Through Eugène Dubois’ Eyes

Paul C.H. Albers (1965) PhD. Managing Editor of Behaviour. Guest-researcher at Naturalis, the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden, the Netherlands on the Dubois collection and on triassic fossils from the Winterswijk quarries.John de Vos (1947) Permanent researcher at Naturalis, the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden, the Netherlands, specializing on taxonomic, systematic, geographic, stratigraphic research of the Pleistocene mammals of the Netherlands and Southeast Asia, in relation to fossil man.

Eug ne Dubois, the man who found the missing link between apes and humans, intended to write a book about his finds in Indonesia. He never finished it. In this current volume the outlines of Dubois book are reconstructed. Recently discovered correspondence with his intended publisher shed new light on the troublesome character of Dubois and his inability to communicate with the scientific establishment. This volume also discloses the vast amount of photographic material that is part of the Dubois Collection at Naturalis, the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden, the Netherlands. As Pat Shipman summarizes it in her preface: [...] what this book offers, it is more: more images, more letters, more details, more insight into the workings of a brilliant but unquestionably difficult man of science. We shall not see Dubois' like again so it is doubly fortunate that Albers and de Vos have uncovered so much about his life.

Preface Pat Shipman Note from the authors Introduction Dubois and his Pithecanthropus Siwalik The discussion about Pithecanthropus Personal stuff The letter Family The book part I: The Indonesian collection Understatements Contents Species Pithecanthropus and its comparative material Character Martin The death of De Stoppelaar Distractions Photography Fool's errands Tegelen Saving the Netherlands from thirst Kallilimne The book part II: The Peltenburg era Selenka Finale Epilogue The Dubois collection in the Netherlands Appendix I: The Brill correspondence Appendix II: Glass negatives and positives Appendix III: Selection of photographs Acknowledgements