Amazon.com Review
Bears, those massive residents of forests and mountains around the world, are creatures of astonishing antiquity. When ancestral humans migrated out of Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago, bears were likely among the first creatures to greet them as they passed into Europe and Asia. Bears have weathered the encounter badly, writes biologist Lance Craighead, and especially in recent years with the rise of powerful firearms. Of the eight living species of bears worldwide, he observes, only two are not endangered or threatened.
Craighead, who has spent more than 40 years studying bears in the wild, is an authoritative, literate guide into their world, and this slender book is a wonderful education in all things ursine. He discusses the genetic ancestry and life history of bear species past and present and gives notes on current views of ursine evolution--by which, for example, polar bears are considered to have descended from some brown-bear-like generalist and thence to have specialized "to exploit an unused carnivorous niche, the marine mammals of the polar ice pack." Craighead includes giant pandas, sun bears, sloth bears, and South American spectacled bears in his discussion, although the bulk of the book is devoted to bears of the world's boreal regions.
Craighead's text is matched with handsome color photographs that illustrate aspects of the bears' habitat and sometimes playful, sometimes dangerous behavior. The book is a fine addition to any wildlife lover's library. --Gregory McNamee
From Library Journal
For some of us, the glimpse of a bear is the ultimate wilderness experience; for others, it is a dreaded horror. These two books attempt to dispel some of our irrational fears and urge us to respect bears and understand their behavior. All but two of the remaining species of bears are on the endangered list, and both authors claim that the key to the bear's future is education. Both books send their message through a combination of lavish color photographs and text. The Grizzly Almanac focuses on the grizzly bear, the largest species and long considered to be the most fierce. Busch, the author of The Wolf Almanac and seven other natural history titles, traces the evolution of the "big bear" from its earliest days, describes its habitat and behavior, and recounts grizzly folklore and tales of grizzly attacks. Maintaining that the grizzly's reputation as a vicious killer is undeserved, he makes recommendations for a more peaceful coexistence with humans. In Bears of the World, Craighead, who lectures on biology and conducts genetic research on grizzly bears at Montana State University, describes eight species of bears and their history, behavior, and habitats. He examines the complex issues surrounding bear conservation and suggests what organizations and individuals might do to ensure a healthy future for bears. The photos of both books will appeal to those who like to browse, but their text is also scholarly enough to be useful to researchers. Recommended wherever there is an interest in bears.DDeborah Emerson, Rochester Regional Lib. Council, Fairport, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
