Buy this book. Buy it new, buy it used, buy it for your friends, buy it for your enemies. Petersen has written a thoughtful and thorough examination of recent grizzly bear management policies (or lack thereof) in the San Juans of Colorado. The book is a pleasure to read.

As someone who occasionally sees grizzers on his property, I can't conceive of living in an environment that doesn't have a population of apex predators to keep things interesting. Petersen masterfully chronicles how government funded assassins with the support of short-sighted local ranching communities and clumsy land managers, managed to kill virtually every grizzly in Colorado. He also accurately details how Western ranchers have come to view public lands with more than a sense of ownership but rather with a sense of absolute entitlement. This has led them to run their stock on federal land at ridiculously cheap rates, ignore even the most commonsense principles of husbandry, and push bears and wolves into the zoos and picture books while trying to keep everyone else out. Also to blame are the Baby Huey-like semi-rich, who hack 20 acre ranchettes out of the diminishing habitat and in the process are strangling the thing they profess to love most.

Petersen manages to stay somewhat balanced, using an essay by the outspoken and bearlike Doug Peacock to say what is probably really on his mind regarding sheep ranchers and development dingbats. In the course of researching the book, Peterson also forges unlikely friendships with former (but not reformed) professional and amateur bearslayers , including Ed Wiseman, who killed the last known Colorado grizz in hand to hand combat in 1979.

There is the general belief in the book that the great bear still lives in the San Juans but has become more nocturnal and reclusive as it adapts to its shrinking habitat. There are certainly drainages wild enough to support a grizz but I personally don't believe there are any left. My heart tells me that any state with a wildlife management policy as pathetic and dumbheaded as Colorado's can't have allowed for even a single surviving great bear. Also, I am reminded of a story in Scott Weidensaul's recent (and excellent) book on vanishing species entitled "The Ghost With Trembling Wings." Weidensaul tells the story of an animal who escapes from a European zoo and whose likeness is posted on the news. Consequently, hundreds of eyewitness calls come flooding in from all over the country, each caller claiming to have personally seen the critter. It turns out that the koala had actually been run over by a train several hundred yards from the zoo immediately after escaping. Weidensaul's point is that people WANT to believe something so badly, they convince themselves of its existence. And I'm afraid that is what we are doing with the Colorado grizzly.

My copy of this book is dog-eared and worn-out after all my readings of it and loaning it to others! David Peterson is one interesting writer. I had visited the San Juan Mountains prior to reading this book and explored the area where the Wiseman grizzly was killed. At the time I thought the Wiseman griz was the last in Colorado. This book inspired me to return and do a little searching of my own. Found some bear sign but was really amazed by how spectacular the high San Juans are in July. I think this book needs another postscript wherein "the search for survivors" is updated!

This book is one of the best books I've ever read. David Petersen does a fantastic job of educating the reader while involving them in some exciting adventures. While searching for grizzlies in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, David fills you in on grizzly natural history, the history of the San Juans, and the need for preserving wilderness in North America. This is a must have book for all who are interested in grizzly bears, the Rockies, wilderness, and the outdoors in general.

This book is a collection of essays on hunting by some excellent outdoor writers, including former President Jimmy Carter. The writers talk about why they hunt. This book examines that question and finds that there are many reasons different people give to that same question. You may agree with some or disagree, but you'll definitely think long and hard about the answers given.

This book's thought provoking essays also force all of us to think about our own carnivorous instincts. Since almost all of us eat meat from the supermarket the book takes cows as an example and asks non hunters if the castration of bulls, the branding, the feeding of them in outdoor, closed in, excrement filled pens and the eventual slaughter of them is really somehow better than the hunter who shoots and kills a deer in the wild? It seems we all live with blood on our hands. But not to let you think this book is simply cut and pasted from the pages of American Hunter. The book also questions trophy hunting and whether hunting should even be considered a sport.

Since many hunters spend a good deal of time defending what they love to do, I would recommend that they pick up a copy of this book in order to be able to answer the question "why do I hunt?"

I could not think of a title for my review. I don't write many and find Amazon's 5 star system constraining. This book is extraordinarily good. The title will, unfortunately, be off-putting to some. If one could choose another title, I would suggest: A compendium of almost four-dozen essays written by men and women about their love and passion for wildlife and conservation. It is so much more than a book about hunting, that one cannot describe it simply. Further, what is equally astounding is the fact that the "collector," David Petersen, was able to obtain such a wonderful robust collection.

If one expects this to be a book merely about hunting, that expectation is wrong. If one expects this to be essays written only by undereducated, good old boys-"slob hunters"-who relish ambushing Bambi from a truck that is wrong. If your expectation is that all the essays will be unambiguously pro-hunting or gun sport, you are "off the mark." Fairly, Nelson, in his introduction says," In the United States, hunters are probably the largest, most diverse, and most important potential advocates for preservation of natural habitats and protection of wild animal populations." That remark comes close.

I believe that many city folk have so lost touch with wild life that they now believe that hunting is something akin to a video game using live ammunition. That a hunter would relish spending an entire day tracking game, and not succeed seems antithetical to their purpose for some. After reading these essays, one understands why the writers deem the day a success, something very special; e.g., "I began to realize that what I like best about hunting was the companionship of a few good old trusted buddies in the out-of-doors."

