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Animal Series
Bear
The angry grizzly and the cuddly teddy: few animals possess such a range of personas as the bear. Here, Robert Bieder surveys the wealth of imagery, myths, and stories that surrounds the bear. Beginning with the dawn bear, the small dog-sized ancestor of all bears who hails from 25 million years ago, Bieder embarks on a fascinating exploration of the evolutionary history of the bear family, from extinct species such as the cave bear and giant short-faced bear to the mere eight species that survive today.
Bear draws on cultural material from around the world to examine the various legends and myths surrounding the bear, including ceremonies and taboos that govern the hunting, killing, and eating of bears. The book also looks at the role of bears in modern culture as the subjects of stories, songs, and films; as exhibited objects in circuses and zoos; and, perhaps most famously, as toys. Bieder also considers the precarious future of the bear as it is threatened by loss of habitat, poaching, global warming, and disease and discusses the impact of human behavior on bears and their environments.
Accompanied by numerous vibrant photographs and illustrations, and written in an engaging fashion, Bear is an appealing and informative volume for anyone who has curled up with Winnie-the-Pooh or marveled at this powerful king of the forest.
Bear draws on cultural material from around the world to examine the various legends and myths surrounding the bear, including ceremonies and taboos that govern the hunting, killing, and eating of bears. The book also looks at the role of bears in modern culture as the subjects of stories, songs, and films; as exhibited objects in circuses and zoos; and, perhaps most famously, as toys. Bieder also considers the precarious future of the bear as it is threatened by loss of habitat, poaching, global warming, and disease and discusses the impact of human behavior on bears and their environments.
Accompanied by numerous vibrant photographs and illustrations, and written in an engaging fashion, Bear is an appealing and informative volume for anyone who has curled up with Winnie-the-Pooh or marveled at this powerful king of the forest.
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 21, 2012
I've read of a few of the Reaktion Series books and this is my favourite so far.
As usual for the series, it starts with a brief overview of the evolutionary history of the subject, then an overview of extant species and then a sketch of human cultural interactions and portrayals. This one also rounds off with a look at the precarious status of the seven remaining bear species, most of which are teetering on the brink of extinction, and the one species that isn't is classed as threatened (as at publication date of 2005).
This format is a good one, but due to the relative slimness of the books, and the copious illustrations, the degree of depth is variable depending upon the scope which it has to cover. I was rather disaapointed in this regard with Spider, which just had too many species of spiders and their varying ecological niches to deal with properly. However, the present volume is able to provide a reasonable layman's guide to the rather smaller number of bears still around.
The folklore and mythology chapter was very interesting, showing that human attitudes towards bears are quite similar around the world, with most cultures feeling that people and bears can interchange and, to some extent, are actually the same species.
After dealing with our love for bears in literature, as teddy bear toys and with some of the products that seek to associate themselves with this affectionate symbol, the author certainly didn't shy away from our incredible cruelty towards real bears. The photographs of bear-baiting in Pakistan in 1997 are gruesomely brutal, and the photograph and descriptions of bear gall-bladder farming in the Far East in 2002 are heart-rending.
The final section is about the global conservation efforts being mounted to protect the viability of bear populations, their habitats and larger ecosystems, notably from corrupt or venal politicians and their corporate interests, in both Western and Eastern economies.
As usual, at the back of the book there is an "animal timeline," bibliography, textual notes, a list of bear-related organisations and website address and an index. Also as usual, the book is very well out together with high quality paper which really does justice to the beautiful illustrations, most of which are in colour.
Now I need to decide which of the series to read next: an iconic animal like the Wolf, or something a bit more leftfield, such as the Eel. Hmmm, decisions....
As usual for the series, it starts with a brief overview of the evolutionary history of the subject, then an overview of extant species and then a sketch of human cultural interactions and portrayals. This one also rounds off with a look at the precarious status of the seven remaining bear species, most of which are teetering on the brink of extinction, and the one species that isn't is classed as threatened (as at publication date of 2005).
This format is a good one, but due to the relative slimness of the books, and the copious illustrations, the degree of depth is variable depending upon the scope which it has to cover. I was rather disaapointed in this regard with Spider, which just had too many species of spiders and their varying ecological niches to deal with properly. However, the present volume is able to provide a reasonable layman's guide to the rather smaller number of bears still around.
The folklore and mythology chapter was very interesting, showing that human attitudes towards bears are quite similar around the world, with most cultures feeling that people and bears can interchange and, to some extent, are actually the same species.
After dealing with our love for bears in literature, as teddy bear toys and with some of the products that seek to associate themselves with this affectionate symbol, the author certainly didn't shy away from our incredible cruelty towards real bears. The photographs of bear-baiting in Pakistan in 1997 are gruesomely brutal, and the photograph and descriptions of bear gall-bladder farming in the Far East in 2002 are heart-rending.
The final section is about the global conservation efforts being mounted to protect the viability of bear populations, their habitats and larger ecosystems, notably from corrupt or venal politicians and their corporate interests, in both Western and Eastern economies.
As usual, at the back of the book there is an "animal timeline," bibliography, textual notes, a list of bear-related organisations and website address and an index. Also as usual, the book is very well out together with high quality paper which really does justice to the beautiful illustrations, most of which are in colour.
Now I need to decide which of the series to read next: an iconic animal like the Wolf, or something a bit more leftfield, such as the Eel. Hmmm, decisions....
May 30, 2022
Read for university.
May 19, 2024
Raju, mutta mielenkiintoinen.
February 2, 2013
In theory, I really liked the idea of these books: a discussion of a particular kind of animal in terms of its natural history, the human myths and legends surrounding it, historical and cultural attitudes, and ecological issues. In practice, I was left wanting a lot more.
I enjoyed what I did read -- the brief survey of different types of bears, a few choice retellings of myths, historical stories, and lots of pretty pictures of everything from cave drawings to teddy bears to photographs of bears in the wild. I guess I just kind of expected more of everything, especially when it came to the behavior and ecology of bears. I feel like this is probably a good starting point, though, if you want to know more about a particular aspect of bears in human culture, especially with regards to a lot of the myths and legends I had not heard of.
I enjoyed what I did read -- the brief survey of different types of bears, a few choice retellings of myths, historical stories, and lots of pretty pictures of everything from cave drawings to teddy bears to photographs of bears in the wild. I guess I just kind of expected more of everything, especially when it came to the behavior and ecology of bears. I feel like this is probably a good starting point, though, if you want to know more about a particular aspect of bears in human culture, especially with regards to a lot of the myths and legends I had not heard of.
January 17, 2013
A slim read, yet informative and broad in scope. Covering the evolutionary history of bears, their place in human myth (why so many tales of human/bear mating?), their recent history alongside man and the heart-breaking state of current world populations and treatment, especially in Asia and the US, this is a great place to start finding out about this most beautiful animal. Plenty of suggestions for futher reading too.
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July 20, 2011Valistava ja viihdyttävä. Todella loistava kirja, jos haluaa oppia jotain lisää karhuista.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews