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The Search
For years, Tom Brown, Jr. has made a bestselling name for himself as the guru of nature, meditation, and mysticism with his extraordinary messages of hope for our earth and our inner selves. Founder of the Wilderness Survival School, Brown now shares his vision of harmony in a wilderness guide that has become a bible for both spiritualists and nature lovers.
Author Biography: Tom Brown, Jr. began to learn tracking and hunting at the age of eight. He has founded a renowned survival school and is the author of bestselling wilderness guides bearing his name.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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250 people want to read
About the author
Tom Brown Jr.
30 books217 followersTom Brown Jr. was an American naturalist, tracker, survivalist, and author from New Jersey, where he ran the Tom Brown Jr. Tracker School.
In his books, Brown wrote that, from the age of seven, he and his childhood friend Rick were trained in tracking and wilderness survival by Rick's grandfather, "Stalking Wolf" (whom Brown stated was Lipan Apache). Brown wrote that Stalking Wolf died when Brown was 17, and that Rick was killed in an accident in Europe shortly thereafter.
Brown spent the next ten years working odd jobs to support his wilderness adventures. He then set out to find other people in New Jersey who were interested in his experiences. Initially Brown met with little success, but was eventually called on to help locate a crime suspect. Though the case won him national attention, he and authorities in the Ramsey, N.J. area were subsequently sued for 5 million dollars for charging the wrong person. Despite this controversy, he was able to build on this exposure to develop a profession as a full-time tracker, advertising his services for locating lost persons, dangerous animals, and fugitives from the law. According to People magazine, "He stalks men and animals, mostly in New Jersey."
In his books, Brown wrote that, from the age of seven, he and his childhood friend Rick were trained in tracking and wilderness survival by Rick's grandfather, "Stalking Wolf" (whom Brown stated was Lipan Apache). Brown wrote that Stalking Wolf died when Brown was 17, and that Rick was killed in an accident in Europe shortly thereafter.
Brown spent the next ten years working odd jobs to support his wilderness adventures. He then set out to find other people in New Jersey who were interested in his experiences. Initially Brown met with little success, but was eventually called on to help locate a crime suspect. Though the case won him national attention, he and authorities in the Ramsey, N.J. area were subsequently sued for 5 million dollars for charging the wrong person. Despite this controversy, he was able to build on this exposure to develop a profession as a full-time tracker, advertising his services for locating lost persons, dangerous animals, and fugitives from the law. According to People magazine, "He stalks men and animals, mostly in New Jersey."
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 9, 2008
Tom Brown is no literary genius, but I appreciate his heart. After reading this book, I look at the world around me differently, at least for a little while. He inspires me to get up early and go watch animals. Sometimes I even follow through on the inspiration. And I like practicing tracking and stalking.
September 6, 2012
... This book goes into tracking on many types of soil and in many conditions. It tells the reader how to view a landscape, a game trail, and a set of footprints that will reveal everything about the subject being tracked. It discusses how the passage of time and the elements affect tracks; how animals strategize to survive, how they normally behave and how all this is revealed in the markings they leave in the soil. It is an easy read, though the reader may tire of Brown's sermons and thirst for more of his survivalist knowledge.
Read my entire review here: http://boldbookworm.com/t021512.html
~ BB
http://boldbookworm.com
Read my entire review here: http://boldbookworm.com/t021512.html
~ BB
http://boldbookworm.com
March 18, 2008
I LOVE this book. Tom Brown has done it again. It makes me want to learn more about tracking and go to his tracking and awareness school. I have always been a fan of sitting in one place and just watching things, and it was awesome to have someone else say it is actually something I should do...haha!
April 11, 2008
Tom Brown's Follow up to The Tracker. This was a good book but not quite as good as his first effort. It certainly is a good read though. To date in my opinion his best work was 'Grandfather'. I am hoping one day he'll top it! Anyway this one is worth checking out
July 13, 2020
I don't love Tom Brown's preachy tone most of the time, but the overall message of reconnecting with and appreciating the natural world, of living in the present moment and learning how to be self-sufficient is a good one.
December 18, 2017
It's a good story, and good food for spirituality. To truly understand might require engagement to taste the wisdom of the land. Thanks for sharing you gift through this book.
October 14, 2025
A visionary, a dreamer, a healer.
Tom Brown Jr. was like a golden beam of God, sent to teach us the ancient ways - and now, he he has made his Last Walk.
