The Company of Wolves

by Peter Steinhart

As wolves return to their old territory in Yellowstone National Park, their presence is reawakening passions as ancient as their tangled relations with human beings. This authoritative and eloquent book coaxes the wolf out from its camouflage of myth and reveals the depth of its kinship with humanity, which shares this animal's complex complex social organization, intense family ties, and predatory streak.

Genres: Nature, Animals, Nonfiction, Wolves, Science, Natural History, Biology

402 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Harikrishna Raghuraman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been interested in the wildlife channels, Animal Planet, National Geographic Channel and the Discovery, thanks to my mother, especially the predator-prey relationship. The interest increased after being introduced to David Attenborough and a whole lot of Netflix shows on our wilderness. Since coming to the west, I have always wanted to spot a bear in the wild but I have been unlucky so far. Yosemite, Olympic national parks, even the mighty Yellowstone have failed me. But Yellowstone always surprises you more. I have had the fortune of spotting a pack of 6 wolves. Talk about being in the right place at the right time with the right set of people. Thanks to a wonderful bunch of wildlife enthusiasts with powerful scopes, I was able to witness those beasts. Since then, I have consumed a lot more about wolves. Coincidentally, my roommate got this book at Yellowstone.

Wolves have always been contentious, are they villains for taking up the livestock, reducing the game/prey population (moose, deer, caribou and elk), very few accounts of human attacks as well or are they the victims in the wild whose habitat and food are challenged due to human intrusion (or expansion)? In this wonderful book, Peter Steinhart follows the wolves into their habitats, hears them howl, sees their kills and talks to many biologists and common people who share beautiful accounts of their slaughter, conservation and even reintroduction. One single caveat is that the book is old, written in the 90's. Since then, the wolves have been reintroduced in the greater Yellowstone area and the ecological effects have been greatly documented.

Today the wolves have slowly returned south as far as California in the west. In the book, a lot of people talk about wolves as a symbol of wilderness and their reintroduction as a hope that man will not lose his association with nature. There is this profound quote from Luther Standing Bear, an Indian from Sioux. "We do not think of the great open plains...as wild...Only to the white man was nature a wilderness". Wolves have been more a symbol of life, humans and nature rather than the wilderness itself. If you are an animal enthusiast, you must give this book a try.

[Jessaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should really be a five star book for the information that it contains, but I didn't enjoy it much due to having to read all about the killing of wolves by ranchers, etc. Still, it is a very thorough book for anyone who wants to know everything on the history of wolves and their habits.

[Lela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wolves became more to me than frightening beasts who killed. They are parents, aunts, uncles, children, siblings. Wonderful book!

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up book in Denali National Park. I have been looking or a book that discusses the controversy, history, myths, and social system of the wolf. I found this book easy to read and very informative. While the author is clearly a wolf supporter, he does show other perspectives (rancher, trapper). The book is well written and very interesting. It was published in the mid 90s so not much current info. One thing I really liked learning more about because it profoundly affects the wolf but is also a current policy in Alaska is wolf killing as predator control. Predator control is the term used to trap, shoot, and hunt wolves so moose, elk, deer, etc. populations will increase for hunting. According the the author, natural forces play a bigger role in moose, elk, etc. numbers than the wolf.
Very good book.

[Florence Buchholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to learn more about those majestic, mysterious animals that have inspired so many myths. Instead, the author kept mentioning wolves that had been killed in various places by various cruel methods, including by airplane. He even interviewed many of the hunters. He tried to give a balanced scientific viewpoint of wolves history in North America but much of it seemed like an unexciting listing of population changes. I don't feel like I gained much additional knowledge about wolf behavior, however I did find the chapter on dog-wolf hybrids and the behavioral problems associated with raising them to be very informative. .

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

While still in high school, I became fascinated with wolves and wolf recovery. That was about the time this book was written. "The Company of Wolves" is almost 20 years old, but the issues are still present. It's pretty thorough, and well-researched exploration of the relationship between man and wolf.

