Wow! eBook
Moose
Author(s): Kevin Jackson (Author)
- Publisher: Reaktion Books
- Publication Date: 3 Dec. 2008
- Edition: Illustrated
- Language: English
- Print length: 224 pages
- ISBN-10: 1861893965
- ISBN-13: 9781861893963
Book Description
The moose, or ‘elk’ in Europe, is generally found in the temperate to subarctic forests of the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, that includes almost all of Canada, most of central and western Alaska, much of New England, the upper Rocky Mountains, Northeastern Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Small but present moose populations have been verified as far south as the mountains of Colorado.Moose have been hunted for food since the Stone Age, are considered the national animal of Sweden and Norway, and the moose occurs frequently in the popular culture of the Northern Hemisphere, from the logo of Abercrombie and Fitch to Bullwinkle, of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. Kevin Jackson’s Moose describes and discusses moose evolution, diet, behaviour and environment, as well as every major aspect of the interactions between man and moose, from Julius Caesar’s first mention of ‘alces’ in his history of the Gallic Wars to the planned construction of a 45-metre-high wooden moose in Sweden. Among the leading human figures in this story are Thomas Jefferson and Buffon, the great English painter George Stubbs, Henry David Thoreau, Theodore Roosevelt and his Bull moose party and the poets Ted Hughes and Anne Sexton.The book also includes much colourful moose lore, such as the belief that moose hoof could cure epilepsy; an explanation of why Roosevelt called his breakaway political movement the Bull Moose Party; a fascinating digression on the Enlightenment controversy over moose and the Irish Elk; and why the moose is really an elk, and the elk is really a wapiti. Containing many illustrations of moose from nature and culture, and full of little-known fact and anecdote about this familiar and much-loved animal, Moose will appeal to cultural historians, literati, moose lovers, naturalists, zoologists and eccentrics everywhere.
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘In this whimsical, witty and very entertaining survey of the moose, Kevin Jackson shows how this large, ungainly herbivore has been used for food, sport and entertainment by successive generations of North Americans.’ –The Guardian
‘The moose can boast an impressive array of accomplishments. In this entertaining survey of the animal’s place in history and culture, we learn that it provided Chipewyan tribes with ”parchment, leather, lines and cords . . . thread and glue . . . handles . . . spoons . . . tools . . . gowns, firebags, mittens, moccasins, and trousers.” All this and food.’ –Independent on Sunday
‘An affectionate portrait of a little studied, oft-derided animal . . . Kevin Jackson avoids the tendency to cram in too much; for him, the moose has always been a totem, and this affinity affords him ease with his ungainly yet beguiling subject.’ –Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
Kevin Jackson is the author of many books including, most recently, The Pataphysical Flook (2007), The Book of Hours (2007) and Lawrence of Arabia (BFI Film Classics series, 2007). He has also written widely on film, photo graphy, modern art, literature, language and cultural history.
