Bears
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A Brief History
Bernd Brunner; Translated by Lori Lantz
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Format: PaperPrice: $15.00
A delightfully illustrated history of the complex relations between people and bears around the world
This engaging book examines the shared history of people and bears. Hopscotching through history, literature, and science, Bernd Brunner presents a rich compendium of the interactions between the two species and explores how bears have become central figures in our inventory of myths and dreams. He reveals the remarkable extent to which human feelings about bears have been—and still are—mixed. People have venerated, killed, caressed, tortured, nurtured, eaten, worshipped, and despised bears. Interestingly, the varied dealings of humans with bears raise the same question over and again: do our images of bears have much in common with the animal as it really is?
The book uncovers new and little-known stories and facts about bears in European, North American, Japanese, Russian, and South and Southeast Asian cultures. Taken together, these perspectives show us new things about the animals we thought we knew so well. Quirky and bizarre anecdotes, scientific information on bears threatened with extinction in some areas, a discussion of the phenomenon of “bearanoia,” and more than one hundred historical illustrations contribute to this unique account of the shared history between bears and humans and the continuing presence of bears in our personal and collective dreams.
Bernd Brunner, a graduate of the Free University of Berlin and Berlin School of Economics, is an independent scholar, freelance writer, and editor of nonfiction books. He is the author of The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium. Lori Lantz received a Ph.D. in comparative literature from UCLA and attended the Free University of Berlin as a Fulbright Scholar.
“Brunner seeks to understand the rich web of contact between people and bears. He shows us the great diversity of ways people have viewed bears, exploited bears, and affected the evolution of bears.”—John Marzluff, author of In the Company of Crows and Ravens
“Bears is a much-welcomed book about the shared and surprising connections between two amazing animals. Bernd Brunner covers numerous matters—ursine-human—in an easy to read and compact work. Packed with facts, stories, and light humor, this book will have global appeal because bears appear universally in history, science, literature, religion, ritual, culture, and myth.”—Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals and Animals Matter
“No other book on bears achieves the broad historical perspective of this one.”—Mark Boyce, University of Alberta
“From the era of cavemen and cave bears, the author takes us on a well-informed romp through history and around the world, with some lovely illustrations of the discovery of the panda and hibernating polar bears. Bearly putdownable!”
“[A] delightful but discomfiting book … Moving with a brisk tread between actual bear behaviour and the myths and tales that partner it, Brunner reminds us – with dry wit and great illustrations – that we get bears wrong.” - Boyd Tonkin, Independent
‘ Bernd Brunner’s book is a perfectly polished gem that studies our shared history from the early attempts at classification, through the various hideous cruelties we have inflicted on them to the wonderful discovery that despite our feelings for them, bears are not interested in us at all.’ - Toby Clements, Daily Telegraph
"Superb non-fiction books. ... They are archives unto themselves. A repository for dreams, visions, and fears."—Die Zeit
Publication Date: December 2, 2008
105 b/w illus.
