Can of Worms to release new edition of Morris autobiography

Can of Worms Press is releasing a new edition of The Naked Ape author Desmond Morris’s autobiography Watching.

Imprint TSB is releasing it in collaboration with Arte e Ciência of the University of Porto, where Morris gifted his scientific archive to the Museum of Natural History. The book will come out on 27th October. Can of Worms and Arte e Ciência hold world English language rights.

Publisher Tobias Steed commented: “In 1967 his book The Naked Ape was published, becoming one of the top 100 bestsellers of all time. During his long life he has published 48 scientific papers, written more than 80 books, and been published in 43 different languages. Between 1956 and 1998, he presented more than 700 television programmes.

“Desmond Morris is still going strong at 94 and many don’t know of his reputation as a surrealist painter, having produced more than 3,400 paintings and has held 60 solo exhibitions. In September Morris held a private launch for Watching at the Dún Laoghaire Institute of Visual Arts (DIVA) in Dublin with an exhibition of 60 new works he has painted since moving to Ireland in 2019. In March this year Thames & Hudson published his book The British Surrealists – of which he is the sole remaining survivor. We are delighted to be bringing out this revised edition of his autobiography.”