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Of Wolves and Men Paperback – September 1, 1979

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 597 ratings

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Originally published in 1978, this classic exploration of humanity’s complex relationship with and understanding of wolves returns with a new afterword by the author.

Humankind's relationship with the wolf is the sum of a spectrum of responses ranging from fear to admiration and affection. Lopez’s classic, careful study has won praise from a wide range of reviewers and improved the way books on wild animals are written.
Of Wolves and Men explores the uneasy interaction between wolves and civilization over the centuries, and the wolf's prominence in our thoughts about wild creatures. Drawing upon an impressive array of literature, history, science, and mythology as well as extensive personal experience with captive and free-ranging wolves, Lopez argues for the wolf's preservation and immerses the reader in its sensory world, creating a compelling portrait of the wolf both as a real animal and as imagined by different kinds of men. A scientist might perceive the wolf as defined by research data, while an Eskimo hunter sees a family provider much like himself. For many Native Americans the wolf is also a spiritual symbol, a respected animal that can strengthen the individual and the community. With irresistible charm and elegance, Of Wolves and Men celebrates careful scientific fieldwork, dispels folklore that has enabled the Western mind to demonize wolves, explains myths, and honors indigenous traditions, allowing us to understand how this remarkable animal has become so prominent for so long in the human heart.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"The wolf exerts a powerful influence on the human imagination. It takes your stare and turns it back on you." So Barry Lopez writes in his first major work of nonfiction, a careful study of the way that wolves and humans have interacted over centuries, and the way that the wolf has become so central to our thinking about animals. Drawing on considerable personal experience with wolves and on an astonishing range of literature, Lopez argues for the necessity of wolves in the world, which would be much poorer without their howl. Thanks in part to the influence of this essential book about Canis lupus, first published in 1978, we know a great deal more about wolves and are all the better prepared to assure their protection.

Review

“A remarkable book, both biologically absorbing and humanly rich, and one that should be read by every ecologically concerned American.” —John Fowles

Animal Kingdom Of Wolves and Men is not only the best popular account of an animal I have read in a long time, but also something new — a bridge between books of the past and those of the future, which, it is hoped, will incorporate and expand the perceptions so eloquently treated here.” —George Schaller

“A splendid, beautiful book.”
Edmund Fuller, Wall Street Journal

“Fascinating....His book has a wealth of observation, mythology and mysticism about wolves that adds a colorful part to the still unfinished mosaic that defines the wolf.”
—Bayard Webster, New Fork Times Book Review

“Eloquent....His own patient effort to understand a despised, feared and heavily mythologized beast induces a shiver, of strangeness, the sign of fresh, original work.”
—Walter Clemons, Newsweek

“Unusually informative and sensitive.”
—Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times

“Haunting....has something of value to say to all of us.”
Boston Globe

“Brilliant...a work of intelligence, dedication and beauty, deserving the widest possible attention not only for the sake of wolves but also for the sake of men.”
—Whitley Streiber, Washington Post

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Charles Scribner's Sons; Revised edition (September 1, 1979)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0684163225
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0684163222
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1220L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.38 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 597 ratings

About the author

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Barry H. Lopez
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Barry Lopez (b. 1945) is the author of thirteen books of essays, short stories, and nonfiction. He is a recipient of the National Book Award, the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and numerous other literary and cultural honors and awards. His highly acclaimed books include Arctic Dreams, Winter Count, and Of Wolves and Men, for which he received the John Burroughs and Christopher medals. He lives in western Oregon. His latest book, Horizon, will be available in March 2019.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
597 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and well-written. They appreciate its exploration of wolf history and psychology, providing interesting facts about these animals. Readers appreciate the author's lyrical writing style that transports them to the desolate settings. The book celebrates nature, solitude, and mindfulness through its beautiful color palette.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

24 customers mention "Readability"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They describe it as a refreshing read, a classic treatise, and a joy to read.

"...Required reading for humans." Read more

"This is such a great book I have purchased more for friends that are interested in wolves...." Read more

"...wildlife and man’s past ignorant approach to the natural world, this is a must read...." Read more

"A stellar and fresh account of wolves, and of men...." Read more

24 customers mention "Wolf history"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides a well-written exploration of wolves' natural history and history and psychology of humans. They describe it as a classic about wolves and their lives. The book provides a revealing look at real life wolves as well as the historical place of wolves. Readers appreciate that the book has a well-rounded perspective on the wolf and its environment, including how they are seen and admired by nomadic societies like the Inuit and Native American.