If hunters can feel so deeply-even those who later abandon it-one hopes for a return to earlier days when more Americans shared the pastime. Pete Dunne writes about "the Great Moment: How the universe held its breath, waiting-waiting for the sound of an echo that never came; the echo of a shot that was never fired" while sighting a deer-and not shooting-after his many years of hunting. You can feel the heart of this "ex"-hunter who still declares that "anti-hunters who believe that hunting is synonymous with killing and that anyone who hunts is unfeeling and cruel" ... "aren't dishonest. They are merely wrong."

I could go further, providing so many wonderful examples of the humanity of these writers. I suggest, however, that you make the time to read this book. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay to these writers is that they are knowledgeable, articulate, caring people. If their hunting experience has helped them become that way, hunting is very important to our culture and our society.

One of the things a hunter struggles with is how to describe to others what the importance of hunting is. This book is a compilation of insights written by those who ask themselves the question, "Why do you hunt?".

The "Guides to Biblical Scholarship" took a decisive turn for the better shortly before this volume was produced. This is easily one of the better volumes. Petersen clearly demonstrates the techniques and structures utilized by the Hebrew poets with plenty of examples from the biblical text. Terminolology has become quite confusing in this area, but Petersen cuts through these difficulties. Controversial matters such as the existence and function of meter in Hebrew poetry are treated in a balanced manner. Furthermore, the book goes beyond mere demonstration of poetic features and fulfills the promise of the title by illustrating how an understanding of these features informs the interpretation of poetic passages of scripture. This is a good place to begin before moving on to the more extensive treatments of the subject by Gillingham or Alter, or the more complex and cutting edge analysis of Kugel.

This is a very good book on Hebrew Poetry. It takes into consideration some of the more current thoughts in linguistics. If you are interested in Hebrew Poetry, you should have this book in your library.

This was an excellent source of information. My first gradeclass enjoyed the pictures. I enjoyed the view it gave to thelifestyles of African people. We learned alot!

A great textbook covering development within the area of sports venues, convention centers and entertainment facilities, this book provides great guidance for anyone from the novice/student, to the most experienced city planner. I've been involved in this industry for over 15 years, and found the author's unique insight and innovative case studies valuable in explaining both the "internal economics" of the developments and their impact on the surrounding communities. A must read for advocates, opponents, or the just plain curious.

"Great Sand Dunes National Monument," by David Petersen, is part of the "A True Book" series. This volume is all about the Colorado attraction of the title. The book includes a map, a brief glossary, an index, a short list of books, and the online addresses of two Web sites.

The book combines an easy-to-read text with many full-color photos. Petersen describes how the Dunes were created: "Sand, water, wind, and time: These are the dune makers." Also discussed is the plant and animal life on and near the Dunes. Overall, a fascinating, educational book that makes me want to visit this national monument.

This book contains fascinating written information about many members of the deer family, both living and extinct. It is well written and entertaining throughout. Petersen does a masterful job, not only of informing us about the development and uses of antlers on various animals, but about man's fascination with those antlers.

The book is filled with information, yes, but also with interesting and often funny and always thought-provoking anecdote. There are intriguing stories of deer and elk that have grown extraordinarily large or notable sets of antlers.

Once you read Racks, it is doubtful you will ever look at an antlered animal in the same way again.

The Vox Story is chock full of history and information about the legendary Vox Amplifiers, Guitars, Guitar Accessories, and Organs which helped launch the British Invasion in the early 60s. You will find rare details and facts about not only Vox equipment, but the innovators who created and marketed them, and the groups that used them. This book is a great backstage view of the rock instrument and equipment scene and an amplifier enthusiast's nirvana.

Dave's lyrical writing style engages the reader throughout this 275 page book, which thoroughly chronicles the fate of the grizzly bear in Colorado. One is left with a sense of wanting to know what's next, what's happened since the ink of this book dried in 1994?

Personally, I felt compelled to action, to do my part to help keep the San Juans as wild as possible for those Ghost Grizzlies to have a chance to someday rematerialize.

David Petersen captured my attention early in the book and kept me glued to the pages all the way through. He presents the reader with the grizzly bear, its natural history, and its possible existence in the Colorado wilderness. Along the way, he involves you in exciting adventures and a thrilling search for bruins. This is a must have book for the library of anyone interested in grizzlies, wilderness, the rockies, and the general outdoors. This is definitely the best book I've read in a long time.

This collection from Edward Abbey's journals pulls no punches. David Peterson should be praised for resisting the urge to censor Abbey's alternately brilliant, paranoid, suicidal, cynical, angry, loving, and often quotable journals. The man presented here is the real Abbey--defender of the American West, enemy of what he called the "techno-industrial state"--not an idealized version. It's a fascinating book if you've read some of his other works, to see another stage in the development of his novels and essays. This is a writer for whom the words flow freely, even effortlessly, onto the page. This book accomplishes, I think, what Abbey said was the reason he decided to write: "to entertain my friends and family, and to exasperate my enemies." Certainly Abbey had plenty of enemies, and plenty of admirers as well. I recommend these journals for anyone who loves Edward Abbey, but for the uninitiated, I would recommend "Desert Solitaire" (a classic in modern American literature) or "The Monkey Wrench Gang" (probably his best-known book).

This book is a must-read for all fans of Edward Abbey. Throughout his life, Abbey strove to write that one "great" book. He may have died believing that he had not accomplished that task. However, as it turns out, his life story is, in fact, his greatest "book".

This book hooked me into Edward Abbey. It is uncensored and honest. It is also amazingly wise and funny. I read it all the time.