Books

A couple of recent books I’ve read that may be of interest to mammal watchers and naturalists:

The Wolverine Way by Douglas Chadwick. This book follows wolverine research, principally in the rugged mountains of Glacier National Park. It’s an adventure story in addition to shedding new light on the actual habits of wolverines. They are much more social than what was once believed. You could probably also glean some tips on where to see a “lower 48” wolverine. It sounds like a prolonged trek in Glacier’s backcountry might be the best bet.

Kingdom Under Glass by Jay Kirk.  This is the story of Carl Akeley, the naturalist/adventurer/collector/taxidermist who conceived of the Africa exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History. Akeley became obsessed with the idea of museum dioramas, which led him to strange and often disturbing quests in Africa, including the one that led to his death. He became an advocate for conservation after his gorilla hunt (a particurlarly unsettling part of the tale). The author makes some basic natural history errors and omits/condenses parts of the story for reasons that remain unclear, but overall this is a  page-turning adventure book for those interested in old-time natural history and museums.