"This is a superb book about wolves-- and about how wolves have figured in the minds, myths, religions, and beliefs of humans for millennia!..." Read more

"Interesting insight into wolves and native peoples, and their interactions and similarities, from prehistoric times to the present...." Read more

"...Lopez is extremely capable: he is erudite and has researched the literature on wolves in depth. But the description of this book is misleading...." Read more

"...He is so skilled at weaving in fact and his own insights about the wolves he lived around and studied to paint a three dimensional picture of the..." Read more

21 customers mention "Information quality"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-written. They appreciate the interesting facts about these elusive and beautiful animals. The book adds to current scientific information while exploring natural history in depth. Readers praise the thoughtful, researched, and beautifully written work.

"...make you realize that the "World of Wolves" is far more complex, interesting, and fascinating that most of us ever imagined it to be!..." Read more

"...It is a marvelous work, beautifully written, philosophically and humanistically provocative and profoundly relevant more than 40 years later...." Read more

"...How refreshing to read the truth about these magnificent, essential creatures here in “Of Wolves and Men” after ingesting that other drivel." Read more

"I want to say the book is very informative in many ways about thoughts of wolves by humans...." Read more

15 customers mention "Writing quality"15 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the words lyrical, inspiring, and thought-provoking. The author provides extensive descriptions of poetry and myth about the wolf. Overall, readers say the book is well-researched and skillfully written.

"...It is a marvelous work, beautifully written, philosophically and humanistically provocative and profoundly relevant more than 40 years later...." Read more

"...and mystery ... The creature has long exerted a powerful influence on the human imagination ... celebrating their place in our history, legends and..." Read more

"...His words are awe inspiring and completely able to transport you to the desolate landscapes he is so fond of, and to fall in love with them the way..." Read more

"Nicely written, a revealing look at real life wolves as well as the historical place of wolves in lore and literature...." Read more

4 customers mention "Color palette"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's color palette and lyrical writing. They praise nature, solitude, and mindfulness.

"...This book shows the bad side of Sapiens in glorious technicolor, the wolves genocide done in a sea of ignorance and hatred, etc...." Read more

"Lopez has many interesting facts about these elusive and beautiful animals." Read more

"Beautiful, lyrical writing. Celebrates nature, solitude, mindfulness." Read more

"Barry Lopez does some of the best nature writing around, elegant and fact-filled. An essential for anyone interested in wolves." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2022
    This is a superb book about wolves-- and about how wolves have figured in the minds, myths, religions, and beliefs of humans for millennia!

    Various animals have always captivated humans, but none more so than the wolf. But WHY? This book answers that question, and many more. From as long as recorded history has existed, humans have always felt that wolves were "special" -- somehow "different" from all other animals... but WHY?

    Well, the answer can be found right in the cover of the book, which shows a wolf looking straight at the camera that took the photograph! Looking at that picture, you cannot help but realize that you are not looking at just another "dumb animal" like a cow or a sheep; you are looking at a "BEING"-- an intelligent, aware BEING, a creature not all "that" much different from yourself. Those eyes "grab" you, the same way a pair of human eyes would "grab" you.

    This book blows apart all the silly myths and legends and fairy-tales we have all been raised with from childhood onward, and shows wolves how they really are-- and how they really are will surprise, shock, and (perhaps) delight you, and make you realize that the "World of Wolves" is far more complex, interesting, and fascinating that most of us ever imagined it to be!

    In short, I HIGHLY recommend this book! I cannot say enough good things about it; all I can say is, "Buy it and read it for yourself!"
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2022
    This work of non fiction is more about human nature as it relates to our relationships with the wolf. It is a marvelous work, beautifully written, philosophically and humanistically provocative and profoundly relevant more than 40 years later. It’s a pity that we are all so caught up in the world of man that we can only consider him in relation to us. Barry Lopez challenges us to consider the world differently. Required reading for humans.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2021
    Interesting insight into wolves and native peoples, and their interactions and similarities, from prehistoric times to the present. Eskimos still hunt wolves. But modern technology favors the Eskimos, who don't get fatigued chasing down a wolf, since the Eskimo is on a snowmobile rather than a dogsled. And the Eskimo doesn't have to be physically in contact with the wolf, but can shoot it from a safe distance.

