Bibliography

This collection of books and CD ROMs are available in the Wild About Cats library for loan to members only. Many are current releases. Many are out of print. However, by listing them here, you can investigate what books you can be on the lookout for at the used book store!

Resource Books

Wild Cats Of The World

1995, photos/drawings by Art Wolfe, text by Barbara Sleeper. Over 175 full color photographs, including many of rare and rarely seen small cats of the world. The newest, most complete book on all species of wild cats.

Great Cats - Majestic Creatures Of The Wild

1991, Editors: Dr. John Seidensticker and Dr. Susan Lumpkin. 240 pages, over 200 photographs. Major sections: Evolution and Biology, Cats Up Close, Cats and Humans. An incredibly detailed and well-written book on all aspects of big cats - how they work, behavior, specifics on species (focusing on the big cats but with a section about most of the little known small cats), big cats in history/art/zoos, etc.

Kingdom Of Might - The World's Big Cats

1993, Tom Brakefield. Focuses on the 8 "biggest" cats - tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards, snow leopards, cougars, cheetahs, and clouded leopards.

Kingdom Of Lions

1994, Jonathan Scott. 192 pages, over 200 color photos and black and white illustrations. All about lions of Africa - the rise and fall of various prides, how the ebb and flow of seasons affects both predator and prey, human/wildlife relationships in Africa today.

Tiger!

1994, Simon Barnes. All about tigers exclusively. Discusses each of the eight subspecies, wild and captive, behavior, illegal parts trade and poaching, conservation projects, etc.

Cougar - The American Lion

1992, Kevin Hansen, in association with the Mountain Lion Foundation, forward by Robert Redford. Excellent research book with many quoted resources. A comfortable cross between technical and coffee-table book. Covers behavior, habitat, depredation, hunting, management, feline evolution, etc.

Wild Cats

1993, Candace Savage. A Sierra Club book about lynx, bobcats, and mountain lions exclusively. 90 full-color photographs.

Animal Babies

1994, Steve Parker. A habitat-by-habitat guide to how wild animals grow. Two to four pages on each species discussed with details of birth to independence. Wonderful color photos of young wild animals.

Whales, Dolphins, And Porpoises

1995, Mark Carwardine. A visual guide to all the world's cetaceans. Eyewitness Handbooks make identification of individual species simple and straightforward. Superb annoted illustrations or photographs accompanied by concise, informative descriptions. Easy to use and beautiful to look at.

Captive Wildlife

Zoo Animals - A Smithsonian Guide

1995, Michael H. Robinson and David Challinor. An illustrated guide to more than 250 animals from around the world shown at home in modern zoos. Over 350 color photos. Maps of 18 zoos in the U.S. 40- page quick-access A-to-Z glossary and a full color foldout of the order of mammals and zoo-created habitats.

Zoo Book - The Evolution Of Wildlife Conservation Centers

1994, Linda Koebner, in co-operation with American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the Wildlife Conservation Society. A look at the inner workings of the modern day zoo and the changing role of the zoo community. Description of some of the best North American zoos, history of zoos, what's coming up in the future. Talks about enrichment, SSP (species survival plans), animal welfare organizations.

Gathering Of Animals

1974, William Bridges. A unconventional history of the New York Zoological Society (now called the Wildlife Conservation Society). Very interesting text and photos of the evolution (up until 1974) of the Bronx Zoo from its planning stages to reality. The ZOO BOOK (above) is put out in association with this same organization and updates the reader to 1994. The Bronx Zoo was one of the first of it's kind in respect to modern zoos with natural habitats.

Big Zoo

1941, William Bridges. The predecessor to the two books above. Very interesting to read this older book on what directions they were taking and what dreams they had back in 1941 for modern zoos. Full of excellent black and white photos of the building and stocking of the Bronx Zoo.

Careers For Animal Lovers And Other Zoological Types

1991, Louise Miller. People who love animals will love this book about the many different jobs and careers that involve working closely with animals. Veterinarian, zookeeper, animal trainer, pet sitter, wildlife conservationists, and pet groomer are just some of the jobs covered.

Wildlife Conservation and Study

Life At An African Pool

1995, John Struthers. A graphic story (depicted mostly in color photographs since the author is a Zimbabwe photographer) of six months spent studying an African water hole. It describes the stress suffered by wild animals as their source for water dries up. It shows Africa as it really is, without frills or fanfare, during the heat of an African "spring" season (the dry season).

Magnificent Moments - The World's Greatest Wildlife Photographs

1995, Edited by George Harrison. An unparalleled collection of images from the world's most respected nature photographers. Accompanying these singular photos are the photographers' personal comments.

Last Of The Free

1994, Garreth Patterson. The final chapter in the Born Free saga. This young Englishman worked with George Adamson prior to his death at the hands of poachers. He and his girlfriend adopted George's orphaned lion cubs following his murder. A vivid and intimate depiction of their daily life, but also a heartfelt plea, drawing attention to the crisis threatening the lion population throughout Africa.

