Beaverland
Beaverland is an informative and appreciative account of the beaver, pointing its role in shaping American history and how it may even save our ecological future. Written by award-winning author Leila Philip, this narrative introduces readers to the people dedicated to these surprisingly significant creatures, sharing the stories of fur trappers and traders, wildlife managers and scientists who work with beavers and manage their impact on water sources. Philip traces the beaver’s profound influence on the nation’s early economy and feverish western expansion, its first corporations and multi-millionaires. Beaverland reveals the profound ways in which one odd creature and the trade surrounding it has shaped history, culture, and our environment.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“Lyrically written, meticulously observed, and exhaustively researched, BEAVERLAND is going to break your heart—and then heal it with compassion, beauty, and wonder.”
—Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus
“We can’t have enough books about this wonderful creature—and this one is particularly strong on the remarkable history of the animal in our continent’s history and imagination.”
—Bill McKibben, bestselling author of The End of Nature
“BEAVERLAND is wonderful, captivating, and illuminating.“
—James Fallows, bestselling co-author of Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America
“In Beaverland, Leila Philip takes us on a fascinating tour of the beaver’s effect on human history, and how, after its near extinction, we need to bring this rodent back for the sake of our ecosystems.”
—Frans de Waal, author of Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist
“Beaverland may be the best-realized book about an American animal in years.“
—Dan Flores, New York Times bestselling author of Coyote America
“Beaverland is poignant, impeccably researched, and artfully put together with an eye toward the beaver’s role in the anthropogenic disaster of our changing climate and damaged ecosystems.”
—Gretel Ehrlich, author of Unsolaced: Along the Way to All That Is