Alaska Bear Tales (Paperback)

by Larry Kaniut (Author) "Over the past several years more than one bear-wise Alaskan has poked fun at the experts who have stamped and labeled the Great Land's ursine..." (more)
Key Phrases: mauling victim, moose kill, bear maulings, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska Department of Fish, Admiralty Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
ALASKA BEAR TALES is a best-selling collection of edge-of-your-seat accounts of true-life encounters with bears in Alaska.

About the Author
Larry Kaniut is the bestselling author of "Alaska Bear Tales," His other books include "Some Bears Kill" and "Danger Stalks the Land," His stories have appeared in "Outdoor Life," "Outdoor America," "Anchorage Times," and "Alaska Magazine," and he has appeared numerous times on national television and radio shows, including Good Morning America and G. Gordon Liddy's show. He has been an Alaska resident since 1966.
Co-editor Denise Little worked with Spike Walker on "Alaska: Tales of Adventure from the Last Frontier,"

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books; FIRST EDITIION 4th Printing edition (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0882402323
• ISBN-13: 978-0882402321
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,335 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast, Entertaining Read - Not a Guide to Visiting Bear Country, July 5, 2005

By	Bryan Newman "alaskanoutfitting.com" (St Paul, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Larry Kaniut has made a career of writing white-knuckled real life thrillers. This book is no different. It's kind of like a car accident, once you start reading you can't turn your eyes away. It's easy to get into the book but hard to put down. What better material than bear attacks to capture your imagination.

There are lessons to learn from this book, but for the most part it is a collection of sensational bear stories presented for their entertainment value. If you are looking for a scientific look at bear attacks, this might not be the book for you - Try Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidence.

If you want a book that throws one gripping bear attack after another, get this one. And if you didn't get enough from this book, try More Bear Tales by Larry Kaniut.

One more bit of advice, read this one in your bedroom, not in a tent in the middle of Denali National Park.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The author is standing in front of my class right now, April 14, 2006

By	J. Paul Apfelbeck "redpoll" (Alaska, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The author of this book, Larry Kanuit, is standing in front of my high school English class right now telling the students how he researches his books and how he writes. About myself: I was a journalist for 15 years before becoming a teacher; much of that career was spent in Alaska. I now teach in Bush Alaska. Most of my students are Native Alaskans. Reviewers who have stated that the author is inventing his stories are wrong. Period. Bear-lovers who say that the author is demonizing bears sound as if they have no real-life, consistent, up-close experience with bears. True, most bears leave you alone. Also true, bears are unpredictable and they will attack, maul, and kill you, without provication or apparent reason. Kanuit is explaining right now to the students how he interviews the victims (or survivors), uses police and fish and game documents, and essentially "writes a research paper." His research is good. I happen to know some of the same people in his stories, and their stories match the stories in the book. It's a good read. You won't want to walk into the Alaskan Bush without a good firearm, though.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I have new respect for the Alaskan Grizzley, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

I have been to Alaska and Canada salmon fishing four times. I am planning on going again during the summer of 2000. When we go on these trips, we spend 10 to 12 days out in the Alaskan Wilderness. Although I have always had repect for brown/grizzly bears, I have never been extremely frightened about being mauled or eaten by one. I have only read the first 90 pages of this book, and I am already getting a little chill up my spine thinking about my trip in Y2K.

Unfortunately (or fortunately for me), I accidently left my copy of the book on the plane after a recent out of town trip. I need to decide whether to buy another copy of the book now, or wait until I get back from my trip next year. I'm not totally sure I want to read the rest of the book until I get back from my next trip.

The Book is extremely graphic, gory, and suspenseful. It will really make you think the next time you are spending the night in the Alaskan Wilderness. I'm sure I have learned some good things from this book, but right now I am getting a little nervious thinking about my next trip. I think I will be peeking around every corner the next time I go to Alaska.

If you enjoy real life tales of survival, you'll love this book. If you have a weak stomach, you might want to pass on this purchase.