Steinhart makes an astute observation that our feelings about wolves may be mere reflections of how we feel about mankind. I think that's probably true for me. I'm not one who believes that man is nothing more than another animal, but I do believe we're connected to all living things in a deep way. Similarities among species are inevitable, though our own experience can color how or if we perceive them.

I live in a community where "Kill 'em all" stickers, referring to wolves, are not uncommon in the back windows of compensatory pickups. That's in spite of the fact that Utah has no viable packs. Some people just feel they need something to hate I guess, and the symbol of a wolf must fill that need. I prefer to see wolves as a complex and largely misunderstood species, necessary to the thriving of other species and ecosystems, and deserving of nuanced consideration. In some ways, they are like us. Known for violence, but also intelligence and loyalty, they really aren't a bad mirror at all.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, simply, the best book on wolves I've ever read. Steinhart starts out by stating the problem: that it's almost impossible to think about wolves without bringing to the subject cultural baggage. Whether its positive or negative, spiritual or demonic, everyone has preconceptions. Steinhart does his level best to break through those preconceptions to see through to the wolf, the organism itself.

At the same time, he does a fabulous job of writing in an engaging, evocative manner that is a pleasure to read.

[Christian Ledesma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought Wildlife conservation texts would be fun to read. As I approached the last chapters, I didn't want the book to end.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright. I learned a lot of cool and interesting facts about wolves, which was what I was hoping to get out of this book. However, this only comprised 50% of the book. The other 50% was all about the multiple debates surrounding wolves and wolf preservation/ reintroduction in the ecological and biological sciences, in politics, and in farming communities. This was far less interesting to me.

At the end of the day, wolves are still one of my top favorite animals and this book has given me a lot of cool facts to back up why I love them so much.

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Company of Wolves, Peter Steinhart talks to the men and women who have devoted their lives to protecting the wolves, or eradicating them. Written prior to the wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone, it gave me great insight into the background leading up to it. Of particular interest was meeting Renee Askins, a young wolf biologist who convinced Mott, a former director of the National Park Service, of their importance to being returned to the park. We learn of the wolves in Alaska, the Red Wolf returned to North Carolina, and the complexity of hybrid. If you love wolves, this book is one of the must reads.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dedication to Canis lupus:
There are many reasons why I'm fascinated about those animals. Well I could only mention because of its mysteries distinguished beauty and that would be enough. But for me, there is more...
I'm draw to wolves, because no other animal is so like us. We recognize chimpanzees and gorillas which are a lot like us in body structure and capacities for language and tool making.

Of course we are in many ways like chimpanzees and Co.but we are in some more ways more like wolves :

Like wolves, we evolved as a hunter
Like wolves we have more adaptions to chase rather than to hide
Like wolves we have minds capable of calculation of strategy and coordination
Like wolves we band together to kill lager prey
Like wolves we have a different social system, for long childhoods,strong social bonds, complex social roles, status differences
Like wolves we claim and defend territories
Like wolves we have strong emotions

We have so much alike, we have to protect and love those beautiful precious creatures !

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well researched and all encompassing book about wolves. The history of both the grey and red wolf eradication in the lower 48 states and subsequent efforts to reestablish themselves (both with and without human intervention) takes up much of the book. But it also discusses wolf behavior (such as howling, raising of their young, dispersers, hunting patterns, etc.)and peoples' irrational views about them. After reading this book I was struck by the similarities between wolves and people. But most of all I was in awe of such a magnificent animal.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info, a little outdated. And long.

[Karine Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly well written book on wolves, that combines many sides to the contentious dilemma. It helps readers really understand the complex animal, void of too much bias in any one direction. The way the book is written is in the form of laying out the facts, providing evidence based on quoted conversations, incorporating the viewpoints and experiences from major key players in the wolf biology field, while connecting the wolf across state and country lines. The book makes sure to address the major wolf influences in North America, while bringing in the issue and progress from other countries.

This is one of my favorite books.

