Muskoka Outdoors Network

Jay Kirk's biographical tale of Carl Akeley, in Kingdom Under Glass, will capture your imagination with hair-raising african safari encounters and provide insight into the genesis of America's conservation movement.

There is more 'between the lines' in this book that my initial read-through revealed.

Carl Akeley is considered to be the father of modern taxidermy and the creator of the African Hall at the New York Museum of Natural History. He later, in 1921, was the catalyst behind creating a sanctuary for silver back gorillas in the Congo. Ironically, this came about while hunting these majestic beasts himself. An encounter that almost killed him. It is this major thread, weaved throughout the book, that attempts to lead the reader through the paradox raging in Carl Akeley's mind. Can hunting and mounting these African beasts actually contribute to their survival in the decades to come?

The book starts during a dark time for exploited African and North American wildlife.  The biography paints a sinister picture of wildlife on the brink of elimination, but also depicts how the coals of conservation ignited a wildfire of protected lands and changed hunting practices.

I enjoyed the portions of the book that shared campfire-like accounts of Akeley's hunting safaris in Africa. These stories pulled me out of my ordinary life and dropped me right into the beastly battles and encounters you would expect to find in Africa's varied landscapes. Carl wrestled and choked a leopard that had clamped its jaws down on Akeley's shoulder!

I did not particularly enjoy the parts of the story that developed the relationship between Carl and his wife, Mickie. That's not to say their relationship was not important - it was just that I read to learn about the details of the next safari.  Perhaps, I am more hunter than lover...

Should you pick up the book? Absolutely.  A great book for your favourite hunt camp chair or a good gift for the outdoor adventure reader in your life.

That being said, the 376 page hardcover took me some time to get through. It was the not sort of 'read' that you can't put down. I read it in small bursts (leopard, gorilla and elephant encounters excluded) and felt that I missed the deeper meanings and themes behind the book. A second reading will be required.

Consider visiting the Kingdom Under Glass website to learn more about the book's author, Jay Kirk, watch video footage from Akeley's camera, and view a photo gallery of some of Carl's photos.

The publisher has provided 2 copies of the book to give away to my blog visitors. Comment below to enter a random draw for the books. On January 26, 2011, I will randomly pick two commenters and email them for their mailing addresses. Each winner will get 1 copy of the book.

*Disclaimer - this book review came at the request of the publisher and a review copy of the book was mailed to me.  I am was not paid to write this post (apart from the review copy) nor do I make money when my blog visitors purchase this book while following the links from this post.

There should be two books on every hunter’s work bench. One is this year’s game and licensing booklet. The second is, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Hunting.

It’s not a “How-To” book, but it is just as valuable. If every angler/hunter/trapper in North America read this book we would be able to intelligently counter and discuss the antics of anti-hunting groups and the science that backs effective wildlife management.

When you delve into the books pages, you find scattered through it facts (with sources) about our pastime in the outdoors. Facts like:

-You are about twice as likely to be attacked by a grizzly when you’re camping in National Parks, where hunting is NOT allowed

-Californians kill more cougars now than before hunting was banned. They annually use permits to kill between 100 – 200 cougars, which is MORE than hunters were killing when hunting was allowed

-Deer kill ten times more people each year than sharks, cougars, bears and alligators combined, and more people than all commercial airline, train, and bus accidents combined

-Hunters provided 1600 tons(12,800,000 servings) of venison and other big game for soup kitchens and food pantries

This book will facilitate sportsman to enter the arena with PETA, HSUS and others and competently shut-down the hype spewed out by the previously listed groups.

I took it to my hunt camp for a week and purposely left it out on the table. Many of the guys would read sections of it and then indicate how good it was to learn about what they had just read, because they had never thought about the science of hunting in this much detail before.

I would love to start a Foundation (or whatever you are supposed to call it) that would make sure every hunting and trapping course in North America gets these books to the participants. Every new and young hunter should be learning this stuff in their courses. Every outhouse in our hunting/fishing/trapping camps needs to have this book – right beside the tp. Any backers?

NOTE: I do not make money from the anyone clicking through the book links on Amazon. Do not let that stop you from checking out the details of the book. Nor, was I paid for this review. The author (or Representative) has sent me an evaluation copy of the book and I have agreed to write about it on my blog. I appreciate the time the author took to do this.

If you have a fishing or hunting product that you would like me to discuss on my blog, please contact me via the link on the top of my blog.