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Kelsey Ford: From the Stacks: J. M. Ledgard's Submergence (0 comment)
Our blog feature, "From the Stacks," features our booksellers’ favorite older books: those fortuitous used finds, underrated masterpieces, and lesser known treasures. Basically: the books that we’re the most passionate about handselling. This week, we’re featuring Kelsey F.’s pick, Submergence by J. M. Ledgard...
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  • Kelsey Ford: Five Book Friday: Year of the Rabbit (0 comment)
  • Kelsey Ford: Powell's Picks Spotlight: Grady Hendrix's 'How to Sell a Haunted House' (0 comment)

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Tiger A True Story of Vengeance

by John Vaillant
Tiger A True Story of Vengeance

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ISBN13: 9780307268938
ISBN10: 0307268934
Condition: Standard
DustJacket: Standard

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Its December 1997, and a man-eating tiger is on the prowl outside a remote village in Russias Far East. The tiger isnt just killing people, its annihilating them, and a team of men and their dogs must hunt it on foot through the forest in the brutal cold. As the trackers sift through the gruesome remains of the victims, they discover that these attacks arent random: the tiger is apparently engaged in a vendetta. Injured, starving, and extremely dangerous, the tiger must be found before it strikes again.

As he re-creates these extraordinary events, John Vaillant gives us an unforgettable portrait of this spectacularly beautiful and mysterious region. We meet the native tribes who for centuries have worshipped and lived alongside tigers, even sharing their kills with them. We witness the arrival of Russian settlers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, soldiers and hunters who greatly diminished the tiger populations. And we come to know their descendants, who, crushed by poverty, have turned to poaching and further upset the natural balance of the region.

This ancient, tenuous relationship between man and predator is at the very heart of this remarkable book. Throughout we encounter surprising theories of how humans and tigers may have evolved to coexist, how we may have developed as scavengers rather than hunters, and how early Homo sapiens may have fit seamlessly into the tigers ecosystem. Above all, we come to understand the endangered Siberian tiger, a highly intelligent super-predator that can grow to ten feet long, weigh more than six hundred pounds, and range daily over vast territories of forest and mountain.

Beautifully written and deeply informative, The Tiger circles around three main characters: Vladimir Markov, a poacher killed by the tiger; Yuri Trush, the lead tracker; and the tiger himself. It is an absolutely gripping tale of man and nature that leads inexorably to a final showdown in a clearing deep in the taiga.

Review

"This elegant work of narrative non-fiction has it all — beauty, intrigue, a primeval locale, fully realized characters, and a conflict that speaks to the state of our world....Brilliant....Haunting and enchanting." Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers, Hellhound on His Trail, and Blood and Thunder

Review

"This book must be read by everybody who is interested in the conservation of wildlife." Temple Grandin, Animals Make Us Human

Review

"Magnificent....To call [it] a page-turner is an understatement. It's riveting." Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of The Hidden Life of Dogs and Tribe of The Tiger

Review

"The Tiger is the sort of book I very much like and rarely find....A book not only for adventure buffs, but for all of us interested in wildlife habitat preservation." Annie Proulx

Review

"A richly textured, compelling story of Nature and Man at odds — and at risk....John Vaillant does as much as any mortal hand or eye to frame the 'fearful symmetry' that burns in Blake's 'forests of the night.'" John J. Stephan, author of The Russian Far East

Review

"Absolutely superb." George Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society vice president, and author of National Book Award winner The Serengeti Lion

Review

"Tigers are cunning creatures, and the structure of John Vaillant's The Tiger does their craftiness credit. The subtitle reads 'a true story of vengeance and survival,' words chosen to immediately grab one's attention, aided by the ragged, red claw marks scratched into the cover behind them. But, while visceral thrills abound throughout the book, what Vaillant is attempting proves much more elusive (and ultimately more compelling) than any mere story of bloody attacks." Nathan Weatherford, Powells.com (Read the entire )

Synopsis

The hunt for a man-eating tiger across the forbidding landscape of Russia’s Far East.

