Appius and Virginia

'I believe that if a young ape were taken at birth and brought up completely in human surroundings, exactly like a child, it would grow up like a child-would, in fact, become a child; except for its appearance, of course, and even there something might be done...' Could an ape be raised as a human being? Forty-year-old scientist Virgina Hutton decides to try, bringing a baby orangutan to her home in the countryside, and devoting years to teaching him to sit, speak and even write like a human. Through their complex and often troubled relationship, this neglected classic from 1932 explores the deep questions of what it means to be human, and whether we can truly understand another mind.