What do you think?
Rate this book
A Naturalist in Alaska
Winner of the John Burroughs Medal
"A fascinating study of the life cycles of the animals of Alaska and their inter-relationships. One venturing to capture something of the true beauty of Alaska and its fauna will probably find it in this book."— Journal of the West
"This book should be considerable aid to those who wish to preserve some of the great natural treasures still remaining in Alaska in the face of the inevitable pressures of a growing population. The writing is absolutely first rate. Highly recommended."— Library Journal
"A fascinating study of the life cycles of the animals of Alaska and their inter-relationships. One venturing to capture something of the true beauty of Alaska and its fauna will probably find it in this book."— Journal of the West
"This book should be considerable aid to those who wish to preserve some of the great natural treasures still remaining in Alaska in the face of the inevitable pressures of a growing population. The writing is absolutely first rate. Highly recommended."— Library Journal
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
14 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Adolph Murie
32 books7 followersAdolph Murie, the first scientist to study wolves in their natural habitat, was a naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist who pioneered field research on wolves, bears, and other mammals and birds in Arctic and sub-Arctic Alaska. He was also instrumental in protecting wolves from eradication and in preserving the biological integrity of the Denali National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 12, 2015
Adolph Murie was the first wildlife biologist hired by the Natural Park Service. He did pioneering research on wildlife in the parks, and clashed with those higher in the bureaucracy over the preference for high-volume "industrial tourism" which the agency exhibited even then.
Murie made his first trip to Alaska with his brother, Olaus, who later became President of the Wilderness Society, during the days when dogsled was the only way to travel through the Alaskan interior, and returned for research expeditions in McKinley National Park and its environs during the late 1930s, 1940s,and 1950s. If my memory is correct, the last of these trips essentially was an exile imposed after Murie clashed with the higher-ups over excessive development in the parks, though this history is not discussed in the book/
Instead, Murie focused on the wildlife he observed during his tours of duty in Alaska: wolves, bears, Dall sheep, caribou, eagles, lynx, wolverines, snowshoe hares, and mice and voles. For the most part, Murie resisted the temptation to anthropomorphize animals and describe them in overly-cute terms which was a hallmark of earlier nature writers such as Ernest Thompson Seton, whose work Murie knew well and cited several times in the book.
Murie also made several evocative observations about Alaska's human inhabitants. For example, Murie said that an early hunter-naturalist, Charles Sheldon, sought "simplicity, solitude, the feel of weather, and a close acquaintance with animals in the remote mountains of the Alaska range." Very few people in any place or time would even think of the feel of the weather; this visceral description gives me at least a few goosebumps. Later, Murie described an old prospector who, after the advent of the automobile, drove across the summertime tundra in a Model A. Since the prospector had grown up in the days of dogsleds and snowshoes, anything faster than 10 or 15 miles per hour seemed perilously reckless to him, and he resolutely kept the speedometer down as he drove. For some reason, the image of an old sourdough put-putting across the vast Alaskan outback in an old Model A seems both incisively quaint and hilariously funny to me.
Murie did not write about policy issues or his battles with the National Park Service over development and its impacts on wildlife. That would have been a worthwhile story, but it is not part of this book. Rather, Murie wrote only about the animals and the enjoyment he felt in seeing them. It is both an enjoyable and a worthwhile book taken on these terms.
Murie made his first trip to Alaska with his brother, Olaus, who later became President of the Wilderness Society, during the days when dogsled was the only way to travel through the Alaskan interior, and returned for research expeditions in McKinley National Park and its environs during the late 1930s, 1940s,and 1950s. If my memory is correct, the last of these trips essentially was an exile imposed after Murie clashed with the higher-ups over excessive development in the parks, though this history is not discussed in the book/
Instead, Murie focused on the wildlife he observed during his tours of duty in Alaska: wolves, bears, Dall sheep, caribou, eagles, lynx, wolverines, snowshoe hares, and mice and voles. For the most part, Murie resisted the temptation to anthropomorphize animals and describe them in overly-cute terms which was a hallmark of earlier nature writers such as Ernest Thompson Seton, whose work Murie knew well and cited several times in the book.
Murie also made several evocative observations about Alaska's human inhabitants. For example, Murie said that an early hunter-naturalist, Charles Sheldon, sought "simplicity, solitude, the feel of weather, and a close acquaintance with animals in the remote mountains of the Alaska range." Very few people in any place or time would even think of the feel of the weather; this visceral description gives me at least a few goosebumps. Later, Murie described an old prospector who, after the advent of the automobile, drove across the summertime tundra in a Model A. Since the prospector had grown up in the days of dogsleds and snowshoes, anything faster than 10 or 15 miles per hour seemed perilously reckless to him, and he resolutely kept the speedometer down as he drove. For some reason, the image of an old sourdough put-putting across the vast Alaskan outback in an old Model A seems both incisively quaint and hilariously funny to me.
Murie did not write about policy issues or his battles with the National Park Service over development and its impacts on wildlife. That would have been a worthwhile story, but it is not part of this book. Rather, Murie wrote only about the animals and the enjoyment he felt in seeing them. It is both an enjoyable and a worthwhile book taken on these terms.
July 5, 2015
A rare five star rating. It helped that I had just been to Denali and recognized almost everything that Murie wrote about. Even though some the descriptions of the wildlife were excruciatingly detailed, I definitely felt like I was in Alaska again. Purchased at the Denali N.P. book store.
May 30, 2024
“Alaska has for most of us a magic ring. It is still frontier, and chiefly a big wilderness. The freshness of primeval, tender landscape is the magic for true Alaskans. It is a land where the individual is not yet swamped by numbers”
And the book continues with scientific observations of many species in the Denali area. Not always incredible reading, but interesting throughout.
These observations contribute much to a history of wildlife and an understanding of it.
And the book continues with scientific observations of many species in the Denali area. Not always incredible reading, but interesting throughout.
These observations contribute much to a history of wildlife and an understanding of it.
August 26, 2022
Scientific observations well-written for a wide audience. Murie was one of the first to study large game in Alaska, starting in the 1930ies - a very interesting, and at times entertaining, read.
November 22, 2010
The author sounds like someone it would be wonderful to meet and spend time with, as Jim King described doing in his book, Attending Alaska's Birds. A Naturalist in Alaska is purely a book of wildlife observations. There were no huge revelations in it, but I hope I learned incrementally, much like one would if they were spending hours and days watching wildlife. The author very modestly says nothing about any physical hardship that he underwent during his work, nothing about how difficult it was, or the amount of base knowledge he must certainly have had to bring to it. The drawings are delightful. I would have benefited from having some maps, even hand-drawn ones, included.
October 9, 2015
This is the type of research I enjoy the most and it is a very well written book . Easy to read and understand. The large mammals of Denali are represented in the fine text of Dr. Murie. He does a great job of explaining the many habits and behaviors of the native wildlife in Alaska in the 40's
before statehood snd before the Alaskan Frontier became a tourist destination.
before statehood snd before the Alaskan Frontier became a tourist destination.
November 4, 2015
I liked that the book covered many different animals. Large focus was on bears and wolves. Fun stories told by a scientist. Sometimes the dispassionate scientific voice became tedious to me, but overall I enjoyed learning about the animals and early research in Denali during the 1930's.
August 2, 2012
great read for when you're spending 12 hours a day outside in alaksa!
March 29, 2017
excellent book of naturalist Adoloph Murie's life and observations
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews