Hunter, writer, university professor and wildlife biologist Walt Prothero claims that our humanity evolved from our hunting traditions, and without those traditions Homo sapiens would never have appeared on the African savannas. Bipedal locomotion freed up the hands to make and use tools--stone hand-axes, wooden spears, flaked stone blades. Without those first crude tools, smart-phones, television, modern medicine and writing would not exist. The first part of this book deals with ethics and philosophy of modern hunting, and what hunters must do today to keep hunting alive tomorrow, including fair-chase hunting. The first part of the book is also liberally sprinkled with hunting anecdotes, the oldest form of human communication. The second portion of the book consists of hunting stories, all with a common theme--fair-chase hunting. If hunting is to survive into the 21st century, it must evolve as humans have evolved. Of course the reader may read a story simply for the enjoyment. Prothero has graced the masthead of Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Wild Sheep magazines and readers of such magazines are seldom interested in ethics or philosophy. The short narratives in this tome are as taut and adrenaline-pumping as any novel, and few readers will yawn at stalking man-eating crocodiles; at charging grizzlies and elephants; of solo expeditions into the Far-North wilderness; of chasing polar bears by dogsled on the Arctic Ocean icepack. ENJOY!

An award-winning historian tells the story of hunting in America, showing how this sport has shaped our national identity. From Daniel Boone to Teddy Roosevelt, hunting is one of America's most sacred-but also most fraught-traditions. It was promoted in the 19th century as a way to reconnect "soft" urban Americans with nature and to the legacy of the country's pathfinding heroes. Fair chase, a hunting code of ethics emphasizing fairness, rugged independence, and restraint towards wildlife, emerged as a worldview and gave birth to the conservation movement. But the sport's popularity also caused class, ethnic, and racial divisions, and stirred debate about the treatment of Native Americans and the role of hunting in preparing young men for war. This sweeping and balanced book offers a definitive account of hunting in America. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the evolution of our nation's foundational myths.

The intriguing historical tale "Edwy the Fair" or "The First Chronicle of Aescendune: A Tale of the Days of Saint Dunstan" by A.D. Crake is set in early medieval England. Edwy, a young nobleman caught in the crossfire of political intrigue and power conflicts during the reign of Saint Dunstan, is the main character of the novel. Readers are taken to the lively world of Aescendune as the story progresses, where the conflict between paganism and Christianity determines the course of the kingdom. Edwy must traverse the complexity of allegiance, religion, and love as he travels through conflicts, alliances, and personal hardships. Readers are drawn into the vivid atmosphere created by A.D. Crake's careful study and attention to historical detail, which transports them to Anglo-Saxon England's voluminous past. The work examines issues of religious conversion, cultural incompatibilities, and the transforming power of religion via vivid descriptions and compelling narrative. A captivating novel, "Edwy the Fair" blends history, adventure, and the protagonists' own spiritual journeys. Readers are transported to a bygone age by Crake's excellent narrative, which captures the spirit of a crucial moment in English history and offers a provocative look at human nature and the factors that influence society.

After the tumultuous events of last winter, Kate, Michael, and Emma long to continue the hunt for their missing parents. But they themselves are now in great danger, and so the wizard Stanislaus Pym hides the children at the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans. There, he says, they will be safe. How wrong he is. The children are soon discovered by their enemies, and a frantic chase sends Kate a hundred years into the past, to a perilous, enchanted New York City. Searching for a way back to her brother and sister, she meets a mysterious boy whose fate is intricately—and dangerously—tied to her own. Meanwhile, Michael and Emma have set off to find the second of the Books of Beginning. A series of clues leads them into a hidden world where they must brave harsh polar storms, track down an ancient order of warriors, and confront terrible monsters. Will Michael and Emma find the legendary book of fire—and master its powers—before Kate is lost to them forever? Exciting, suspenseful, and brimming with humor and heart, the next installment of the bestselling Books of Beginning trilogy will lead Kate, Michael, and Emma closer to their family—and to the magic that could save, or destroy, them all.

"You must go to the dragon. You must leave tonight." Before she even hears the words, Kaeldra already knows what she must do. She must search out the mother dragon whose draclings have just hatched and somehow get some of her precious milk. It's the only way to save her foster-sister's life. Kaeldra would rather not go. It's much too terriffying, much too dangerous. But Kaeldra knows that she's the only one who can do it. For she is the only one who can actually communicate with dragons. But little does Kaeldra know what she's getting into. She's about to begin a journey that will entwine her fate with that of three little draclings and one would-be dragonslayer. A journey the will become a struggle for life.