The Great American Bear [Paperback]

Jeff Fair (Author), Lynn Rogers (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Northword Pr (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559714123
• ISBN-13: 978-1559714129
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,628,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, easy to read book on black bears., March 11, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great American Bear (Paperback)

I'm the author of Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters, and there aren't many books about bears I can recommend, but this is one of them. It doesn't portray black bears as demons or Disneyland characters. It's 100% accurate and the writing is top notch: very engaging. If you can only buy one book about black bears, this is it. If you can buy two books, add A Shadow In The Forest: Idaho's Black Bears, by two Idaho biologists.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Affair with the Black Bear..., December 8, 2011

By 

D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Great American Bear (Hardcover)

1994's "The Great American Bear" is naturalist Jeff Fair's excellent natural history of the black bear, the most common bear found in the US (outside Alaska). Fair has spent years of research on black bears on his native Minnesota; his acount is wide-ranging and at pains to knock down various misconceptions about bears.

In a nice combination of narrative and superb photography, Fair explores the natural life-cycle of black bears, from its annual cycle of foraging, procreation and winter sleep, to its intermittant interaction with human beings. The account is enhanced by Fair's extended interaction with individual bears and bear family groupings, and his appreciation of their natural habitat. This reviewer cautions that Fair's physical contact with bears should not be replicated by the average reader. Bears are wild animals and likely to be unpredictable under any and all circumstances.

"The Great American Bear" will be of great interest to those readers with an interest in the species. "The Great American Bear" is unfortunately out of print but highly recommended, even in used condition.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Informative, September 14, 2011

By 

Ohioan - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great American Bear (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book on the different types of bears in North America: their habits and habitats. The full-color photos are fantastic: you can actually "see" the personality of the different bears as they go about their daily lives. The book is well-organized and well-written and covers all aspects of a bear's life. It also covers the important subject of bear-human interactions and whether they're dangerous (to the human, to the bear). I've read this book twice and intend to read it again -- for information, for pleasure. Highly recommended!