The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone [Paperback]

Thomas McNamee (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0805057927 | ISBN-13: 978-0805057928 | Publication Date: May 15, 1998

A New York Times Notable Book

The inside account of the environmental story of the decade Early in this century, U.S. government agents trapped, poisoned, or shot every wolf they could track down in and around Yellowstone National Park. By 1926, not one wolf was left alive. After generations of struggle between the wolf's friends and foes, the wolf was returned to Yellowstone in January of 1995. Thomas McNamee chronicles the drama of the reintroduction, the political machinations behind it, and the harrowing details of the wolves' own lives. In his telling, it is easy to see why this saga has stirred the imagination of a nation.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"It has been sixty years, thirty wolf generations, since the last wolf pups were poisoned in the Yellowstone," writes McNamee. With the passage of time, the world is a safer place for the beleaguered wolf, so that, when the Interior Department conducted hearings on whether the wolf should be reintroduced to Yellowstone, some 160,000 letters came pouring in to Washington from across the country--the largest official citizen response to any federal action in history. Even so, the reintroduction effort was not without its divisive politics, and environmentalists squared off against so-called Wise Use movement activists in court and on the streets. Those political debates heated up even further when fewer than a dozen wolf individuals were finally released in Yellowstone National Park two years ago. McNamee tells this story knowingly--and very well. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The recent reintroduction of the gray wolf to Yellowstone Park after an absence of 70 years is considered by many to be one of the true conservation highlights of this century. This richly detailed and colorful account of the restoration project covers all the bases: the history, the politics, the characters (both human and animal), and the events including the trapping in Canada, the problematic release, and the illegal shooting of Wolf Number Ten near the town of Red Lodge, Montana, and subsequent manhunt. McNamee (The Grizzly Bear, 1984) has a gift for storytelling and characterization. His excellent writing and wry sense of humor make this book a delight and a fine complement to the equally excellent but primarily photographic The Wolves of Yellowstone (LJ 1/97). Recommended for most libraries.?Lynn C. Badger, Univ. of Florida Lib., Gainesville
Copyright 1997 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: 368 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805057927
• ISBN-13: 978-0805057928
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,027,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in 1947 in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up there and in New York City. I studied writing at Yale under the tutelage of Robert Penn Warren. I graduated in 1969.

I am the author of The Grizzly Bear (Knopf, 1984), Nature First: Keeping Our Wild Places and Wild Creatures Wild (Roberts Rinehart, 1987), A Story of Deep Delight (Viking, 1990), and The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone (Henry Holt, 1997). My latest book, Alice Waters and Chez Panisse: The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution will be published in March 2007 by The Penguin Press.

My essays, poems, and natural history writing have been published in Audubon, The New Yorker, Life, Natural History, High Country News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Saveur, and a number of literary journals. I wrote the documentary film Alexander Calder, which was broadcast on the PBS 'American Masters' series in June 1998 and received both a George W. Peabody Award and an Emmy. Many of my book reviews have appeared The New York Times Book Review.

I have served as a member of the board of directors and as president of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and as a trustee of Rare Conservation. I now serve on the board of the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, which operates the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco.

I live in San Francisco.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling read, October 21, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone (Hardcover)

Thomas McNamee is a passionate writer as well as a consummate naturalist, and what he has done in this book is a remarkable feat; to tell the story of the Yellowstone wolves from the perspective of a denizen of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem/one who owns a ranch within the wolves' new domaine/and an enrivro who questions his own, in addition to other's, emotional involvement with the issues raised by the their re-introduction. To do this all in a book as readable as this one is is a great feat. If you love the West, love Nature, or just want a surprisingly suspenseful story of the animals survival, the political and social implications of the wolf and, by extension, the ideals of the Endangered Species Act, you must read this book -- You won't be disappointed. It's a personal journey with implications for all of us who care about the imperiled natural world.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh perspective on wolves, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone (Hardcover)

Residents this reason have heard lots about wolves, but Thomas McNamee brings a fresh perspective to the story. He was a part-time rancher himself while writing this captivating book, but was also drawn to the wolves more deeply than he had first realized.

McNamee himself is a character in this book, giving it an inviting and personal air, but does not force his views on the reader. He shows the reader a federal wildlife agent tracking a wolf-killer outside of Red Lodge and even opens the window on curious rivalries and tensions between agencies involved in various chapters of the wolf story. Parts of the book are almost dramatic in their intensity, while others slow the pace as the wolves romp and play.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A smooth reading, funny yet informative book., March 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone (Hardcover)

I have been studying the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone for some time, yet this book not only gave me tons of new information it also made the information palatable by bringing with it humor and wit. Mr McNamee has an insiders view, being both a rancher and a wolf lover. Few people could see through both seta of eyes as clearly as he does, yet he makes it seem so easy. If you are to pick one book about the wolves of Yellowstone to teach you as much as possible I recommend this book to you. I do feel like he rushes details at the end of the book, but since the saga is not over, the book was hard to finish I suppose. Other than that small detail this is a great book with lots of facts and easy, witty, reading. Enjoy