The Bedside Book of Beasts is simply a compilation of stories, anecdotes and essays centering around alpha predators and the human relationship with, fascination and fear of them. Graeme Gibson seems to have a few main themes that he wants to focus on throughout the book. These include the need to keep the wild "wild"; the pointlessness and cruelty of sport hunting; how domestication and industrialization changed our relationship with wild animals; humanity's separation from nature; and others. But the most significant theme of the book is probably the exploration of the innate instincts that humans have had of alpha predators since the early days of humanity; suggesting that our feelings of fear and awe were passed down genetically through the thousands of years of human evolution. Basically, the bulk of the book suggests that we are genetically programmed to be afraid of predators, and even afraid of the dark because of our ancient ancestor's encounters with predatory animals. Yet at the same time, we remain fascinated with them – creating countless stories, mythologies and art centered around predatory animals.
All in all it was a very fascinating book, and an easy read. Most of the excerpts that make up the book are no longer than 3-4 pages, and quite a few pages are taken up by full-color, two-page illustrations. Probably one of the best parts of the book alone is the design and inclusion of animal-related artworks. The main thing I personally didn't like about the book was some of Gibson's views on farming, animal domestication, and hunting. He suggests that the former two are one of humanity's biggest mistakes. He seems to reject the mutually beneficial relationship between humans and their domesticated animals – basically suggesting that by domesticating animals, we dumbed-down said species from their nobler ancestors. He ignores honest, sustainable farming and pays attention only to the farmers who pointlessly kill alpha predators to protect their precious flocks. While I agree that it is terribly, unforgivably tragic that thousands of wolves, bison, mountain lions and the like were eradicated to make way for cows, I think that sustainable farming is the saving grace to the world we live in now. And as for hunting, I am too completely against hunting for sport – I see it as a shameful, unnecessary and cruel waste. And while Gibson does not outright say that all hunting is bad, he suggests it numerous times in saying that humans do not pick and choose the weak, older animals, like wolves or lions will, but rather we choose the strongest, fattest, largest animals – A.K.A. the most viable specimens for improving the gene pool. Thereby suggesting that humans have no place to hunt animals – despite the regulations that are in place to protect populations from overharvesting. I know from experience that many people – at least in the west – still hunt to provide the primary source of meat to their families. My parents did it in the beginning of their marriage.
It is only in these two areas that I would disagree with him, however. Many of his points are very valid, and I found myself getting fired up in agreement with him. Notably, in the introduction for the last chapter of the book, he talks about all the scientific evidence that exists for the powers of healing that humans get from simply being near nature. It is truly sad how separated we have become from our origins in nature in this day and age – so much so that people are actually afraid to be outside of town! How sad.

Overall, I would totally recommend this book to animal lovers, nature lovers, aspiring conservationists and the nature-starved. If I could offer one suggestion to Gibson however, it would be to release a second edition... I encountered numerous typos in the text. Otherwise, fantastic reading, beautiful book. ( )

A beautifully produced book, but much more gruesome than I realized when I bought it--sorry Mom!!! The selections are fascinating and well written and the illustrations are lovely and unusual, but the singular focus on the carnivorous nature of "beast" is just too much for me. I would expect that to be part of such a book, but it's really the central theme and because I don't have any affinity with the spiritual nature the author seems to ascribe to the taking and "offering" of life, it makes for generally disturbing nighttime reading. I can't imagine what Gibson has to say about birds...

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Gave this to my mom for Christmas. She loved it, so I'm borrowing it. Can't wait to start it tonight. ( )

An wildlife miscellany

"The Bedside Book of Beasts: A Wildlife Miscellany," by Graeme Gibson, is a compendium of writing about animals ranging from the ancient Greek writer Aelian to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Barry Lopez and beyond, along with occasional commentary by the author. It is arranged in a series of chapters concerning the relationships between predator and prey, animals and environment, mythology and animals, creatures and humans. Most gloriously, it is generously supplied with illustrations going back as far as the upper Paleolithic, which are absolutely gorgeous. Printed on heavy paper, this is a volume to be savoured slowly, dipping into it a page at a time, the better to draw out its pleasures. A complete delight. ( )

"When you turned from this ideal form of supple beauty--of terrific force in repose--of silent and royal disdain--to the human creatures who were timidly gazing at it, open-eyed and open-mouthed, it was not the human beings who had the superiority over the animal. The latter was so much the superior that the comparison was humiliating."
- Barbery D'Aurevilly (1808-1889), France

"It is the desperate wail of the Cicada, surprised in his quietude by the Green Grasshopper, that ardent nocturnal huntress, who springs upon him, grips him in the side, opens and ransacks his abdomen. An orgy of music, followed by butchery."
- Jean-Henre Fabre (1823-1915), France

"Kill every buffalo you can!" Colonel Richard Dodge urged a sport hunter in 1867. "Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone."
- William Temple Hornaday (1854-1937), United States

"The natives say if you listen to a lion roaring you can hear what he says 'Hee-e-e inchi ya nani? Yangu. Yangu. Yangu.' (Whose country is this? Mine. Mine. Mine.)"
- K. de P. Beaton, details unknown

The book is filled with gorgeous illustrations and a diverse collection of writing by various authors. There's so much to be found here, including excerpts from literature, poetry, journal entries, and folklore. Large swaths of the book dealt with death, violence, and man's relationship with the natural world. All these elements came together to lay bare the lives of beasts, both real and imaginary. ( )