I fully admit, it was difficult to get through, especially in chapters where viewpoints were so strikingly different from my own.

When I began reading this in the summer/fall 2019, I had barely made it through the first 2 chapters, before I had to set it aside and revisit it later, at a time when I was much more ready to take it in.

This revisit did not actually happen until the spring of 2020, at which point I was already fully into my graduate capstone work, and getting ready to finalize the project. I had to actually devote a plan to finishing this book, with a chapter goal a day in April and May 2020...Some days, it was tough to get through even that, and I had to finish the single chapter in a 2 or 3 day attempt. It was not a lack of time, but more a matter of needing more time to fully accept the haunting story, while making it faithfully through all the content. In other words, reading this book was not just about getting it done. I needed to fully absorb it.

I also made sure to read every word, every sentence and every viewpoint, regardless of the challenges. I read most the book while sitting quietly in the same place along the Greenbelt river in Boise, ID. It helped me get through some of the hardest concepts to wrap my head around, and some things I was not aware of prior to this important read.

Perhaps most importantly, this book helped me to really see the animal, and get inside its mind and behavioral patterns, without actually seeing the species in the wild...I felt that by reading this book, I was doing my part as someone in favor of wolf protection by just simply staying away from them, and letting them be, in their wild state of existence.

I am using this book as the adult foundational story for my graduate capstone project through Oregon State University's E-Campus Masters in Natural Resource program. I needed a book that would speak to what I hoped to accomplish with my project; one that I could revert back to frequently in order for people to better understand why wolves were so important.

This project would respect my resource, knowledge, and wolf experience constraints.

This book was purchased during my travels to Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 2019. It absolutely accomplished what I hoped it would! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential. A brilliant and very detailed account of the history of how we as humans have loved, respected, awed, despised, and confronted the wolf in all its forms.

With tons of personal opinions, stories, experiences, and vantage points from multiple sides, love and hate, (and even the neutral), Steinhart does really well to represent all attitudes towards the wolf, and his (almost) unbiased narrative leaves the reader to really shape and discover their own internal narrative towards one of the most mysterious creatures in cultural history.

He is not telling you to love or hate the wolf either way, but instead, like the wolf itself, guiding you to open your mind and take in everything the wolf has ever had to offer, while also making it very clear that we still have a lot to learn.


From Western ranchers to Alaskan trappers and Ancient Indigenous tribes, each have rich and divided opinions going back hundreds and hundreds of years, supported by interviews and a very respectable amount of research.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and strongly recommend it to anyone who feels a connection to the wolf, whether they respect and admire and love it, despise and disgusted by it (but still want to learn more), or even if they don't know yet and are undecided.


We may never understand the wolf, I think we may never even truly want to, and while this book is probably just barely scratching the surface of the complexities of it, it is a wonderful start to the conversation.

[Danigerous · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 2.5 . The outdatedness I can handle. I can deal with the fact that it dragged on needlessly. What irked me though was that I was left with the feeling that the book mostly consisted of the negative opinions of lay people with the impression that man is above all and any creature is places there for them to do as they like who also felt that their business might be threatened by the presence of wolves and they won't be able to exploit nature any way they please. Government compensations were not enough, investing in guard dogs was too much of an expenditure. Even the Native Americans (who throughout the book were presented as people worshiping wolves) interviewed were mostly such with more of a negative view. Not sure what the purpose of this book was, but if you're looking for information on the nature of wolves or are a wolf aficionado, this is definitely not the right book.

[Randall Burleson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book fails to contain a a single reference to support the author's statements in the book. Page 27 the author states, "In thirty-five years, more than eighty thousand wolves were submitted for bounty payments in Montana." Where is the supporting documentation for this incredible number? Am I supposed to simply accept this as factual?

When I read a book for educational purposes I want to have the ability to look up the reference material myself in order that I can reference the book with confidence. I have no confidence in this book or the material contained within. I could not recommend it with good confidence.

