THe Time of the Buffalo

Rating:
Summary: A definitive work on the buffalo which is also fun to read.
Review: This full-scale study of the buffalo splendidly memorializes the magnificent beast that once roamed from Alaska to the Carolinas. Illustrated with maps, drawings, paintings and photographs, this informative account begins with the genesis of the buffalo in the Ice Age and traces his evolution, natural history, patterns of behavior, and relationships with three cultures.

You may consider this review biased since I am the brother of the author (who is now deceased). However, I found the book great fun to read and the technical aspects of the material are beyond reproach. In 1984, Tom McHugh wrote:

"Some reviewers have called my book, The Time of the Buffalo, the definitive work on the subject. The book actually had its beginnings in my doctoral thesis, a study of social behavior in buffalo. For the book, I expanded my thesis to include the effect of the buffalo on the life of ancient hunters, the Plains Indians, the American frontier. Photographs of buffalo behavior that I originally made for the thesis eventually led to my being chosen as director of photography for Walt Disney's Academy Award-winning feature, `The Vanishing Prairie.'"

Rating:
Summary: A definitive work on the buffalo which is also fun to read.
Review: This full-scale study of the buffalo splendidly memorializes the magnificent beast that once roamed from Alaska to the Carolinas. Illustrated with maps, drawings, paintings and photographs, this informative account begins with the genesis of the buffalo in the Ice Age and traces his evolution, natural history, patterns of behavior, and relationships with three cultures.

You may consider this review biased since I am the brother of the author (who is now deceased). However, I found the book great fun to read and the technical aspects of the material are beyond reproach. In 1984, Tom McHugh wrote:

"Some reviewers have called my book, The Time of the Buffalo, the definitive work on the subject. The book actually had its beginnings in my doctoral thesis, a study of social behavior in buffalo. For the book, I expanded my thesis to include the effect of the buffalo on the life of ancient hunters, the Plains Indians, the American frontier. Photographs of buffalo behavior that I originally made for the thesis eventually led to my being chosen as director of photography for Walt Disney's Academy Award-winning feature, 'The Vanishing Prairie.'"

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but dated
Review: Though I attended a school with a buffalo as its mascot, I never tried to learn much about them till recently. Purchasing this book was part of my effort to learn more, and the book was useful for that. The book is very readable, and a very interesting overview of the buffalo. Unfortunately, it dates from the 1970s, and knowledge has moved on since then. The most obvious example of this is coverage of "Blue Babe"--A frozen buffalo from several thousand years ago which was discovered after this book was published. I'm sure there are other places where our understanding of buffalo and their place in the scheme of the prairie has changed, but I'm not expert enough to identify them. I really like the book, but would like to see it updated to reflect new findings.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, but dated
Review: Though I attended a school with a buffalo as its mascot, I never tried to learn much about them till recently. Purchasing this book was part of my effort to learn more, and the book was useful for that. The book is very readable, and a very interesting overview of the buffalo. Unfortunately, it dates from the 1970s, and knowledge has moved on since then. The most obvious example of this is coverage of "Blue Babe"--A frozen buffalo from several thousand years ago which was discovered after this book was published. I'm sure there are other places where our understanding of buffalo and their place in the scheme of the prairie has changed, but I'm not expert enough to identify them. I really like the book, but would like to see it updated to reflect new findings.