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White Wolf: Living With an Arctic Legend
Working with a pack of Artic wolves, Jim Brandenburg has created an extraordinary portfolio of wildlife photographs. The Arctic wolf, a powerful and compelling predator, has been captured ever so gently in the pages of White Wolf.
Share the adventure of living with a pack of wolves on Ellesmere Island, a pure wilderness in the High Arctic where man is only an infrequent visitor. Experience the drama of a musk ox hunt, the innocent joy of wolf pups playing at the den and the serenity of Ellesmere. The insightful text and the 160 stunning photographs will bring the inspiring world of the Arctic to anyone willing to turn these pages. It will be a memorable experience.
Share the adventure of living with a pack of wolves on Ellesmere Island, a pure wilderness in the High Arctic where man is only an infrequent visitor. Experience the drama of a musk ox hunt, the innocent joy of wolf pups playing at the den and the serenity of Ellesmere. The insightful text and the 160 stunning photographs will bring the inspiring world of the Arctic to anyone willing to turn these pages. It will be a memorable experience.
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1988
57 people want to read
About the author
Jim Brandenburg
34 books12 followersJim Brandenburg was an environmentalist and nature photographer and filmmaker based near Ely, Minnesota. His career included over 10 years as a newspaper photojournalist, over 30 years as a contract photographer for the National Geographic Society, and commissions from such groups as the United States Postal Service, NHK and the BBC.
Jim Brandenburg was a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.
Jim Brandenburg was a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 29, 2019
Way more poetic and compelling than The Arctic Wolf. I won't say "more personal," because both are equally that. But it certainly reads better than David Mech's scientific study. There is more narrative here, the flow is better, and the images the author paints with the words are just magical, to say the least. The photographs, of course, are stunning too. The Arctic really is beautiful, and Jim Brandenburg knows how to convey that beauty.
However - and it's not the fault of the author nor the book - it lacks the update The Arctic Wolf provided with its 10th anniversary edition. For example, Jim Brandenburg refers to Scruffy as a male, while Mech later realized that Scruffy was, in fact, a she wolf. This is why I recommend reading both books. They don't overlap, even though both cover the authors' time observing that one pack. I'd even say that more material comes from Jim Brandenburg, as he saw the pack before David Mech got there, and then observed it some more when Mech was gone for a few weeks.
Their expedition resulted in the NatGeo documentary, White Wolf, and perhaps the most popular photo of a wolf ever taken, and it's the one on the cover. Although I do regret that my other favourite didn't make it into the book (the one in this review, of course.)
The scientist in me enjoyed Mech's The Arctic Wolf tremendously, but the poet in me got absolutely engrossed in Brandenburg's White Wolf. 4.5*
However - and it's not the fault of the author nor the book - it lacks the update The Arctic Wolf provided with its 10th anniversary edition. For example, Jim Brandenburg refers to Scruffy as a male, while Mech later realized that Scruffy was, in fact, a she wolf. This is why I recommend reading both books. They don't overlap, even though both cover the authors' time observing that one pack. I'd even say that more material comes from Jim Brandenburg, as he saw the pack before David Mech got there, and then observed it some more when Mech was gone for a few weeks.
Their expedition resulted in the NatGeo documentary, White Wolf, and perhaps the most popular photo of a wolf ever taken, and it's the one on the cover. Although I do regret that my other favourite didn't make it into the book (the one in this review, of course.)
The scientist in me enjoyed Mech's The Arctic Wolf tremendously, but the poet in me got absolutely engrossed in Brandenburg's White Wolf. 4.5*
January 14, 2019
Loaded with fantastic photography, this gorgeous coffee-table book presents Jim Brandenburg and L. David Mech's summer of living alongside a pack of wild arctic wolves in stunning detail. Far from the monsters they are portrayed to be, the wolves prove to be curious, if somewhat mischievous, neighbors, allowing Brandenburg and Mech to live within yards of their den where the pack was raising a litter of new pups.
December 24, 2020
Gorgeous photos, and an amazing story of months spent photographing a pack of white wolves in the Arctic. I spent hours of my childhood pouring over these incredible photographs.
February 8, 2026
its the gloss...
September 12, 2012
Yet another free coffee table book courtesy of the town transfer station recycle goods trailer. This one's not new but is still in good shape. I've only glanced at it so far and the pictures are spectacular. I went through it this morning looking at the pictures and reading some of the text. Very compelling.
I've decided to shrink my "currently reading" list by finishing up a few and this is the first. The pictures are the main attraction but the text is interesting too.
Finished up this morning. I suppose one might bring up an objection to this kind of production as interfering with and potentially threatening the animals being "exploited" for the author's career. My opinion is that the author did indeed get too close but that the species he chose was particularly flexible enough to allow it. In general I'm for non-interference with wild animals. Subsistence hunting is OK unless it threatens the survival of the species. Human survival is NOT more important...
I've decided to shrink my "currently reading" list by finishing up a few and this is the first. The pictures are the main attraction but the text is interesting too.
Finished up this morning. I suppose one might bring up an objection to this kind of production as interfering with and potentially threatening the animals being "exploited" for the author's career. My opinion is that the author did indeed get too close but that the species he chose was particularly flexible enough to allow it. In general I'm for non-interference with wild animals. Subsistence hunting is OK unless it threatens the survival of the species. Human survival is NOT more important...
June 29, 2013
Beautifully written and some of the most stunning photography I have ever seen. Picked this up at a library book sale and what a gem of a find this was.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews