If you are at all interested in wolves, read this book!


The best book on wolves I've ever read!   May 23, 1998
 24 out of 24 found this review helpful

This is probably the most informative book on wolves I've read. It's divided into four sections--the first is about wolves, the animals; what they eat, where they can be found, breeding, socializing, etc., and contains some unusual facts about wolves. The second section is about Native Americans and wolves--how the wolf affects Native American society (symbolism, etc.) The third, and probably the most horrific part, is about North Americans and wolves. This section covers the "war on wolves" that started in the 1800's and still goes on today--it contains mortifying statistics and facts about this dark, little-known period in American history. Almost too informative, if you know what I mean... The last section is about the wolf in Europe; the wolf in the middle ages, its place in literature, and some facts on wolf mythology. Very informative--especially for an older book--and a real eye-opener.


Our ambivalent actions toward nature   December 3, 1997
 2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Lopez shows in embarrassing detail human ambivalance toward the natural world, using the wolf as a metaphor, for our relationship as exploiter and pioneer and protecter and conservationist. Lopez is really asking if humanity feels it can afford to save these essential animals in an ecosystem that is out of balance, and rethink our ideas of wilderness or if we can afford not to. If the wolf is the symbol of all that is wild in wilderness then the campaign to reintroduce wild populations in the American west transcends economics and penetrates to the heart of the national debate on preserving those places and the envirnmental legacy we will leave our childern.


A final say on the history of the North American gray wolf.   December 30, 1996
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Written with the sensitivity that is Mr. Lopez' trademark, this is a book for lovers (and haters) of wolves. It is extremely well-researched and well-written, and will teach you something (even if you believe you are an expert on wolves)