The Ninemile Wolves [Paperback]

Rick Bass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 1993

Defiant and opionated, Rick Bass has written an inspired essay advocating wolf reintroduction and recolonization, in the context of one, small pack's fate. An environmental issue for all, philosophical for some and yet moral for Bass, the wolf and its return have polarized the whole of the West--igniting the passions of both cattle ranchers and environmentalists, wildlife biologists and hunters. The result of years of personal study and scores of interviews with people both for and against the wolf's return to the Northern Rockies, THE NINEMILE WOLVES is not so much a scientific study as one man's' vigorous, emotional inquiry into the proper relationship between man and nature.
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1989, two wolves appeared in a valley in northwestern Montana--the first known pair to den outside Glacier National Park in 60 years. The rancher let them stay long enough for the pups to mature; a month later, after attacks on dogs and calves (probably by coyotes), the wolves were removed, kept in captivity for several weeks and released. One pup escaped, then was captured; the other two died of starvation. The following year, another pair came to Ninemile and produced six pups. Bass ( Winter: Notes from Montana ), a champion of reintroduction, follows the fortunes and misfortunes of the young wolves caught in a bureaucratic and political crossfire. He has interviewed ranchers, farmers and wildlife biologists, and accompanied federal agents as they tracked the wolves. For Bass, wolf recovery has become a moral as well as an environmental issue. Here he makes a persuasive case for wolves.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This essay by popular writer Bass ( Winter: Notes from Montana , LJ 2/15/91) examines the attempt to reintroduce an orphaned wolfpack to the Ninemile valley of northwest Montana. Conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the project was continually opposed by state authorities and special interest groups. Bass shows open contempt for the state's interference and stresses the importance of restoring balance to Western ecosystems. He also describes the history of wolf eradication programs in the United States and attempts to debunk many myths associated with the much-maligned creature. A good companion to Barry Lopez's Of Wolves and Men ( LJ 10/15/78), this is recommended for natural history and environmental collections.
- Tim Markus, Evergreen State Coll . Lib., Olympia, Wash.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1ST edition (July 7, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034538251X
• ISBN-13: 978-0345382511
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,927,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll want wolves in your backyard., December 12, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Coplin, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ninemile Wolves (Paperback)

Well, you won't want them in your backyard if you're raising cattle. This story about the Ninemile wolf pack in northwestern Montana is a fascinating account of a wolf reintroduction program, and it deals with the complexity of the situation thoroughly and compassionately. Bass makes no secret of his own opinions--he wants wolves to make a comeback in the lower 48--but he discusses the concerns of the ranchers and all parties involved in a professional, fair manner. I learned more about wolves from reading this book than from any other source, and it helped me to clear up many of my own misconceptions about these canines. Bass very cleverly shows us the human side of the wolf reintroduction issue, the often predictable pattern of what happens when you put wolves and people together. And it helped me to think about wolves in a new way--if there's an antonym for anthropomorphism, Bass's writing is it. And like all of Bass's other books, this one displays his uncanny economy with words. If you think that all nonfiction writing should be devoid of passion or color, this isn't the book for you. But if you love wolves, you'll love this book.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you kidding this book is great!, May 7, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Ninemile Wolves (Paperback)

I can't believe that only ONE person read that book! I LOVED it. And I am just a kid. I read two books on the same pack and this one was the second one I read. At the sad part I cried in this book even though I already knew what happened and I don't normally cry in books. He was a strong author and he told about his life he left his own soul in that book and no one bothered to even write a REVIEW even except for one person. This book is extrodinary! You should really read it. You will be pulled in to it as he tells about how wolves changed so many people's lives. You have to read it. I may be just some kid reading a book that is ment for 15+ but I have as much say in it as anyone else. You have to read it. You will never see wolves in the same way again.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly excellent, July 10, 2011

By 

Ann LaRee Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ninemile Wolves (Paperback)

Thank you, Rick Bass. This book is everything: poetic, philosophic, informative. Thought-provoking and awe-inspiring. I found myself turning down page after page, underlining passage after passage. I'd like to buy a copy of this book for everyone I know, then tie them down and force them to read it.