Surely no other animal, throughout history and across cultures, has been as maligned and as persecuted as the wolf. Even fantastical beings born of irrationality and superstition such as werewolves, with humans transforming into a hybrid wolf-human monster, have zeroed in on the wolf as the malevolent, evil component of this satanic blend.
Children's fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood being the most well known, are filled with tales of scheming wolves bent on victimization of humans. Expressions such as "the big bad wolf" and "a wolf in sheep's clothing" are common dialogue even today; "crying wolf" is less than honorable, "a wolf at the door" is something you don't want. Even "wolfing down your your food" is not something to be done in polite company.
To dispel some of these myths seems nigh on impossible, so it is especially appropriate to have a book that presents a factual account of Canis lupus, devoid of the irrational and hyperbolic excess that frequently accompanies the mere mention of the name. The subtitle to the book is The Illustrated Biography - and wonderfully illustrated it is too.
I found the work of Adam Hook exceptionally appealing.
The book covers every aspect of the life of the wolf from its appearance in the early Pleistocene around two million years ago to the present day. Along the way we deal with subspecies, different forms in Asia and Europe, variations in diet, and population status.
We learn its history, its biology, its family life, its role as a top predator and its primary reliance on large ungulate prey. The role of an alpha female, key to pack success, is covered at length, as is the interaction and frequent animosity between rival packs should they meet. The life of a wolf is short, averaging around five years, filled with tension, conflict, feast and famine, yet all bound together by pack cohesion and intra group cooperation.
The wolf is neither villain nor friend, it is simply a member of the rich tapestry of life on Earth going about its business. For much of man's history wolves were hunted when they impinged on hominid success, but without sophisticated weapons there was little or no impact on wolf populations.
Now mankind has a fearsome arsenal of weapons including high powered rifles that can kill at great distance, poisons, steel leg traps, snowmobiles to chase wolves to exhaustion, and airplanes and helicopters to shoot them from above. The contest is hardly equal!
While there is occasional justification for killing a wolf, much persecution of the animal is fuelled by blood lust and irrationality. Politicians courting rural votes play into this hysteria.
Often, there is pressure to get rid of wolves to protect the population of animals such as deer, antelope and elk, viewed by recreational hunters as "theirs." It is surely the height of hubris to declare that a wolf pack hunting a dangerous adversary like an adult elk or bison, as a matter of survival, has less right to food than a trophy desired by humans.
This is a book for its time. We are eliminating other species at a staggering rate, a thousand times faster than the natural rate of extinction by some estimates. If we are to survive it has to stop. This factual account, free from bias and exaggeration, clearly points out that humans and wolves can both enjoy life on this precious planet - our only home. Surely, that's a admirable goal for all of us and, given the will, we can achieve it.
Wolf: The Illustrated Biography - Princeton University Press
Douglas W. Smith
Hardcover - US$35.00 - ISBN: 0780691281674
224 pages - 6.5 x 9 inches (16.25 x 22.5 cm)
100 colour illustrations
Publication date: 23 June, 2026
This book sounds amazing. The drawings are so beautiful. My son loves wolves. At age 13 to15 he was not doing well in school, and they put him in a special class at Oatland Island Wildlife Center. He did classwork 3 hour and 3 hours of working with the animals. One of his jobs was feeding the wolf pack. He fell in love with them and that was in the mid 70's and he still has wolf in his home. Shirts, photos, paintings. He also fell in love with snakes.
ReplyDeleteI do hope this will help people see these wolves and other wildlife as part of the way the world is supposed to be. Thanks for sharing. This is a link to Oatland Island, its still there but much more than it was 60 years ago https://oatland.sccpss.com/
This seems like a very beautiful book to me.
ReplyDeleteWolves are now also present here in the Netherlands, and people are not happy about it, they kill farmers' sheep.
The Netherlands is actually too small to have multiple packs.
All the best, Irma
Tragically and irrationally maligned and persecuted through time....Another interesting and well worded book review by you David.
ReplyDeleteWith Regards....Pete.
Yes, the wolf must be one of the most hated animals there is, David. Here the farmers want to shoot all predators. I feel so sorry for the wolf, but people are so completely ignorant that they almost have to be excused. The book looks very nice, and the drawings are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses, Marit
It is indeed sad the way we have treated wolves - and other animals, too.