When Yuri Trush was called in to investigate an attack by a Siberian tiger, what he found was unlike anything he’d ever encountered. Nothing remained of the victim but stumps of bone protruding from his boots. Even more chilling was the evidence that this attack had been carefully orchestrated, as if the tiger was seeking revenge. Before long, the beast struck again, and Trush, leader of a tiger conservation unit, found himself forced to hunt this animal through the brutal cold of a Siberian winter, becoming intimately acquainted with the tiger’s history, motives, and unique method of attack — until their harrowing final encounter.

John Vaillant recreates these astonishing events against the backdrop of Russia’s most remote frontier, a place where the native peoples worship tigers but poachers threaten the species’ survival. He describes the historic collisions between Chinese and Russian settlers (trappers, thieves, deserters, and exiles), and the struggles of their descendants, who, in the chaotic aftermath of perestroika, turn to poaching to survive — in this case with deadly consequences.

A haunting, gripping exploration of predators and prey, and an intimate portrait of a remarkable animal increasingly threatened by interaction with humans.

Synopsis

A haunting, gripping exploration of predators and prey, and an intimate portrait of a remarkable animal increasingly threatened by interaction with humans, this work recreates the hunt for a man-eating tiger across the forbidding landscape of Russia's Far East.

Synopsis

Acclaimed nature writer Rick Bass takes us on a journey into the Namib Desert to follow a group of poachers-turned-conservationists as they track the endangered black rhinos through their ancient and harsh African homeland.

Synopsis

From one of our most gifted writers on the natural world comes a stunning exploration of a unique landscape and the improbable and endangered animal that makes its home there.

Rick Bass first made a name for himself as a writer and seeker of rare, iconic animals, including the grizzlies and wolves of the American West. Now hes off on a new, far-flung adventure in the Namib of southwest Africa on the trail of another fascinating, vulnerable species. The black rhino is a three-thousand-pound, squinty-eyed giant that sports three-foot-long dagger horns, lives off poisonous plants, and goes for days without water.

Human intervention and cutting-edge conservation saved the rhinos—for now—from the brink of extinction brought on by poaching and war. Against the backdrop of one of the most ancient and harshest terrains on earth, Bass, with his characteristic insight and grace, probes the complex relationship between humans and nature and meditates on our role as both destroyer and savior.

In the tradition of Peter Matthiessens The Tree Where Man Was Born, Bass captures a haunting slice of Africa, especially of the “black” rhinos that glow ghostly white in the gleaming sun.


Video



About the Author

RICK BASSs fiction has received O. Henry Awards, numerous Pushcart Prizes, awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among others. Most recently, his memoir Why I Came West was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Table of Contents

Prologue vii

Part I: Pastoral 1

Part II: Wild 77

Part III: Dust 197

Epilogue 240

Acknowledgments 269


4.8 14

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.8 (14 comments)

`
Colette Janning , January 17, 2012
Easily the best book I read this year. Mixing a ripping good yarn with relevant and fascinating ventures into history, evolutionary biology, ethology, and more, Vaillant presents an incredible story credibly, weaving painstaking research and hours of interviews into a final product that he the author then recedes from, so we are not distracted from the story, the people who were there--I devoured this book!

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gamonlamon , January 28, 2011
I thought more would happen in the book. Too much background for my tastes.

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Janet Anderson , January 21, 2011 (view all comments by Janet Anderson)
I stayed awake all night to finish this book, and I already knew how it would end! The author supplied the background information about the political situation, the countryside, and the people, so that the main storyline was fully fleshed out. The tiger and the humans all come alive and worthy of study and understanding. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent with the book.

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Word Eater , January 04, 2011
In the category of impeccably written nonfiction, natural history of the taiga's major non-human predator books, that include an overview of the authentic heroes of the conservation movement before, during, and beyond the Joseph Stalen led Soviet Union, with all the gristle, chill, and traction of a first rate thriller, this book is the ONLY pick for 2010 - and may well reign for years to come or until John Vaillant publishes his next book. If you thought Mr. Vaillant deserved all of the tributes he received for "The Golden Spruce," you will be pleased, if not amazed to see that his prowess as a writer is still on the rise.

