"In 1856, Paul Du Chaillu ventured into the African jungle in search of a mythic beast, the gorilla. After wild encounters with vicious cannibals, deadly snakes, and tribal kings, Du Chaillu emerged with 20 preserved gorilla skins - two of which were stuffed and brought on tour - and walked smack dab into the biggest scientific debate of the time: Darwin's theory of evolution. Quickly, Du Chaillu's trophies went from objects of wonder to key pieces in an all-out intellectual war. With a wide range of characters, including Abraham Lincoln, Arthur Conan Doyle, P.T Barnum, William Thackeray, and of course, Charles Darwin, this is a one-of-a-kind book about a singular moment in history." --from back cover.

pt. 1. Destiny -- A new obsession -- Hanno's wake -- Drawing lines -- American dreams -- To slide into brutish immortality -- An awkward homecoming -- "Unfriends" -- Fever dreams -- Between men and apes -- Maps and legends -- A lion in London -- The man-eaters -- D.O.A. -- Spirit of the damned -- Origins -- In the city of wonders -- Fighting words -- The boulevard of broken dreams -- pt. 2. The inner circle -- The unveiling -- The great white hunter -- Into the whirlwind -- Three motives -- The gorilla war -- The squire's gambit -- The gorilla in the pulpit -- Mrs. Grundy and the cannibal club -- "Evidence of a spurious origin" -- Shadows of the past -- Black and white -- The impostors -- Shortcuts to glory -- The wager -- pt. 3. The reinvention -- Damaged goods -- The boldest venture -- The armies of the plague -- Running for their lives -- The jury of his peers -- Accidental victories -- The explorer -- No-man's-land.