The Book of Ages

by Desmond Morris

Who did what when- and how do you measure up? In this fascinating book, Desmond Morris chronicles the distinctions of people - both famous and infamous- from age 0 to 118, and shows how their behavior reflects or defies statistical averages and social expectations. Along the way, Morris explains both the physical and psychological variations and trends in the aging process itself. The curiosity of armchair anthropologists will be piqued by this examination of the development of men and women in different societies, and trivia buffs will delight in the detail of Dr. Morris's informative amusing facts. Throughout history people have succeeded through wit, wile, and simple miracle. Now you can learn how the extraordinary challenged the ordinary and thereby broke all of the rules.

Genres: Science

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Desmond John Morris (24 January 1928 - 19 April 2026) was an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology.
He is known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape, and for his television programmes such as Zoo Time.

After the death of his wife in 2018 he lived with his son and family in Ireland.[ Morris died in Naas, County Kildare, on 19 April 2026, at the age of 98.

abridged from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Felicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve taken my time reading The Book of Ages, picking it up ever so briefly, every day or so. I loved the short bios on a wide range of people and children and also loved reading about the exception to every age rule! There’s hope for me yet.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published about the time I was born (70s) and so some of the people mentioned are unfamiliar to me, but it was interesting nonetheless. Also interesting is what life expectancies were back in the 70s. Morris's opinions come through nicely. It's good to see how many people don't quietly get old.