[Claire Sudol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The part about the trappers complaining that animal numbers have declined and they’re not like they used to be when they took 1000 at a time is quite weird. Like do u really not see the correlation?
Ignore that this is my third wolf book this year

[Asif Syed · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good. Impressive. Makes you think, and fills you with admiration and respect for the wolf.

[Crystal Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how long ago I read this, but it was around 2007 or so. I remember that I loved it though I don't have a copy of it anymore.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the author's bias is a bit nauseating at times, and this isn't the book I wanted it to be, this book nonetheless covers a lot of ground in relatively few pages, giving over more time to man's history with wolves and wolves as symbols of either good or evil than the actual science of the wolf itself. But, unlike myriad other works purporting to be about wolves but really being about humans, this one actually stops to explain why. And 'why' is a very important question. WHY the preoccupation with humans history with wolves? WHY is the issue of reintroduction so heavily contended? WHY do authors get sidetracked talking about spirituality when I would prefer them to discuss the behavior of the animal? This book provides a lot of answers to questions I've long harbored not about the wolf, but about the people who deal with and write about them.
It does also have a fair amount of text about wolves as animals, if you piece it all together.
But most of all, it explains why you get a completely different picture of wolves every time you read something about them.
So while my instinct is not to give this a high rating because of the statements I disagree with or have no interest in, and it is doubly to give it a low rating for expressing such obvious preferences for one person or another interviewed for the book, there's actually a veritable treasure trove of information in this book that I have found nowhere else, and the author is much freer about where that information was gotten than most. Much of what is said in the book can still be looked up today, and you can find out, for example, what happened to the Isle Royale wolves after this book was published.
In short, it's worth the read, despite being hard to read in some places.

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steinhart examines many aspects of wolf conservation and controversy in a thought-provoking book.

Although this book is slightly dated, having been written before wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, I still think it is very much worth reading. It examines controversial issues from various perspectives without demonizing or whitewashing any of them, letting the reader form conclusions -- or come to the conclusion that solutions are not easy after all. It is one of the only nature writing books I've read that discusses the sociological and anthropological aspects of conservation, and the moral issues that complicate our relationships with predators, and it does this in a clear, rational, unsentimental way. Some of the ideologies presented here will be disturbing to readers -- I had never encountered the belief that wildlife is a "resource" to be "harvested" as people see fit -- but Steinhart presents his informants in a fair light, I think.

Chapters on the purity or not of red wolves (on which Steinhart suggests what I think is a rational conclusion regarding the mutability of species as they evolve) and on the dangers of wolf-dog hybrids add interesting material that isn't covered in most books on wolves.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gives and good overall picture of the situation - I just wish it offered more solutions.

Some issues the book didn't really address.
State Land, Park Service Property, DNR Land, National Forest Land - does NOT belong to the government. It is NOT their land. It belongs to the 'public' it should all be relabeled as "PUBLIC LAND" since government entities are not incorporated they cannot own anything. WE the people own the Government - we ARE the government, therefore, that is OUR land. So if you took that approach to how it should be used and managed, you'd have a whole different perspective on both sides of this issue now wouldn't you?

The farmers and ranchers who are struggling with wolves and grazing rights are coming from that perspective. And while Peter really does make an honest effort to explore both sides of the issue - it's a big GAP in the book.

Other than that - it's an excellent informative read. I wish there was some magic wand that you could wave that would make people and wolves get along, but there isn't and its heartbreaking to watch it out here in Eastern Washington first hand.

[David]

For she was just a girl after all, who'd strayed from the path in the forest, and remembered what she'd found there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocPCx...

[Dsalsbury Salsbury]

This was a good break from what I have been reading. The life of a wolf in a wolf pack & their relationship with humans. Quick easy read. Brought up some interesting psychological issues...

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting nonfiction book. It drags in places, and speeds along in others, but otherwise I was fascinated by the lives and culture of wolves.

[... · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★ There's a lot of valuable info here, real quality content, but it can get a little dry.