The Great Bear: Contemporary Writings on the Grizzly

by John A. Murray (Editor)

An anthology of fine, diverse writings 17 essays by Aldo Leopold, Edward Abbey, John McPhee, William Kittredge, and others. Royalties from the sale of the book go to the Nature Conservancy's programs for acquiring and preserving grizzly habitat. Nicely put together, with introductory material and a chronology of the grizzly bear in America, as well as a bibliography and index. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Genres: Nature, Environment, Nonfiction, Essays, Outdoors

245 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

Reviews

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the epilogue on page 233 and 234 John A Murray writes: Those who have packed far up in the grizzly country, as these authors, know that the presence of even one grizzly on the land, elevates the mountains, deepens the canyons, chills the winds, brightens the stars, darkens the forest, and quickens the pulse of all who enter it. They know that when a bear dies, something sacred in every living thing interconnected with that realm, including those resident human souls, also dies. History, judges civilizations, not only by their pyramids and cathedrals, social programs, and legislatures, judicial codes, and symphonies, but also by their stewardship of the Earth.

What a fine anthology of writings on the grizzly. I recommend it.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have long had a fascination with bears and for my birthday this year my husband gave me this book he found in a used bookstore. It is a collection of essays about the grizzly bear, which is considered an endangered species and numbers only around 1,000 in the lower 48. As the editor writes in his epilogue—“The essayists in this book, like the oracles of old, remind us of what is important and what is not, of what endures and what does not, and of what . . . is progress and what is not.” (p. 234) This is a provocative read on our diminishing environment, even if you’re not intrigued by bears like me.

[Carolyn McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of essays on the Grizzly Bear. The book overall was reminiscent of ill Bryson's work, which is a compliment to the editors and authors of this book. It left me with a frustration that we, in North America, are not doing enough to protect this wonderful, terrifying, complex creature.