Product Description

Join zoologist Mark Carwardine and Britain's best-loved wit and raconteur, Stephen Fry, as they follow in their great friend Douglas Adams' footsteps, in search of some of the rarest and most threatened animals on Earth. Twenty years ago, zoologist Mark Carwardine teamed up with the late Douglas Adams (author of The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and together they embarked on a groundbreaking expedition, travelling the globe in search of some of the world's most endangered animals. Now Mark has teamed up with one of Douglas's closest friends -- comic genius Stephen Fry -- to see how all those animals have been faring in the years since. In Last Chance to See, and the accompanying major BBC television series, we follow the unlikely duo on six separate journeys which take them from the steamy jungles of the Amazon to the ice-covered mountain tops of New Zealand and from the edge of a war zone in Central Africa to a sub-tropical paradise in the North Pacific. Along the way, they search for some of the weirdest, most remarkable and most troubled creatures on earth: a large, black, sleepy animal easily mistaken for an unusually listless mudbank, a parrot with a song like an unreleased collection of Pink Floyd studio outtakes, a rhino with square lips, a dragon with deadly saliva, an animal roughly the length of a Boeing 737 and the creature most likely to emerge from the cargo doors of a spaceship. A unique insight into the disappearing world around us, this is their hilarious, entertaining, informative and thought-provoking story.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #981 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

About the Author
Mark Carwardine is a zoologist, writer, photographer, consultant and broadcaster with a special interest in marine wildlife. He has written more than 40 books, including several bestsellers, and presents a wide variety of natural history programmes on BBC Radio 4. A keen diver for many years, he leads shark and whale-watching holidays to many parts of the world and is an ardent supporter of several wildlife conservation organisations. Comic genius and Renaissance man, Stephen Fry is writer, actor, comedian, broadcaster, director and librettist. He was voted among the all time top 50 comedians by fellow comedians and ranked 6th in the BBC's Top Living Icon awards.

Customer Reviews

Last Chance to See - The best money I've spent in ages!
Ok, when a book and a TV series happen at the same time, it really is a chicken and egg situation. Will the book be as good as the TV series and vice versa?

Well, I needn't have worried. Carwardine's style covers all the emotions through every page, making you laugh out loud to feeling guilty and somewhat helpless at what a great job, we the human race, are doing to rid our planet of some of the most wonderful wildlife we have.

You feel as if he's sitting next to you as you read his travels with fellow companion Stephen Fry who from being quite the opposite to Carwardine, slowly realises through their journeys together just how fragile and vunerable our animal kingdom has become. From China to the Dem Rep of Congo, animals are becoming extinct and this book exposes their plight and fight against all the odds.

Filled with fantastic photos as well from Carwardine, this is a must book for any wildlife enthusiast

A brilliant companion to the DVD
The TV series was brilliant and so I bought this as well as the DVD for my Dad for Christmas. I'm certain he will love it as he always enjoys these sorts of programmes and he is a huge fan of Stephen Fry. However, as my Dad lives in France he was unable to see the series whilst it was on the BBC.

I really enjoyed the series it was informative and amusing whilst also being a little sad firstly because Douglas Adams is no longer with us and secondly because it really could be the last chance to see some of these fascinating creatures! The book makes a great companion - not too much is repeated and you get a completely different viewpoint. The book is filled with fantastic photographs and is also a great read. (I've already read it before wrapping shhh...)

All hail the Fry
Great book to accompany the TV series, gives great information on each of the endangered species encountered along with behind the scenes info on the production.