DeleteThis looks a wonderfully informative book. Wolves are fascinating animals and have an undeservedly poor reputation.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post and the book you reviewed. The illustrations are beautiful. Thank you, David.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a wonderful book! After many years, In North Rhine-Westphalia, wolves again appear in some of the villages and attacked livestock, and farmers are frustrated because they can only notify the proper authorities, use electric fencing and dogs, but not allowed to kill them. Well, at least, the government provides financial subsidies.
ReplyDeleteThis book looks fantastic. Splendid illustrations.
ReplyDeleteIt's shameful how the wolf has been vilified in our dominant culture. I still remember this rather unlikeable American farmer from the state of Washington, a man who surely years later must have voted for Trump, saying in the 2012 BBC documentary Land of the Lost Wolves: "They are vicious! If the Devil had an animal, it would be the wolf!" He said it with such hatred... well, the only one I hated in that doc was him! But that attitude, that view of wolves as the personification of all things evil, has harmed these canids so much. How can people love the domesticated Canis lupus and at the same time hate the wild Canis lupus? I just don't get it.
And the domesticated version is considered man’s best friend!
DeleteIt's my understanding that wolves are among the most intelligent of animals.
ReplyDelete...a critter misunderstood by many!
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting how wolves have been maligned but how so many in society love dogs. No, they are not the same through selective breeding, but they are same. And I wonder how many people have actually been attacked or killed by wolves. This sounds like a good book. I have bookmarked it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe number of documented, authenticated deaths caused by wolves is very low, but facts matter little to far too many people - whether about wolves or election results.
DeleteLooks like a great book. In the Netherlands they brought the wolve back into nature to balance the ecosystem. They are protected
ReplyDeleteFive year life span. I had no idea it was so short, but I get it. When we lived in the Midwest, we weren't too far from a nice wolf sanctuary.
ReplyDeleteHi, dear friend of mine; sure, that dark image of the wolf is outdated. It's good to simply show it as another animal within the natural balance. I think that because they're nocturnal, silent with such an impressive howl, they stirred up superstitions & fantasies. But i was surprised to learn that their average lifespan is so short and full of constant challenges. Wild life is tough.
ReplyDeleteGood review. Gros bisous & smackers!
The books sound ok, David and the poor wolf has sure been blamed for many things in the past as you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteUn libro apasionante sobre la vida y costumbres de ese gran depredador. Yo creo que, como bien dices, el lobo no es más fiero ni más peligroso que cualquier otro animal carnívoro que mata por naturaleza para sobrevivir, el caso es que al ser devorador de ovejas el hombre siempre lo ha temido por representar un problema en la ganadería y lo ha perseguido y matado para proteger sus rebaños, su modo de vida.
ReplyDeleteUn abrazo enorme.
Perhaps we are becoming a little more enlightened, Montse, but some people will never accept the truth, and continue their vendetta whatever the facts.
DeleteKiitos esittelystä Daid. Varmasti mielenkiintoinen teos. Suomessakin susikeskustelu käy välillä kuumana. Susilla on puolustajansa ja vastustajansa, myös salametsästäjiä on saatu kiinni ja tuomiolle.
ReplyDeleteHi David - man's best friend = yes! Wolves have been around for millennia - giving us our canine tradition. I think recently I spotted an article about a particular breed of dog that lived with the sheep - protecting them from predators. Confirmed in Wiki under Livestock guardian dog - interesting reading too and in the Guardian newspaper. I wrote an article about dogs in May 2012 ... but great review by you on this new biography ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteWolves have always intrigued me. Perhaps it is our love for dogs and their earlier incarnations? Who knows -- but this looks like a fascinating book.
ReplyDeleteSadly happens to a lot of creatures...gulls and wasps come to mine. Great animals and I am sure I'd enjoy this book :-D
ReplyDeleteYour posts haven't been coming up on my feed so decided to check and you've posted a few that haven't shown. I know a lot of folk are having Blogger Issues!!!
Blogger has certainly been erratic of late.
