• The Wolf in the Parlor

  • The Eternal Connection Between Humans and Dogs
  • By: Jon Franklin
  • Narrated by: George K. Wilson
  • Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (86 ratings)

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The Wolf in the Parlor  By  cover art

The Wolf in the Parlor

By: Jon Franklin
Narrated by: George K. Wilson
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Editorial reviews

Narrator George Wilson is both saving grace and driving force in his expert rendition of Franklin's plodding narrative. There's a lot that's interesting in this history of the co-evolution of man and dog, but Franklin ekes it out almost grudgingly, while pouring on a heavy ladle of personal memoir and reflection. Wilson smoothes out and, to an important extent, justifies this imbalance between style and substance, providing a balance and purposefulness the text sometimes lacks. Recommended for those who love stories of the dog novice who's eventually won over, and then heartbroken, by the frolics, intelligence, instinct, and all-too-brief domestic career of one irresistible pooch.

Publisher's summary

Of all the things hidden in plain sight, dogs are one of the most enigmatic. They are everywhere, but how much do we really know about where they came from and what the implications are of their place in our world? Jon Franklin set out to find out and ended up spending a decade studying the origins and significance of the dog and its peculiar attachment to humans.

As the intellectual pursuit of his subject began to take over Franklin's life, he married a dog lover and was quickly introduced to an ancient and powerful law of nature: love me, love my dog. Soon Franklin was sharing hearth and home with a soulful and clever poodle named Charlie. And so began one man's journey to the dogs, an odyssey that would take him from a 12,000-year-old grave to a conclusion so remarkable as to change our perception of ourselves.

Building on evolutionary science, archaeology, behavioral science, and the firsthand experience of watching his own dog evolve from puppy to family member, Franklin posits that man and dog are more than just inseparable; they are part and parcel of the same creature. Along the way, The Wolf in the Parlor imparts a substantial yet painless education on subjects as far-ranging as psychological evolution and neurochemistry.

In this groundbreaking book, master storyteller Franklin shatters the lens through which we see the world and shows us an unexpected, enthralling picture of the human/canine relationship.

©2009 Jon Franklin (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A welcome - and surprising - view into the canine soul from somebody who clearly understands and loves dogs." (Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of the international best seller Dogs Never Lie About Love)

What listeners say about The Wolf in the Parlor

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