Wilderness Champion

by Joseph Wharton Lippincott

This is a rare first edition (1944) of Joseph Wharton Lippincott's Wilderness Champion. The story of a Red Coonhound pup raised by wolves. This edition is hardcover with brown cloth over boards. Dust Jacket is included, and has significant loss at the spine, but it has been preserved.

Genres: Dogs, Fiction, Wolves, Childrens, Young Adult, Classics, Animal Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 40 years, I thought of this book, found, & re-read it. Glad I did. I still remembered a bit of it with amazing clarity. I'm sorry that I never got to read the first of these books Wolf King. Unfortunately, that's selling for $150 or more used!

Wolf King was about a wolf in the wilds of Alberta, Canada. This one takes place mostly in the same area. I don't know a firm date, but there are cars, but not a lot. I'd say it's set about 1930's. Although first published in 1944, there is no mention of WWII.

This is the story of Reddy, a hound, & follows him from puppyhood through his prime through all sorts of trials & some gorgeous, tough country. Lippincott does a great job of following the action both from the human & animal POV. He gets a bit repetitive with some elements, but it's a great YA novel & not at all bad for an adult.

[Letty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was in my grade school library and I ATE UP books by this author. Any of the Joseph W. Lippincott books are great reads for kids.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic early twentieth century read that provides a look into a time and place that no longer exists. Although there is the fictionalization of the thoughts and personalities of some animals the setting reflects a realistic balanced view of humans and animals in a natural habitat. This was written in a different time where men will hunt and fish for dinner without drawing outrage. Young readers are not sheltered from the likes of coyote fights or the graphic scene of a wolf killing a badger for food. A mans dog spends winter nights with a wolf on a cold mountain side and there is no social media mob demanding that he be publicly scorned for not insisting the dog come inside. A young woman is among the riders on horseback without a feminist statement because the notion that she shouldn’t be there is absent. It’s a good story about a dog, simple as that. Maybe not “the best story ever” but a good satisfying read that is an escape from current writings in which every author is compelled to “make a statement.” Add my name to the list of people who would love to read the prequel if it was available.

[Scribh · Rating 5 out of 5]

After many years, this book still has the power to make me cry at the end. Lippencott's obscure books, especially Wilderness Champion and the Wahoo Bobcat, introduced me to a world of silence, undergrowth and tracking, sunsets, and detail. The limited dialogue and exhaustive description struck a chord with me, and weaned me off regular kids books forever.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Austin recommendation. His 4th grade teacher read this aloud to the class and he loved it so much he couldn't stop talking about it. Next thing I know he borrowed it from his teacher and wanted me to read it. This one took me a while to get into. I really enjoyed the story once I got several chapters into it.

[Dixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book when I was a kid; also "The Wolf King," which comes before it.

[Annie T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love redbone coonhounds which is why I sought out and read this book. Loved it.

[Elaine Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favourite kids-young adult books. A Redbone Hound puppy gets lost and adopted by a wolf. Kind of a dog-Tarzan story, but it read a lot better than I'm making it sound. I loved this book, and was able to find a used copy to read to my own kids. Great find.

[Ghostwalkerv1gmail.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest 🙌 stories I have ever ❤ read in my almost half century of reading 📚!! So ya, not bad.

[Jonathan Lacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book several times as a kid and absolutely loved it. There was a time in my life where I would have called it unambiguously my favorite book (I've since read enough other books for there to be more in contention for that). I recently cracked it open for the first time in a long time because the book was relevant to a paper I was writing for a college class and I wanted to cite it. Even without re-reading the whole thing, transcribing a few key lines from the ending was enough to bring me to tears. This book still has power over me even decades after picking it up for the first time. I suspect that it will always have that kind of power.

[Duncan]

One of the best adventure books I have ever read. I signed this book out so many times at my public school library that when I went back searching for it at my old school twenty five years later the librarian gave it to me when she saw I was the last person to read it and because of how many times I had signed it out!!!!

Other great dog stories are, A dog named wolf, Desert Dog

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book as a child and would always read it at my grandparents' house.