Bears: A Brief History

It was brief, and it was about bears; what more could I want? It was also informative and very charming in a compact, guidebook kind of way, and told me what I wanted to know. Also: great cover.

A wonderfully quirky and illustrated examination of the relationship of bears and humans. As an ardent admirerer of our more furry friends I could not pass up this book once I saw it. I was struck by the fact that before europeans came in contact with monkeys the bears seemed their closest companions on earth. The complexities brought about by this idea are fascinating and should not be overlooked as we try and explain the relationship at this point in history. While Brunner focuses mainly in Europe many aspects still appeal to a North American perspective. This book can drag at times and the writing can be a little muddled at times. That being said, it's short, it's fun and you just might learn something from this little book.

This enchanting book is not so much a history of bears as a history of human interactions with bears. While the author included countless surprising and diverting anecdotes, myths, and legends about bears, there was little in the way of overarching analysis or purpose. I suppose the only major thesis of this book could be summed up as "bears are pretty cool; humans should not mess with them."

A brief history of man's relationship with bears. Brunner covers everything from man's early beliefs on the science, myths, and spiritual connections of the two species. He also discusses man's use of bears for entertainment (circuses, Baloo, Winnie the Pooh, The Teddy Bear, etc.) and also looks at several attempts to live among bears (Grizzly Adams, The Grizzly Man)

Pretty interesting stuff, but the title says it all; brief. It's probably a good primer for more detailed stories of man and bear that are surely covered in books elsewhere. Simple and breezy; it's worth a look.

Loved the section on polar bear noises.

I read about 50-60%. I expect I will return to it at some point...