DeleteWhen we lived in Alaska, hunters shot the wolves from a helicopter. People didn't like that but I don't think that mattered at all. Now it's only authorized state wildlife agents are permitted to use aircraft for lethal predator control.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this book, I think the drawings/illustrations are excellent.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Interesting. I find trophy hunting to be disgusting. Hunting for food, however, is justifiable, and no doubt harkens back to our ancestors.
ReplyDeleteWhen my Inupiaq friend made me a parka, she used wolf fur on the ruff and wolverine on the cuffs. This made me uncomfortable, but I understood that it was a cultural thing and it did keep me very warm. I would have gladly done without it, even as I know that there's a difference between random hunting just for the sake of killing something and hunting for food or clothing. Anyway, this looks like an excellent book.
ReplyDeleteYou did well to honour and respect the traditions of your Inupiaq friend, Shari.
DeleteHallo David,
ReplyDeletethis review is especially interesting because it manages to balance scientific understanding with the emotional and cultural weight the wolf still carries in human society.
For centuries, wolves have been burdened with myths and fears far beyond reality, and I fully agree that a more factual and nuanced perspective is important. At the same time, I also understand why the return of wolves creates anxiety in rural areas. Here in parts of Germany, including Lower Saxony, people are increasingly discussing attacks on sheep and sightings near villages. Even I sometimes feel uneasy walking alone in the forest when reports of wolves nearby appear again.
Perhaps that is exactly why books like this matter so much: they help move the conversation away from hysteria and toward understanding, while still acknowledging the very real concerns of people who live close to these animals.
Your point about Yellowstone is particularly compelling. It is remarkable how the return of a top predator can influence an entire ecosystem. Yet coexistence requires responsibility, sensible management and support for those affected by livestock losses.
As always, your review encourages reflection rather than simple judgment, and I appreciate that very much.
Warm regards, Anette
Anette, I always appreciate the time you take to make these detailed, intelligent comments.
Delete...And you've brought another important book to our attention. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI will have to put this book on my reading list. Thank you for sharing another wonderful review. My husband when he was working in Canada many years ago, was invited for dinner at the home of a colleague. He had a dog that was not timid but not sociable. Husband said usually dogs take to him and the man replied that that was because he was a wolf and was wary of strangers. Apparently, he had rescued him as a puppy and was about five years' old at that time. Gregg still remembers this as a great memory. We both think wolves are magnificent animals. Books like this one is a great way of getting positive information out there.
ReplyDeleteI was previously unaware that Greg had worked in Canada for a time. No doubt this has contributed to his charm, élan and sophistication!
DeleteA very interesting book, wolves are truly important animals in nature. And when they leave their parental pack in search of free space and a life partner, they can walk thousands of kilometers, and appear and try to live in areas from which they were long ago exterminated, as did a young male from the Slovenian-Croatian pack, traveling about 2000 km over four months from the Slovenian Karst to the Lessinia Regional Nature Park in the Italian Alps. The arrival of this wolf, and the successful finding and mating with a she-wolf from the Apennine population, also marked the beginning of an Alpine wolf population in an area where wolves had not been seen for decades.
ReplyDeleteKind regards from Croatia, Jasna
Thanks for this information, Jasna. It is encouraging!
DeleteHello David,
ReplyDeleteGreat to read this all about the wolf.
Very nice the paints in that book.
Greetings, Marco
I'm delighted with the book review. Wolves are extremely intelligent, social, and territorial predators from the canid family. They primarily prey on weakened ungulates (roe deer, red deer, and wild boar), contributing to maintaining the balance of nature. In my country, they are a strictly protected species, yet we hear about the killing of pregnant females. To me, this is animal murder.
ReplyDeleteBest regards.
Me encantan los lobos, aún recuerdo una cacería de lobos que iban mostrándonos por todo el pueblo y parece que terminaron con ellos, ahora parece que vuelven por toda la península ibérica. Hace unos años mi hija y yo que volvíamos de pescar, vimos uno. Según decían por mi zona estaban extinguidos, nos alegro mucho verlo y no lo dijimos a nadie del pueblo, porque siguen matandolos, aunque están protegidos. El libro me parece precioso. Abrazos.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you didn’t divulge the location, Teresa. As you say, unscrupulous people will ignore the law and still kill wolves.
DeleteI'm the librarian for our naturalist group, so I will share your recommendation of this book with them.
ReplyDelete