In A Shape in the Dark, wilderness guide and lifelong Alaskan Bjorn Dihle weaves personal experience with historical and contemporary accounts to explore the world of brown bears--from encounters with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, frightening attacks including the famed death of Timothy Treadwell, the controversies related to bear hunting, the animal’s place in native cultures, and the impacts on the species from habitat degradation and climate change. Much more than a report on human-bear interactions, this compelling story intimately explores our relationship with one of the world’s most powerful predators. An authentic and thoughtful work, it blends outdoor adventure, history, and elements of memoir to present a mesmerizing portrait of Alaska’s brown bears and grizzlies, informed by the species’ larger history and their fragile future.

Long ago we invited bears into our stories, our dreams, our nightmares, our lives. We have always sought them out where they live, for their hides, their meat, their beauty, their knowingness. Human country and bear country exist side by side. As Sherry Simpson suggests, the relationship between bears and humans is ancient and ongoing and, in Alaska, profoundly and often uncomfortably close. A huge number of North America’s bears live in Alaska: including at least 31,000 brown bears, 100,000 black bears, and 3,500 polar bears. And nearly every aspect of Alaskan society reflects their presence, from hunting to tourism marketing to wildlife management to urban planning. A long-time Alaskan, Simpson offers a series of compelling essays on Alaskan bears in both wild and urban spaces—because in Alaska, bears are found not only in their natural habitat but also in cities and towns. Combining field research, interviews, and a host of up-to-date scientific sources, her finely polished prose conveys a wealth of information and insight on ursine biology, behavior, feeding, mating, social structure, and much more. Simpson crisscrosses the Alaskan landscape in pursuit of bears as she muses, marvels, and often stands in sheer awe before these charismatic creatures. Firmly grounded in the expertise of wildlife biologists, hunters, and viewing guides, she shows bears as they actually are, not as we imagine them to be. She considers not only the occasionally aggressive behavior bears need to survive, but also the violence exacted upon them by trophy hunters, advocates of predator control, or suburbanites who view bears as land sharks that threaten the safety of their families. Shifting effortlessly between fascinating facts and poetic imagery, Simpson crafts an extended meditation on why we are so drawn to bears and why they continue to engage our imaginations, populate indigenous mythologies, and help define our essential visions of wilderness. As Simpson observes, “The slightest evidence that bears share your world—or that you share theirs—can alter not only your sense of the landscape, but your sense of yourself within that landscape.”

Bears are North America's most complex and controversial predator, both loved and hated for their majesty and power. Will Troyer's introduction to the natural history of Alaska's brown bears is both enchanting and informative, told with the objectivity of a biologist, the resonant voice of an outdoorsman who has spent decades in bear society, and breathtaking photography. Troyer was a pioneer in the study of brown bears. Convinced that scientific research was the only antidote to widespread fear and misinformation about one of Alaska's largest predators, he gathered data with primitive equipment and endured hair-raising adventures. His career spanned dramatic changes in approaches to bear management that ranged from extermination to conservation, a history of human-bear interactions that he recounts with unusual insight and first-hand knowledge. Troyer offers a holistic description of bear biology and behavior, an account of bear-human interactions, and practical advice for viewing and photographing bears. Into Brown Bear Country offers an intimate, realistic view of the lives of Alaska's coastal bears. Entertaining and readable, it will be enjoyed by all readers of nature literature and is an essential starting point for anyone visiting bear country.

How to hunt grizzly and brown bears in Alaska, Canada or Russia. The how-to manual leads the reader in a step-by-step manner through the outfitting, planning, scouting, hunting, stalking, shooting, and trophy care of brown and grizzly bears. Profuse photos and illustrations show how to successfully hunt the most desirable game animal in North America. Written by a an accomplished bowhunter, registered guide, and life-long Alaskan.

A natural history and celebration of the famous bears and salmon of Brooks River. On the Alaska Peninsula, where exceptional landscapes are commonplace, a small river attracts attention far beyond its scale. Each year, from summer to early fall, brown bears and salmon gather at Brooks River to create one of North America’s greatest wildlife spectacles. As the salmon leap from the cascade, dozens of bears are there to catch them (with as many as forty-three bears sighted in a single day), and thousands of people come to watch in person or on the National Park Service’s popular Brooks Falls Bearcam. The Bears of Brooks Falls tells the story of this region and the bears that made it famous in three parts. The first forms an ecological history of the region, from its dormancy 30,000 years ago to the volcanic events that transformed it into the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. The central and longest section is a deep dive into the lives of the wildlife along the Brooks River, especially the bears and salmon. Readers will learn about the bears’ winter hibernation, mating season, hunting rituals, migration patterns, and their relationship with Alaska’s changing environment. Finally, the book explores the human impact, both positive and negative, on this special region and its wild population.

Field guide to North American Mammals.

One of the most beloved Alaskan children's picture books of all time, Alaska' Three Bears is a classic retelling of the three bears fairy tale, Alaska-style. Readers young and old will meet Alaska's three bears in this one-of-a-kind adventure. Join the polar, grizzly, and black bears as they travel across Alaska's vast wilderness. Author Shelley Gill and illustrator Shannon Cartwright bring young readers the real story of the three bears, filled with facts on America's best-loved bruins. Perfect story time reading plus nonfiction facts about bears for children ages 3 and up.

The how-to manual for hunting brown and grizzly bears. Written by the author of "Sheep Hunting in Alaska," this book contains information on gear, strategies, stalking techniques, bear behavior, rifles and loads, plus the other skills you will need to be a successful bear hunter.

"Companion to the PBS series NATURE: bears of the last frontier"--Dustjacket.

Living with Wild Bears in Alaska "A heart-stopping eco-adventure, a testimony to both the grizzlies and their courageous protector." --People "The grizzly bear is one of a very few animals remaining on earth that can kill a human in physical combat. It can decapitate with a single swipe or grotesquely disfigure a person in rapid order. Within the last wilderness areas where they dwell, they are the undisputed king of all beasts. I know this very well. My name is Timothy Treadwell, and I live with the wild grizzly. . . ." After Timothy Treadwell nearly died from a heroin overdose, he sought healing far from the trappings of civilization--among wild grizzlies on the remote Alaskan coast. Without gun, two-way radio, or experience living in the wild, armed only with the love and respect he felt for these majestic animals, Treadwell set up camp surrounded by one of nature's most terrifying and fascinating forces of nature. Here is the story of his astonishing adventures with grizzlies: soothing aggressive adolescents, facing down thousand-pound males, swimming with mothers and cubs, surviving countless brushes with death, earning their trust and acceptance. In these incredible pages, Treadwell lives a life no human has ever attempted, and ultimately saves his own. To share his experience is awesome, harrowing, and unforgettable. "LIKE AFRICA NATURALIST JANE GOODALL, TREADWELL GIVES PERSONAL NAMES TO HIS SUBJECTS. . . . Bears have distinct personalities, Treadwell shows, and as a group, individual roles become clearly defined by gender, size, and age." --The Seattle Times With twenty-nine photographs