Book Review
Title
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A Naturalist in Alaska
by Adolph Murie
Who must have this book: Anyone who is interested
in Alaskan wildlife, especially if you are going to visit Denali.
Who should have this book: Anyone who is into
wildlife in general.
ISBN: 0816511683
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This
book is a collection of Alaskan wildlife classics. When I read it,
I kept getting a sense of deja-vu because Murie’s work has been
widely quoted and reprinted nearly everywhere. In fact this book was
put together from national park reports, journals, and magazine articles.
The resulting collage is a perfect introduction to the major wildlife
of interior Alaska.
This book is especially good for anyone who will be visiting Denali
and wants to get aquainted with the locals. Murie’s seasons
of research in and around the park pays dividends of stories and anectdotes
about all the animals of the park. Combined with some great illustrations
from Olaus Murie, this book does a great job of educating you about
the wildlife of the park. A must for anyone into Alaskan natural history.
Overview
The book is divided into chapters that are focused on a single species.
Some species are covered with one chapter while some like wolves and
bears are covered by multiple chapters. Murie not only covers the
glamorous species but also some of the overlooked species. Perhaps
the most interesting chapter in the book was about the Alaska Haymouse
which is a perfect natural history story, and one that so small, it
is almost never mentioned.
The chapters cover bears, moose, wolverine, fox, gulls, wolves, dall
sheep and caribou. All relate to Adolph Murie’s personal observations
which are well written and enjoyable. I recommend this book to everyone.
Author
Adolf Murie and his Brother Olaus pioneered natural history in
Alaska. They are widely quoted and reprinted in hundreds of publications
and they created the foundation of our understanding of Alaskan
ecosystems. Books by Adolf Murie include, Naturalist
in Alaska, Wolves of Mount McKinley,
and Grizzlies of Mount McKinley.
