Grey Owl: The Many Faces of Archie Belaney

by Jane Billinghurst

Born in Hastings, England, in 1888, Archibald Stansfeld Belaney spent a solitary childhood under the strict tutelage of two maiden aunts. As a young man, he escaped to Canada, where he whole-heartedly embraced life on the frontier in northern Ontario and Quebec, passing himself off as the son of a Scotsman and a Jicarilla Apache woman. After abandoning two wives, a girlfriend, and three children, he fell in love with Anahareo, a beautiful Iroquois woman. During their tempes-tuous life together, she transformed him from a trapper to a protector of wildlife and he began writing books and magazine articles and making films about his life with his two beavers. Eventually, as Grey Owl, he became famous for his dramatic speaking tours, culminating in two stunningly successful tours in Great Britain and an audience with George VI and his family. Grey Owl is extensively illustrated with archival photographs that span his life, and Jane Billinghurst’s highly readable text is supplemented by engaging and informative extracts from Grey Owl’s own writings. Together, text and photographs provide an intimate look at this enigmatic impostor who delivered an important message of conservation to the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jane Billinghurst is an editor, author, and translator. Her most recent translations include The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.

Reviews

[Morgan]

Well researched and the photos are excellent.

[Marie-Pier]

Biographie intéressante. 3 1/2.
J'ai beaucoup aimé les extraits des livres de Grey Owl. J'en mets dès maintenant un ou deux sur ma liste de lecture!

[Beth Oehler]

Interesting life and very interesting photos. Didn’t like the format.

[Yeong Jun]

I like this book. It tells me about how do we make our environment and nature better.

Before I read this book I didn't know how much nature and environment was important.

However this book tells me about all the things that I haven't know well.

Also this book reminds me about global warming these days.

So that it gives our people the idea of saving energy and those things.

If I have chance to read about nature book that compares these days, I want to read again.

Finally I want to recommend this book to everyone in the world.

If then we all can change our world.

[Ivy McPherson]

Not a bad book.
Very well written.