10/03/2002 Entry: ""
Posted by Maynard @ 03:02 PM MST
Hunting Trips of a Ranchman & The Wilderness Hunter
Theodore Roosevelt wrote more than perhaps any other 20th century president, and about a variety of topics. In HTOAR & TWH he expounds on his many hunting trips of his cowboy days, between the death of his first wife in childbirth and his long-term return to politics. These are actually the 1st and 3rd books of what is considered a trilogy, the 2nd being Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail. For some reason, Modern Library Paperbacks has decided to put the 1st and 3rd together, instead of all three.
ISBN 0-375-75152-1
Pages: 795, including an index and tables of content
Cover Price: $17.95
Publisher: Modern Library
Introduction: Stephen Ambrose
Time to read: 4 months
The book is thick, and the chapters long, but it is a good read nonetheless. At times TR seems to ramble, talking about numerous details of the hunting of wild animals that seem trite. The older style english (long sentences with numerous phrases separated by commas) is present throughout the book, but you quickly adapt to it. The book is best read as a series of short, related stories, all bound by the common theme of hunting North American game.
TR's love of nature and its conservation through management comes across throughout the book. If he were alive today modern environmentalists would be horrified that he advocated the killing of wolves, but if he were alive today I think he would be horrified that many of them abstain from meat. Or perhaps not horrified, just disgusted. He would also be pleasantly surprised to find that the American Bison is not extinct, but man severly regulated in hunting this particular creature. I think he also might be pleased that some in this country raise them for the meat market, greatly increasing their number.
One thing about TR that I admire is that he stood firmly by what he believed, but was willing to change if shown a better way. When reading the book I perceived a definite scientific inquiry about his topic, but not to the extent that he was enslaved to his ideas. He was, for example, interested in the dichotomy between differing types of bear, but did not make any hard and fast claims of knowing the exact species of two bears by sight.
Overall, this is a good book to take along and read over a few months, but not nearly as adventurous as others I've read. Get the paperback unless you like the durability of hardcovers.
