Wolf: Spirit of the Wild : A Celebration of Wolves in Word and Image

by Douglas H. Chadwick, Barbara Zarbock

An anthology in celebration of wolves includes writings by wolf experts, along with poetry, fables, legends, and myths from cultures around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Wolves, Nature

182 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[WolfLover · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful book which explores wolves both as real animals and as figures in human mythology. It features articles by various researchers, excerpts from novels, poetry, and folk tales and legends from different cultures. There are many beautiful photographs and illustrations. I have given it four stars rather than five as there were a couple of factual errors (such as the suggestion that incest is common in wolves when it’s actually rare), but this is still a great book.

[AnnaRichelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

First coffee table book I've read cover to cover and I loved it! A mixture of wolf origin, history, research, fact and folklore kept me engaged and coming back for more. Published in 1993, at a time when reintroducing wolves back into Yellowstone was still an ongoing effort of 20 years and knowing that wolves, in fact, had been successfully reintroduced back into Yellowstone in 1995, gave me hope for the survival of the wolf species. The photos and images in the book are beautiful!

[Lone Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book includes facts, fiction and folklore pertaining to wolves, exploring both their behaviour and lifestyle and their place in the myths and legends of humanity. The layout often presents fact and fiction side by side, without making it entirely clear which is which. For example, there are several excerpts from the novel ‘The Red Snow’, which is written in a documentary style and could easily be mistaken for actual observations of real wolves when following on directly from a factual paragraph. This could lead to readers being misinformed, as fiction like this obviously isn’t always factually accurate.

The book is heavily skewed towards North America, with little mention of wolves from Europe or Asia, and due to the time of writing, some of the information given is now outdated. It uses some invalid taxonomy and states that carnivores evolved from creodonts, which is no longer considered to be the case. It also talks about the “planned” reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone, which happened in 1994.

In addition, there are a few statements that are just plain wrong, such as claiming that it’s the norm for wolves to mate with their close relatives (this is rare), and badgers being referred to as rodents. There’s the occasional typo too, like “mat” used instead of “mate” and “mufflon” instead of “mouflon.”

[Grey853 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some extraordinary photos and imagery of wolves. It's one of my favorite books on the subject. It's very accessible to those who just love to read about wolves and their behavior without wading through a lot of scientific terminology. I highly recommend this book to any wolf lover just for the pictures alone.

[carl theaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly intelligent, possesses uncanny communication skills, and vital to the spirit - at that time my girl, later wife, said that's what wolves & I have in common. I never try to argue with her!


Beautiful book, many pictures, and drawings, with the history of the furry critters wrapped around it.

The is edition anyway comes in an envelope like binder.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book that sheds some light on the mysterious lives of wolves. Hated and hunted almost to extinction, wolves are beautiful animals all too often misunderstood by humans. If more people read this book, then maybe more people would act to defend and protect wolves.

[Maddie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Loved every page.