The Essential Grizzly: The Mingled Fates of Men and Bears
Winner of Foreword Magazine's 2006 Gold Award for Nature Book of the Year! InThe Essential Grizzly, Doug and Andrea Peacock argue that the conservation of big, wild, sometimes dangerous animals is of absolute importance to modern humans, to the survival of our own species, and for rational thought. The emotional mindset behind reason is humility, a condition virtually guaranteed by a stroll through grizzly country, and a precursor to respect and tolerance for all other beings.Together, the authors delve into the complex dynamics that characterize modern bonds between people and the great bear. They explore a wide range of human-grizzly encounters through interviews with biologists, mauling victims, hunters, and photographers who have had close contact with bears. To these they add unique portraits—sketches of real grizzlies from the viewpoint of the bear—drawn from Doug’s extensive knowledge of bear behavior, considered by many people to be the most authoritative in the world. Filling a gap in the literature,The Essential Grizzlyeclipses existing books on bear behavior, attacks, and how-to pamphlets, providing readers with a twenty-first-century context for revisiting the original shudder of Homo sapiens—the bear in the cave of our genesis—and finding a measure of familiarity and value there.