Customer Reviews

The Bears of Yellowstone

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Sad that this book seems to have gone out of print(?); there are used copies available for very little money, though, and I had no problem obtaining one through the library system at the university where I teach.

I say "incomparable" in the title of my review because, to my knowledge, there really is no other book that does what this one does. Schullery distills centuries of others' collective experience, research, histories, and biological fieldwork into a single, very accessible account. He himself is an accomplished bear researcher, so this is an authoritative study. To put it succinctly: if you're a layman like me (rather than a biologist or natural historian) and you want to know everything a layman could reasonably want to know about the bears of Yellowstone National Park, read this book.

The book is part biological description, part park/conservation history (really the heart of the book), and part narrative account of human interactions with bears (including attacks) in YNP. It's never sensationalizing, though it is strongly biased in favor of conservation efforts; but it's hard to imagine anyone having a problem with that in this day and age. The writing is very clear (at times quite poignant) and never jargony---I'd say anyone with a middle school education or better would find this to be easy reading (which is not to say that it's simplistic or patronizing---just readable).

If I have one criticism, it's that after the first section (which focuses on bear biology and behavior), the book concentrates almost exclusively on Grizzlies. Schullery acknowledges this and explains that it's owing to the fact that Grizzlies have garnered far more attention from researchers, conservationists and the public than have the Black Bears, which are, after all, far more populous and widespread. (People don't go to YNP primarily to see Black Bears; they go to see Grizzlies. Unlike Grizzlies, BBs can be seen in Yosemite--or in Tennessee, for that matter--and almost all points in between.)

When you get bored with reading overblown attack stories that vilify bears-- when you're ready to accept that bear encounters are actually very rare (especially when it comes to Grizzlies) and that attacks are _extremely_ rare and fatal attacks _exceedingly_ rare-- when, in short, you've decided that there's a lot more to learn about Yellowstone's bears than how and how often they eat humans, read this book! Schullery's respect for his subjects is contagious, and you'll come away with a very complete picture of YNP bears that will enhance your experience of the park.