with a humorous slant.

"...Clever and sad--worth reading and suggesting to others." Read more

"This is a beautiful, poignant, hilarious nature narrative...." Read more

"...make you burst with laughter in one page, and in the next one bring you to tears." Read more

"...beginning I thought the book was somewhat amusing, however making fun of missionaries, making derogatory statements about people of faith because it..." Read more

17 customers mention "Author quality"17 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's writing style. They find the book brilliant and witty, great for fiction readers. The book reveals Adams' character and interests in a profound way.

"...But at the same time, Adams's courage, compassion, humility, and humor make a compelling case for humanity's continued existence as a species." Read more

"...I never knew Adams personally, but love the man and his work (possibly as much as Dawkins seemed to, whom wrote a lament for Douglas)...." Read more

"...30 some years later. It's still an amazing read and I love Douglas Adams style...." Read more

"...But when it comes to travel-oriented nonfiction, Adams is absolutely the best...." Read more

8 customers mention "Book relevance"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book relevant and eye-opening 30 years later. They describe it as a classic travelogue, memoir, and layperson's guide. The book is humorous and meaningful, with a clever approach.

"This is a fantastic read: part travelogue, part memoir, part lay-persons guide to conservation and biology...." Read more

"...This book is still relevant, but not as eye-opening as it was then. Still a good read that I recommend highly." Read more

"The book is a classic, for people who like Douglas Adam's style humour (who doesn't??) and conservation-minded folks alike...." Read more

"...A funny, and meaningful, book." Read more

8 customers mention "Touch"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's touching and loving portrayal of animals. They find it easy to read, charming, and magical.

"...Clearly. But none of it sings like Last Chance to See. This book is a passionate, loving, critical look at the human species and the influence we've..." Read more

"...It is fantastically written with Douglas Adams' natural wit and charm, but it manages to convey the seriousness of the subject very well...." Read more

"...While she enjoyed his other books, she really found this one endearing and I think she finished it in two days since she couldn't put it down." Read more

"Not only is this a funny, touching, clever book, it is a vitally important book to read...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022
    I love Douglas Adams's science fiction. Just look at my bookshelves. So it's as a firm fan that I say: Douglas Adams was wasted--wasted--on science fiction.

    The man is obviously a science writer.

    His science fiction was always good. Clearly. But none of it sings like Last Chance to See. This book is a passionate, loving, critical look at the human species and the influence we've had on our planet-mates. It chronicles the decline, and impending loss, of some wonderful, charismatic vertebrates. It takes us to task for the degradation of the planet, and makes us feel the tragic loss of our heritage, but it never depresses. It bounces up from the darkest moments with Adams's trademark dark humor. Of course, that humor has the effect of throwing all the rest into sharp relief, highlighting the tragedy and wounding your heart. That's what makes it such a powerful book, and one everyone should read.

    The beauty is that it's also smooth and lucid enough that everyone can read it. He never preaches, and the book always keeps the tone of a story told around a campfire, among friends.

    If this doesn't inspire anyone who reads it to care just a little bit more about the non-human, but still precious, species that inhabit Earth, then I will give up trying to save them tomorrow. But at the same time, Adams's courage, compassion, humility, and humor make a compelling case for humanity's continued existence as a species.
    14 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2012
    Have been rereading portions of the late atheist novelist Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See.

    What a marvelous, hilarious, evolutionarily witty and brilliant piece of non-fiction this is. Allow me to briefly surmise some of the spectacular facets of this delightful book.

    Well, screw that, here's what the book is...

    Take the creator of Vorgons, Zaphod Beeblebrox, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, (and that 5 book series) and put him in the real-life context of:

    * tourists wearing vulgar tourists in exotic places
    * sniveling and unhelpful airplane customer service people
    * endangered animals
    * commuting on a rickety boat with a three-day-old dead goat
    * some of the most venomous snakes and creatures to exist
    * and more

    I love how Douglas (in studying evolution in this book a bit) dissects everything. There was one passage where he deconstructs the composition of the paper pages and leather binding of a notebook (I would've used computer personally lol) (bollocks I will find it and quote it exactly but can't open kindle at moment):

    He does things and has descriptions like that throughout the book. He made a witty, true, and interesting parallel between vulgar tee-wearing tourists (who happened to be from a non-uk country) convergently evolving in a way that was similar to brits that he knew.

    I never knew Adams personally, but love the man and his work (possibly as much as Dawkins seemed to, whom wrote a lament for Douglas). He's easily one of, or The, fave sci-fi authors, but that said, this non-fiction of his is even better. Hilarious and wise simul.