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maggiebooks , January 03, 2011
A mesmerizing and original book, combining mystery, anthropology and human motivations.

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maddymonkey , January 03, 2011 (view all comments by maddymonkey)
This is the best book I read in 2010. It has everything -- adventure, horror, mystery, suspense, nature, economics, politics, history, character study. Really great from start to finish.

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Susan Beecher , January 02, 2011 (view all comments by Susan Beecher)
This book is completely fascinating. It is the story of a tiger's revenge attack on a man who injured him in far eastern Russia, but it is so much more. The author weaves in the stories of the local people, both the indigenous and immigrant Russians and their relationships with the tigers, which deteriorated after perestroika destroyed the local economy. The author brings to life the local people and the team of men charged with monitoring the tigers. He does the same with the tigers. This book gets my highest recommendation.

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rdavisusf , January 01, 2011 (view all comments by rdavisusf)
What a great book. He delivers another exciting story that captivates you from the first page.

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EileenRN , January 01, 2011
This was easily my best read of the year...a page turner, non-fiction; about the environment, tigers, habitat, remote communities in eastern Russia, and unforgettable characters. It is cleverly written and you will want to read it in one sitting. Need I say more?

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rcutshaw , January 01, 2011
An excellent, spell-binding book that engages your interest from the first. Great action and finely drawn characters.

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sansam , January 01, 2011 (view all comments by sansam)
A haunting engrossing book!

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Erik Stenberg , January 01, 2011
Very good, with an exciting premise.

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DC , November 14, 2010 (view all comments by DC)
While there is no doubt that this is a story of the hunt, from an even larger perspective it is about the relationship between beings - in this case a large predator and a human. How do we live with each other and what happens when we transgress the rules of relationship? The story elucidates the issue of whether or not we can, as a species, survive along with other species. Can we learn how to reign in those people who transgress the boundaries of right relationship with other species? A well-written book with genuine heroes. The fight for the wild is on, always. I hope readers of this books choose the wild with all its danger. There is a way to live on the edge and fully alive.

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egonspen , September 20, 2010
What a great book ! I just finished reading "The Tiger" and I just couldn't put it down. John Vaillant has insight which is quite rare. The research he has done, and the way he approaches the subject is really quite unique and perceptive. The extra material he comes up with and the added stories makes for a rich understanding of the kind of majestic creature we are dealing with here. I found Chapter 13 an indication of just how well Vaillant covers animal psychology, by what is probably an almost forgotten Estonian born Baron/Professor, with his view of "umwelt" and "Umgebung" from the view of the creature. A rare and keen understanding which few "Western Writers" would be able to grasp let alone understand. I also liked his acknowledgment of Native tradition and understanding of the mystery surrounding Tigers who would recognize any Hunter who infact has at sometime in the past killed one of their own. This book is no simple hunting tale, it covers Siberian History and feeds you with everything related to the circumstances that took place in the Primorye Territory in the late 1990's to bring about this deliberate monstrous act. Well done John, it's worth reading again and then lending it to my Hunting buddies in Northern B.C.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780307268938
Binding:
Hardcover
Publisher:
PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE
Pages:
288
Height:
9.50 in.
Width:
6.58 in.
Thickness:
1.26 in.
Grade Range:
General/trade
Number of Units:
1
UPC Code:
4294967295
Author:
Rick Bass
Author:
John Vaillant
Subject:
Tiger hunting - Russia - Russian far east
Subject:
General-General
Subject:
Animals
Subject:
Tiger attacks - Russia - Russian far east

Ships free on qualified orders.
Add to Cart
$13.50
List Price:$26.95
Used Hardcover
Ships in 1 to 3 days
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1Cedar Hills
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