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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. 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.… (more)
User reviews
The relationship between man and wolf is long and complicated, and sometimes unknowable. But the author is not attempting to explain everything. Instead he wants us to suspend some questions and, as his says in his afterward, “live in the mystery.” By giving us this option, it’s clear that what Mr. Lopez has ultimately given us, the reader, and the wolf, is the highest level of respect. This is a beautiful, wide-ranging and moving book.