    Over the past hundred to two hundred years wolves have been shot for sport or for their pelts. They've been poisoned with strychnine. And hunted with eagles. Teddy Roosevelt was a hunting fanatic. He had a huge entourage, of men, dogs, equipment, when he went on one of his hunting massacres.

    Wolves were practically hunted to extinction in western America. They almost went the way of the bison and passenger pigeon. What saved them, I think, was the fact that they weren't herd animals. No hunter could shoot hundreds of them at one time in one place.

    Cattle ranchers in the late 1800s and 1900s often wanted wolves shot on sight to cut down on their livestock losses to wolves. In more recent times wolves have been reintroduced to certain areas, like Yellowstone National Park, where they keep bison and elk populations in check.

    Wolves are here to stay, thanks in part to wildlife protection laws. But their numbers will always be controlled.

    The author does a good job of storytelling, but I could have done without all those selfie photos of him.
    9 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
    A powerful and, most importantly, accurate read. My suggestion is to read this after reading the highly biased pro-rancher & hunter narrative titled “The Real Wolf” by Ted Lyon & Will Graves. Why? Because it gives you some perspective and a glimpse into the disturbing mindset of the wolf-hating community out there. Unfortunately, there are way too many who actually firmly believe that absolute nonsense. How refreshing to read the truth about these magnificent, essential creatures here in “Of Wolves and Men” after ingesting that other drivel.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020
    Disappointing. I have absolutely no quarrel with the author's style of writing, nor his authority on the subject matter. On the contrary, Lopez is extremely capable: he is erudite and has researched the literature on wolves in depth. But the description of this book is misleading. As someone who is very interested in wolves and has an affinity for them, I would not have bought the book had I known that its focus is on the shameful history of man's treatment of these shy predators . I was quite horrified to find so much of the content focussed on the savage onslaught on wolves made by men on the North American continent. Their self-centred attitude seems to be that wolves, PERCEIVED to be a threat to their livestock and to the caribou that THEY want to hunt (for sport, not for survival), are assumed to be evil and must be eliminated - wiped off the face of the earth. This attitude is completely alien to a person interested in the wildlife with which we share our world. I bought the book thinking it would be a fascinating and informative account of wolf behaviour: their social behaviour, parenting, hierarchical patterns, as well as some of the mysticism surrounding these little-known creatures. The description led me to believe that this was the focus of the book: "Barry Lopez takes us into the world of the wolf ... Throughout the centuries, the wolf has been a figure of fascination and mystery ... The creature has long exerted a powerful influence on the human imagination ... celebrating their place in our history, legends and hearts. " Instead I am left with a bitter after-taste regarding the utter lack of respect shown towards a natural predator and numerous accounts of the barbaric cruelty with which wolves in continental America have been treated.
    51 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Bradley Hill
    5.0 out of 5 stars good book
    Reviewed in Canada on July 26, 2024
    This book is a must read, it takes you back in time to see the abuse that wolves had to go through and are still going through. We need to stop and learn from them also.
  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bueno
    Reviewed in Spain on February 27, 2021
    Las explicaciones te llevan a un mundo fantástico e insospechado sobre el comportamiento de los lobos.
  • gambi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Yes
    Reviewed in Mexico on April 23, 2017
    Read it. Knowledge of nature is wealth, great insight into the sociology of wolves and their role in the environment.
  • FernandaRV
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
    Reviewed in Brazil on November 4, 2015
    Um livro maravilhoso da história do nosso relacionamento com os lobos. Uma mistura de ciência e pesquisa com uma linguagem bonita!
  • W. H. Martin
    5.0 out of 5 stars The story of a complex relationship
    Reviewed in France on November 21, 2015
    First published in 1978, this was a groundbreaking book. It's still a pleasure to read, although there would be more to add with the development of animal studies. Loosely structured, the book examines the changing relationships between wolves and men from many different angles, paying special attention to indigenous Americans' respectful attitude to the species (which contrasts with the settlers' urge to exterminate them). The book is a pleasure to read in that it combines facts, stories and testimony in a sometimes poetic, always readable manner. The book is also beautifully illustrated and nicely laid out, so that it's a pleasing object to handle.