Wildlife in America (Paperback)

by Peter Matthiessen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Peter Matthiessen, the author of the classic The Snow Leopard, here takes a long view of the troubled relationship between Americans and animals. Cataloging extinctions right and left, Matthiessen, who wrote this book in the late 1950s well before the rise of the present environmental movement, documents the decline of bear and wolf, caracara and crane, salamander and chub in the face of Manifest Destiny and economic progress. It's a sad tale, especially because what Matthiessen wrote of the last wild animals 40 years ago remains true today: "Such protection as is extended them too rarely includes the natural habitats they require, and their remnants skulk in a lean and shrinking wilderness." This is an essential book for environmentalists.

From Library Journal
These dual Matthiessens, which launch the publisher's new "Nature Classics" line, profile the relationship between humans and nature in East Africa (The Tree, LJ 12/1/72) and in the United States (Wildlife, LJ 1/15/60). The latter volume has been expanded and updated for this edition.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Rev Upd edition (January 26, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014004793X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140047936
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #553,723 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Wildlife Classic, June 17, 2001

By	Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

An early book by Peter Matthiessen, Wildlife in America, came out in 1959 (and with some spotty unpdating in this edition) and tells the story of America's response to its wild life over the centuries and then into the beginnings of a conservation movement and the more recent (relatively) efforts of government to protect the species particular to the American mainland and Alaska. In some ways, it becomes a list of animals that have dissappeared or are on the brink. It is very depressing but the author presents the facts and arguments in a clear fashion that captures the price of American progess on its wildlife. Despite some occasional purple prose and the new issues and arguments that have occured since, this is a very good reprint of a classic from the past.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should Be Required Reading in Every U.S. High School, January 13, 2006

By	P. Stefanowich - See all my reviews

If people only knew the Eden that existed before the birth of our present generation, they might yet understand what it is we are currently taking away from future generations. This book changed my life - it changed my value system. It has a place forever on my bookshelf. How one reacts to the information contained in this book says everything about ones individual character. Not only is it a sad choronology of the death and destruction of life in North America, it is a terrifying indictment on the collective psychology of mankind.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history lesson and emotional tour of wildlife., May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Wildlife in America (Hardcover)

I recommend this book to anyone interested in wildlife management or becoming a naturalist. Either this will be just another book or an turning point in your respect for wildlife, wildlife management and regulated hunting.