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My Books
The Great American Wolf (Henry Holt and Co., NY, 1997)
What I find most compelling about wolves is their long and close relationship with humans during the past ten thousand years. This book examines that bond, particularly during the last several hundred years in North America when the human perception of wolves traveled from acceptance and respect to near wholesale extirpation and back again. Today, the symbolic power of the wolf remains while our perception of the animal, as well as ourselves, has vastly changed. If we can make room for the animal once cursed by Theodore Roosevelt as "the beast of waste and desolation," there is hope for the preservation of other life.
The Los Angeles Times called this book "an even-handed, judicious, and marvelous biography," and the Chicago Tribune termed it "a compelling read." The eminent wolf biologist, Rolf Peterson, described it as "the most effective and readable book available about wolf-human history."
Rivers of Life—Southwest Alaska, The Last Great Salmon Fishery (Aperture, 2001)
Alaska, one of America’s last great areas of wilderness and a frequent destination of mine over the years, is also a last refuge for wild salmon. Internationally renowned photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum catches the spirit of the land and rivers of Alaska’s frontier in his beautiful photographs, and I wrote the accompanying essay. E
Magazine said, "Conservationist and wildlife biologist Bruce Hampton’s moving essay describes the surreal beauty of Alaska while explaining the politics and peril of the salmon industry. With stirring words and stunning images that delight the eye, this book will educate and inspire."
Children of Grace: The Nez Perce War of 1877 (Henry Holt and Co., NY, 1994)
When I moved to Montana as a young man, I stumbled on the most compelling story I'd ever heard—the 1200 mile flight of the Nez Perce from the U.S. Army in 1877 through what is now Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. On weekends I traced the trail, visited battlefields, and thought deeply about the anguish, luck and fortitude of both sides during this quintessential struggle for freedom. I never forgot it, and twenty-five years later I wrote this book.
Widely reviewed in publications such as the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Los Angeles Times, this book was chosen by the Seattle Times as one of the year's ten best books, and was a finalist for the 1994 Pen West Award.
Soft Paths: How to Enjoy the Wilderness without Harming It (Stackpole Books, 1988-2003)
When co-author David Cole, a U.S. Forest Service research biologist, and I teamed up to write Soft Paths, I was working as a senior staff instructor with the National Outdoor Leadership School, the world's premier wilderness school. We weren't sure how the public would receive a book about what humans can do to minimize their impact in wilderness, but over 60,000 copies later, I think folks were ready.
Chosen as an Outdoor Book Club Selection, Soft Paths is now in its third edition. The best reward, however, was when I recently discovered a hiker packing a dog-eared copy deep in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park.
I'm happy to say that all of my books are in print and available through your favorite bookseller.