In the Presence of Grizzlies: Sharing Our World with the Great Bear

by Doug Peacock (Author), Andrea Peacock (Author)

New
Paperback
2009
$15.84

Winner of ForeWord Magazine's 2006 Gold Award for Nature Book of the Year The most comprehensive and compelling chronicle of human-grizzly-bear interactions ever written, In the Presence of Grizzlies (formerly published as The Essential Grizzly) examines the fragile bond between ourselves and the quintessential alpha predator. Doug and Andrea Peacock contend that the conservation of big, wild, sometimes dangerous animals is essential for the survival of our own species and for the sense of humility necessary for rational thought. They explore a wide range of human-grizzly encounters through interviews with biologists, mauling victims, hunters, and photographers. To these they add unique portraits-sketches of real grizzlies from the bear's viewpoint-and up-to-date commentary on such developments as the declassification of grizzlies as an endangered species. In the Presence of Grizzlies eclipses all existing books on bear behavior and bear attacks, providing readers with a twenty-first-century context for revisiting the original shudder of Homo sapiens-the bear in the cave of our genesis.

Synopsis

Winner of ForeWord Magazine's 2006 Gold Award for Nature Book of the Year The most comprehensive and compelling chronicle of human-grizzly-bear interactions ever written, In the Presence of Grizzlies (formerly published as The Essential Grizzly) examines the fragile bond between ourselves and the quintessential alpha predator. Doug and Andrea Peacock contend that the conservation of big, wild, sometimes dangerous animals is essential for the survival of our own species and for the sense of humility necessary for rational thought. They explore a wide range of human-grizzly encounters through interviews with biologists, mauling victims, hunters, and photographers. To these they add unique portraits-sketches of real grizzlies from the bear's viewpoint-and up-to-date commentary on such developments as the declassification of grizzlies as an endangered species. In the Presence of Grizzlies eclipses all existing books on bear behavior and bear attacks, providing readers with a twenty-first-century context for revisiting the original shudder of Homo sapiens-the bear in the cave of our genesis.

$15.84

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Published: 24 Jul 2009
ISBN 10: 1599214903
ISBN 13: 9781599214900

Media Reviews

This is the finest kind of writing about the natural world, where the authors are able to shed their own egos and build a deeply moving, deeply real account of what our world must feel like to its wildest inhabitants. The grizzly is essential, and so is this book. --Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy: A Slightly More Hopeful Version of What Comes Next In this riveting work, the Peacocks convincingly show how America's greatest carnivore connects Americans to their culture, their history, their humanity, and the values we most treasure. --Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. No one has ever explored so deeply and so beautifully the heart and soul of the matter-the intricate life force of our own species' complicated and in many ways tragic relationship with this grand predator. Peacock and his wife Andrea have written the definitive book on the subject. I wish everyone in America, and especially our so-called 'leaders,' would read this wonderful book. --Jim Fergus, author of One Thousand White Women and The Wild Girl Doug Peacock has taught me a lot about how to deal with the wily griz - be humble, talk to him respectfully, and don't sing country western. The Peacocks' new book is an essential read for anyone who wants to get into the mind of these alpha predators. --Yvon Chouinard, owner of Patagonia Inc. This is a book about total immersion and full participation in life, about open-mindedness and openheartedness, but don't read it unless you are hospitable to the notion that large, fierce animals should live free in the wilderness nearest you, even if they eat your cat. --Michael Soule, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Santa Cruz A wonderful compilation of grizzly myth and lore, modern field biology and conservation, ecopolitics and ethics, interview and personal insight-all of it firmly grounded in experience in the field and an unsentimental love for this awesome animal. Indispensable. -Peter Matthiessen, author of The Snow Leopard The book is a clear-eyed, non-romanticized look at these amazing animals, their lives and the realities of bear-human interactions. --The Arizona Republic ..an impassioned exploration of 'how the great bear prowls the landscape of the contemporary mind'.. -- Outside Magazine a welcome addition to an already extensive literature about bears. ...a clear-eyed, non-romanticized look at these amazing animals... -- Arizona Republic Our list of Cool Stuff -- Backpacker Magazine

Author Bio

Doug Peacock, the world's most renowned authority on wild grizzlies, is the author of the memoirs The Grizzly Years and Walking It Off. He has appeared on NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, and the Today Show, and was a consultant for the classic 1988 Jean-Jacques Annaud film The Bear. Andrea Peacock is the author of the acclaimed Libby, Montana: Asbestos and the Deadly Silence of the American Corporation. Andrea and Doug live in Livingston, Montana.