His story unfolds in a time of a by-gone age, in the abundant woods of the Pine Barrens, New Jersey, where he lived for 12 months - and nearly died; but he emerged alive; to teach.
His words reverberate through our primordial past, and blend reality with myth. His stories seem almost too astounding, yet I hope they're all real; It's as if I cannot abide a world without that magic - even as I fear that gate is closed to me. Indeed, that's his call to us: to experience it for ourselves.
Although his watch has ended, and his address stands silent and forlorn at the back of this book, his spirit lives on in my heart.
Like an eagle his vision soared, like golden white his soul, and great was his calling. He was a master, and was one who I would follow.
My heart calls me onwards, into the unknown of wild places. May his spirit guide me and help me listen to my intuition - until my Last Walk.
Tom Brown Jr. was like a golden beam of God, sent to teach us the ancient ways - and now, he he has made his Last Walk.
His story unfolds in a time of a by-gone age, in the abundant woods of the Pine Barrens, New Jersey, where he lived for 12 months - and nearly died; but he emerged alive; to teach.
His words reverberate through our primordial past, and blend reality with myth. His stories seem almost too astounding, yet I hope they're all real; It's as if I cannot abide a world without that magic - even as I fear that gate is closed to me. Indeed, that's his call to us: to experience it for ourselves.
Although his watch has ended, and his address stands silent and forlorn at the back of this book, his spirit lives on in my heart.
Like an eagle his vision soared, like golden white his soul, and great was his calling. He was a master, and was one who I would follow.
My heart calls me onwards, into the unknown of wild places. May his spirit guide me and help me listen to my intuition - until my Last Walk.
August 22, 2020
Enjoyable but filled with disjointed one off stories, some of which end without conclusion. Some tales seem embellished, but since I wasn't there....
December 2, 2023
Somewhat far fetched and romanticized boomer autobiography.
October 27, 2008
i enjoyed this book. very nature oriented. filed under nature/spirituality. it had a lot of really good, [not overly academic] generally informed ideas about the overtly destructive qualities of 'westernization'/industrialization. it was written by a famous tracker/wilderness specialist, tom brown, who was living (and getting off on) a total alternative to society's indoctrination of dependency.
September 21, 2011
I liked The Tracker better, although The Search tells similar hard-to-believe stories about the wilderness. It's interesting to read about how he applied the skills and knowledge he learned as a boy in his adventures and work as an adult. It does come off as a little more preachy, though, which I didn't care for too much even if I understand and respect his views of nature.
February 25, 2013
Awesome. I love this tale: Tom Brown's discovery of the mission of his life. Inside this book are many great lessons and insights. And of course, these lessons are told through Tom's stories and adventures which excite even the weakest imagination. Grown men read this and become boys again. Boys become warriors and explorers. Women who read it become babes! Such a great book.
October 1, 2008
I enjoyed this. It was recommended by a friend and it took a long time before I picked it up, but it changed me. Something I haven't been able to say about a book in a long time. I look at a patch of dirt differently now!
October 14, 2007
Must Read-3
Meaningful-3
Meaningful-3
June 28, 2008
A more spiritual look at Tom Brown's Native American (Apache) spiritual philosophy and how it connects to his lifetime of tracking.
July 19, 2008
I picked up the second book in Tom Brown's memoir series because I'm teaching a 3rd and 4th grade program on tracking here at the Teton Science Schools.
July 23, 2008
What happened after Tom Brown turned 18? I had to know. So I'm reading this book. Both books are in an autobiographical voice but written by others. The ghostwriter here is somewhat lame.
April 19, 2009
Very self-disciplined, Tom Brown is. His thoughts and perspectives are worthy.
April 26, 2009
Good anecdotes....a little blustery. The tone of Tracker is more amenable to those not practiced in this stuff.
September 1, 2010
The further adventures and philosophical musings of Tom Brown, the tracker.
Not nearly as good as The Tracker. Way too much preaching of New Age philosophy.
Not nearly as good as The Tracker. Way too much preaching of New Age philosophy.
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March 30, 2013Husband said he'd not read it again, so off it goes to someone else. He reads faster than I do and I trust his judgement.
May 18, 2013
As interesting as his other lessons, and probably the most readable. I would probably recommend this as the best introduction to him. He also answered the fates of Grandfather and Rick.
August 22, 2023
top 5 1989
March 6, 2014
I really enjoy nature books and also 'biography' type books. This had both and also lessons to learn as well.
March 8, 2012
Good book but the other reviewer was right, the tracker was a much better book.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews