-- Based on studies done in British Columbia, Canada. -- Covers life cycle, social behavior and habitat.

A New York Times bestselling author—and “a mythmaker for the millennium, a wiseacre wiseman” (New York Times Book Review)—delivers a surreal and elaborate quest that takes readers from Tokyo to the remote mountains of northern Japan, where the unnamed protagonist has a surprising confrontation with his demons. An advertising executive receives a postcard from a friend and casually appropriates the image for an advertisement. What he doesn’t realize is that included in the scene is a mutant sheep with a star on its back, and in using this photo he has unwittingly captured the attention of a man who offers a menacing ultimatum: find the sheep or face dire consequences.

Originally published in 1975. In Mountain Sheep and Man in the Northern Wilds Valerius Geist, a renowned scientist, sensitive observer, and natural storyteller here recounts his experiences among, and reflections upon, the magnificent bighorned sheep of the Canadian wilderness, where he lived and worked year 'round. The book presents popular science in the best sense -- beautifully written, unmistakably accurate, innovative and thought provoking. In the book, Dr. Geist focuses on cold climates to study animal behavior and its implications for man. He makes valuable contributions to our knowledge about aggression and dominance and offers new insights into the impact of ecological factors upon the anatomy, physiology and behavior of man as well as beast. He looks critically at the role of early and modern man as hunter and tells delightful stories about his own adventures in working with big-game animals. His splendid photographs capture his enthusiasm for the land and the sheep. Finally, he ponders the lessons that urban man can learn from zoological theory so that he may better live within his ecological means. "To the names Fraser Darling, Murie, Schaller, Carpenter and Goodall must now be added Geist." Science "This book is about wilderness, animals and people. These subjects are woven together in a way that will curl your toes. Geist is an excellent writer; he has a probing mind a tempered wit and an ability to convey a total experience. Be sure to read this one." Frontiers. "Geist writes surpassingly well." Canadian Field Naturalist "This is a very well written book that will intrigue the most ingenious thinker. It reflects originality and provides accurate and interesting reading to anyone interested in wild animals." Journal of Wildlife Management "This book is immensely thought provoking." Mammal Review Valerius Geist is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, where he also received his Ph.D. He is professor emeritus of environmental science at the University of Calgary.

Hailed as the first book by a hunter-naturalist to be devoted exclusively to North America's most coveted trophies.

Dreaming of Sheep in Navajo Country offers a fresh interpretation of the history of Navajo (Diné) pastoralism. The dramatic reduction of livestock on the Navajo Reservation in the 1930s -- when hundreds of thousands of sheep, goats, and horses were killed -- was an ambitious attempt by the federal government to eliminate overgrazing on an arid landscape and to better the lives of the people who lived there. Instead, the policy was a disaster, resulting in the loss of livelihood for Navajos -- especially women, the primary owners and tenders of the animals -- without significant improvement of the grazing lands. Livestock on the reservation increased exponentially after the late 1860s as more and more people and animals, hemmed in on all sides by Anglo and Hispanic ranchers, tried to feed themselves on an increasingly barren landscape. At the beginning of the twentieth century, grazing lands were showing signs of distress. As soil conditions worsened, weeds unpalatable for livestock pushed out nutritious native grasses, until by the 1930s federal officials believed conditions had reached a critical point. Well-intentioned New Dealers made serious errors in anticipating the human and environmental consequences of removing or killing tens of thousands of animals. Environmental historian Marsha Weisiger examines the factors that led to the poor condition of the range and explains how the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Navajos, and climate change contributed to it. Using archival sources and oral accounts, she describes the importance of land and stock animals in Navajo culture. By positioning women at the center of the story, she demonstrates the place they hold as significant actors in Native American and environmental history. Dreaming of Sheep in Navajo Country is a compelling and important story that looks at the people and conditions that contributed to a botched policy whose legacy is still felt by the Navajos and their lands today.

Re-live the experiences of the people who traveled to the distant and untouched Mackenzie Mountains of Canada’s Northwest Territories. This raw, beautiful land was opened to outfitting in 1965, when intrepid entrepreneurs carried out exploratory hunts by horse and backpack to determine whether the Mackenzies were worth an outfitting investment. Five men initially set out to build their businesses in this remote country, making a living through a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. Guides, cooks and wranglers contributed to their success in the hunt for Dall sheep, grizzly bears, mountain caribou, mountain goats and moose. Their stories are filled with tales of animal encounters, tragedy and humour. Today, eight outfitters operate in the Mackenzie Mountains as the area remains as remote and beautiful as when the original five outfitters trekked into the area in the 1960’s. I hope you enjoy reading Voices From the Mackenzies as much as I enjoyed writing about the folks who made their living in this beautiful country.

Hutto is living in a tent at twelve thousand feet, where blizzards occur in July and where human wants become irrelevant and human needs can become a matter of life and death—to study the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The population of these rare alpine sheep is in decline. The lambs are dying in unprecedented numbers. Hutto’s job is to find out why. For months at a time, he follows the bighorn herds, meets mountain lions and bears, weathers injury and storms, and beautifully observes the incredible splendor of the Rocky Mountains. Hutto has a deep connection to Wyoming, having managed a large cattle ranch in his past. He weaves Wyoming’s history of the cowboy, mountain ecology, and the lives of the bighorn sheep into a beautiful flowing narrative. Ultimately, he discovers that the lambs are dying of cystic fibrosis due to selenium deficiency, which is caused by acid rain—a grim ecological disaster caused by human pollution. Here is a new twist on a cautionary tale, and a new voice, eloquently expressing the urgency that we mend our ways.

Long believed to be disappearing and possibly even extinct, the Southwestern bighorn sheep of Utah’s canyonlands have made a surprising comeback. Naturalist Ellen Meloy tracks a band of these majestic creatures through backcountry hikes, downriver floats, and travels across the Southwest. Alone in the wilderness, Meloy chronicles her communion with the bighorns and laments the growing severance of man from nature, a severance that she feels has left us spiritually hungry. Wry, quirky and perceptive, Eating Stone is a brillant and wholly original tribute to the natural world.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Wind/Pinball, a unique two-in-one volume, includes, on one side, Murakami’s first novel Hear the Wind Sing. When you flip the book over, you can read his second novel, Pinball, 1973. Each book has its own stunning cover. In the spring of 1978, a young Haruki Murakami sat down at his kitchen table and began to write. The result: two remarkable short novels—Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973—that launched the career of one of the most acclaimed authors of our time. These powerful, at times surreal, works about two young men coming of age—the unnamed narrator and his friend the Rat—are stories of loneliness, obsession, and eroticism. They bear all the hallmarks of Murakami’s later books, and form the first two-thirds, with A Wild Sheep Chase, of the trilogy of the Rat. Widely available in English for the first time ever, newly translated, and featuring a new introduction by Murakami himself, Wind/Pinball gives us a fascinating insight into a great writer’s beginnings.