In The Presence of Wolves

No animal has occupied so central a role in human culture as the wolf, Canis lupus, and for good reason: no animal is quite like our pretechnological selves. Thousands of years ago, before the rise of agriculture and urban civilization, wolves and our forebears lived as social animals in small, free-ranging bands. Both were largely unaffected by predation from competing species; both were commensal, sharing food and friendship; and both were intelligent killers, rarely wanton, rarely wasteful, who relied on a highly evolved program of signals and language to coordinate their efforts.

In the Presence of Wolves presents a surprisingly diverse body of myth, legend, and literature that both illustrates the wolf's importance to human thought and chronicles the wolf's changing fortunes. Art Wolfe brings these legends and folklore alive with a career collection of compelling and vivid images. This creative photographic exploration offers a sweeping but intimate look at the wolf and its environment -- a powerful reminder of how noble and magical this animal can be.

Drawing on the literature and memories of Native American cultures, the mythologies of classical Greece and Rome, the legends of Asian and African gatherer-hunter peoples, and writings by contemporary observers of lupine behavior, Greg McNamee provides a comprehensive, one-of-a-kind anthology of writings about the wolf. In his introduction, McNamee traces the progression of the wolf from companion to competitor, offering a thorough overview of lupine culture that can help us understand Canis lupus as a kindred being.

Art Wolfe's photographs have appeared in National Wildlife, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Audubon, and Life magazines. His exclusive photographs are included in such books as Bears: Their Life and Behavior; Owls: Their Life and Behavior; Wild Cats of the World; Migrations; The Kingdom; and Light of the Land. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

Gregory Mcnamee, former editor-in-chief of the University of Arizona Press, is a book columnist for Outside magazine and a contributor to Chronicle, Parabola, and other publications. He is the author of Gila: The Life and Death of an American River and the compiler of Named in Stone and Sky: An Arizona Anthology. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.