Henry Nicholls is a freelance science journalist writing regularly for Nature, New Scientist and BBC Focus as well as the broadsheets. His first book Lonesome George told the story of the last giant tortoise of Pinta in the Galapagos and was shortlisted for the 2007 Royal Society General Book Prize.
A fascinating story of an extraordinary animal -- Desmond Morris Henry Nicholls expertly charts the panda's decades of fame and binds together many intriguing facets of 150 years of Sino-Western interaction * Daily Mail * Thoroughly readable ... sheds valuable light on a mysterious and often misunderstood creature * BBC Wildlife * Insightful and meticulously researched ... provides fascinating insights into the panda's rise to its current popularity ... [Nicholls] has the skill, rare among scientists, of explaining science in a clear and appealing manner. His writing is easygoing yet informative, and will be accessible to any reader with an interest in nature -- Fintan Enright * Irish Examiner * An engaging popular science narrative ... absorbing and illuminating * Morning Star * The story is indeed fascinating, and Nicholls tells it with tremendous verve ... this is narrative nonfiction at its best -- Ian Critchley * Sunday Times * Splendid -- Kate Kellaway * Observer * A fascinating story * History Today * Curious but engaging * Times Literary Supplement *