A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo is about natural history, travel in the tropics, life sciences, and adventure, with the environment always in mind. It chronicles the nine years the author spent with his family on that equatorial island. The book’s humorous style never detracts from the focus on the science, the island of Borneo and its natural wonders.

The story begins in 2007 on top of a garage in Taiwan, where the author kept a greenhouse filled with hundreds of carnivorous tropical pitcher plants. In August of the same year, he attended a conference on these plants in Borneo and met them in the wild for the first time. This triggered an obsession with the island’s legendary rainforest fauna and flora, and he decided to move to Borneo with his family for easier access to the jungle. In a tone reminiscent of Bill Bryson, Douglas Adams, and Gerald Durrell – funny, self-deprecating, but always satisfying for the science-minded reader – A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo documents the Breuer family's adventures with Borneo’s enormous biodiversity: flying snakes, venomous primates, parachuting frogs, pangolins, king cobras, orangutans, masters of mimicry and camouflage, the world's rarest lizard and the world’s longest snake.

And these are just a fraction of the life forms the reader will meet. Adventure lurks behind every trail bend: toddler-sized monkeys terrorize night hikers, bearded jungle pigs hunt stray dogs, a giant python almost gets stepped on, and other encounters of the ‘not so funny when it happened’ kind. The reader will also meet the people inhabiting the island, such as Asia’s last rainforest nomads, quaint government officials, and former headhunting tribes that still proudly display their trophies above their fireplaces. Inevitably, the author’s life in Borneo also led to first-hand insight into the island’s environmental tragedy caused by decades of severe over-exploitation, a recurring topic throughout the book.

A Greenhorn Naturalist in Borneo puts the reader in a front-row seat to marvel at nature’s wonders in all their magnificence visiting places unknown and creatures unheard of; and it is also an invitation to consider the state of the planet, to take it seriously, and to act before it’s too late. 

This will be of immense appeal to everyone with an interest in the natural world, wildlife, conservation, Borneo in particular and anyone who enjoys an entertaining read.

'Really enjoyed this title from Whittles Publishing - It's often a laugh-out-loud funny account of a botanist/naturist/ex-pat life/long-term traveler family man traveler living his dream. Borneo is definitely on my gotta-get-to list, as a result. If you're a reader who likes reading about travel, funny culture clashes, and nature, this one's for you.' Raw Travel

‘…the book is written in such an absorbing and humorous way that readers will be glued to every word. I particularly like the author’s use of similes, which create a clear picture in the reader’s mind, an example being: ‘A row of small terrestrial orchids grew like scaled-down street lamps.’ Hans may have started out as a greenhorn naturalist but he shows how much of an expert he really is. His style of writing really appealed to me and I’d thoroughly recommend this book.’ Wildlife Detective

‘Counting down days to my Malaysia trip and I had to make the push to finish A Greenhorn Naturalist In Borneo. What a fun read, and to read about some of the very places we’re going.’ Reader review

‘It’s funny and self-deprecating and documents the Breuer family’s fun enjoying Borneo’s enormous biodiversity… The book broadens the understanding of the natural world generally and of equatorial ecosystems specifically, but has a real gentle humour to it, for those who just want a good read. With 160 beautiful colour photographs and real knowledge from Hans, who studied sinology at Ruhr University, Bochum and Chinese Studies at Fu Ren University, Taipei, the armchair reader will have so much fun with this book and the delve into the wonderful and wild world of nature.’ Our Man On The Ground Travel And Lifestyle

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