    Put one of the world's most amusing fiction sci-fi authors in with the ants and dirt and forests embarking to see some of the rarest animals on the planet. It's marvelous, insightful atheism, didactic evolutionary biology, promisingly british, freakishly funny, and just awesome.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023
    I read this book when it first came out and forgot how much it influenced me. 30 some years later. It's still an amazing read and I love Douglas Adams style. First thing tomorrow I want to check on the population numbers of the various things mentioned in the book. Easy read. Super interesting. Highly recommended
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2009
    This is my 3rd e-book purchase of this old (almost 19 years) media as well as reading the paper version of this book. I left one with the Infomedia project at Carnegie-Mellon Univ. and my 2nd copy is somewhere loaned out. It requires the Classic Mac environment (OS 9 or earlier with color) and Hypercard with the memory cracked up. I met and discussed this work with Adam just before he died, and he was very proud of it.

    The text is slightly abridged from the original book. I know 1-2 areas which I liked left out. Adams read the entire book aloud and this is recorded. If you like the English sound of Adams' this is an additional incentive to listen as well as read this book with your eyes. This intonation adds emphasis and accent where words are too subtle. His real fear comes through better with his spoken words.

    His co-author Mark did (wrote and spoke) the equivalent to side bars with more biological information on the individual endangered species. Where the paper version of the book about 24 color plates, this Voyager edition had over 800 photos with captions (hence 2 CDs). Bob Stein who ran Voyager and showed me around their new offices in New York after their move from Santa Monica pulled out all the stops on this expanded book. Originally priced at $50 (paper hardbound was about $20-30 and softbound for about $10), the value is worth it.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2021
    Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams is a funny and moving trek across the world to see certain species before they go extinct. If it weren't for his incredible humor, I probably would have been a sobbing puddle of tears before I finished the first chapter. It's not easy to read about the damage humanity has wrought around the world. It is heartening to know there are people out there that care enough to dedicate their lives to protecting those that can't protect themselves. While traipsing around to gather material to tell these important stories, Adams manages to get himself into all sorts of predicaments, some which may be familiar to those who've also traveled to exotic locales. The only thing I wish my Kindle version had was photos of the animals and the travels. If you like stories of travel or animals, this is a great read.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Longhua Jin
    5.0 out of 5 stars last chance to see
    Reviewed in Germany on December 16, 2024
    Douglas Adams nimmt uns mit auf eine charmant-chaotische Reise zu den letzten ihrer Art – vom Kakapo bis zum Yangtse-Delfin. Mit seinem typischen Humor beschreibt er die skurrilen Momente, die Natur und Mensch so einzigartig machen, ohne dabei den ernsten Ton des Artenschutzes zu verlieren.

    Dieses Buch ist nicht nur unterhaltsam, sondern auch ein Weckruf: Die Welt ist voller Wunder, aber wir müssen sie besser schützen. Leicht zu lesen, schwer zu vergessen – perfekt für Fans von kluger Umweltliteratur und schrägem Witz.
  • tom rottinghuis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very clever and witty
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2024
    An easy yet educational read, made me laugh out loud and at the same time it made me sad about all the invaluable species that have gone the way of the dodo; interesting animals, Douglas Adams... The world is a less special place without them!
  • Giulia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Libro bellissimo.
    Reviewed in Italy on December 11, 2022
    Lo stile di Douglas Adams ma in un libro che invece di parlare di mondi lontani parla proprio del nostro. Uno spettacolo.
  • 9Cows
    5.0 out of 5 stars Easy yet potent.
    Reviewed in India on June 12, 2018
    What can I say? Well if you know Douglas Adams' work and are picking this up for his writing style, you have made a good choice. If you don't know about him, but want to inform yourself a little about our impact on our fellow earth species and incredible efforts of a handful to reverse that impact, you have made a good choice.

    I never knew, such an important and potent topic can be written in such an easy style. You pretty much laugh your way through the book, but miraculously, you are very much made aware of the reason why this book was written. You do appreciate the comical style, but you are left pondering over the irreversible damage we have made and deeply.

    Read it, you will remember it forever.
  • Mark Wood
    5.0 out of 5 stars Adams being serious, funny, and Brilliant
    Reviewed in Japan on March 21, 2023
    A great read from Douglas Adams. He travels the world looking for endangered animals and writes seriously but with humor about the experience. Beautiful and sad