The Eye Of The Elephant

1992, Delia and Mark Owens. An epic adventure in the African wilderness. An exciting hybrid of a book, part adventure story, part wildlife tale. The Owens' set off on an African odyssey in search of a new wilderness Eden. They thought they had found it in a remote valley of Zambia. But the peace was soon shattered, and they were inexorably drawn into a struggle to save not only the valley but their own lives. Currently they have done monumental things to improve the poaching problem in North Luangwa Valley and have provided assistance to the natives there.

Serengeti Shall Not Die

1960, Bernhard and Michael Grzimek. Focuses on Serengeti National Park in the 1950's and the impending threat of extermination of its animals. Interesting perspective due to the age of this book.

Wildlife And Safari In Kenya

1967, John Pearson and various authors of individual articles. "A comprehensive guide-book for travelers." This older book was written when hunting safaris were very common and acceptable. It even features a section on the Big Five and appropriate guns, maps, and advertisements for hunting lodges. Very interesting to see how far we've come since the Endangered Species Act and the ecological awareness of the 1970's.

Man Kind?

1974, Cleveland Amory. "Our incredible war on wildlife." An explosive book written by Amory during a very emotional time in history for wildlife. Extremely biased view against hunting, but some very interesting perspectives. Amory founded the Fund For Animals in 1967, an active animal rights group.

Animal Behavior

When Elephants Weep

1995, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy. A study of the emotional lives of animals. Chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness. Anecdote-rich field notes and studies from biologists, ethologists, animal behaviorists, and trainers from Sea World, Marine World, Ringling Bros. circus and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

The Tribe Of Tiger

1994, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. Extremely well written study of feline behavior. Based on studying her own domestic cats and wild lions in Africa, along with researching behavior of captive wild cats. Easily understood, non- technical, with black and white illustrations.

Mind In The Waters

1974, Joan McIntyre. A collection that outlines the capabilities and consciousness of whales and dolphins. Drawing on mythology, scientific findings, poetry, natural history, statistics, and photographs. Written at a time when whaling was still going on at an alarming rate, it was a call to action when first published.

Anecdotal Stories

The Lady And Her Tiger

Pat Derby. True accounts of the life of Pat Derby, founder of PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society). Beginning with her life as a performer, and then animal trainer for filmwork. Very disturbing stories of times of hardship and amusing tales too. Interesting to notice the emotional difficulty that Derby suffers through to keep her animals, which eventually led to her decision to leave that line of work and create PAWS.

The Gentle Jungle

1980, Toni Ringo Helfer. The compelling, true story of Ralph and Toni Helfer and their life among Hollywood's favorite animal celebrities. Including Gentle Ben, Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, Judy the Chimp, the noble Stallion Fury, and Modoc the Elephant. Their compound, African USA, in southern California bought out Marine World when it went bankrupt in Redwood City and they created "Marine World/Africa USA".

The Beauty Of The Beasts

1990, Ralph Helfer. A more recent version of the story told above from Ralph Helfer's standpoint. He supplied animal performers to over 5000 movies and TV programs. Determined to bring an end to traditional methods of training that relied on fear and violence, Helfer developed Affection Training, which relies instead on love, patience, and understanding, and respect.

Camel Lot

1990, Moselle Schaffer. "A true story of a zoo-illogical farm." A true story of how this urban housewife evolves into an exotic animal breeder. Some very entertaining anecdotes of life with these animals. A real eye-opener to how these breeders get started and consumed by what they do.

Only A Gringo Would Die For An Anteater

1979, Michael Milts, DVM, and Carl Larsen. A hilarious book of the daily work of a domestic veterinarian that is also assigned as Chief Vet for the New York City Zoos.

Zoo Vet

1977, David Taylor. An excellent collection of stories of an English veterinarian who specializes exclusively on exotic animals. His work takes him all around the world to zoos, circuses, and marinelands. His writing is reminiscent of James Herriott only with wild animals.

Domestic Cats

The Complete Cat Care Manual

1992, Andrew Edney. Put out by the ASPCA. The ultimate color illustrated guide to caring for your cat.

The Cat Who Went To Paris

1991, Peter Gethers. A true story about the relationship that develops between Gethers (self-professed cat-hater) and a cat that his girlfriend surprises him with, Norton. Norton, a Scottish Fold, proceeds to wrap Gethers around his little paw. Soon he accompanies the cosmopolitan book editor and screenwriter in his travels all around the globe.

The Cat And The Curmudgeon

1990, Cleveland Amory. Sequel to the bestseller, The Cat Who Came For Christmas. Amory's stories about life with his adopted cat, Polar Bear. Her are not only cats and dogs, but also elephants, burros, and chimps, as well as celebrities ranging from George C. Scott to Miss USA. Amory founded the Fund For Animals in 1967.

The Dog Who Rescues Cats

1995, Phillip Gonzalez and Leonore Fleischer. The true story of Ginny, an abandoned dog adopted by a lonely man. This unique dog makes a lifetime mission of rescuing dozens of cats and caring for them as if they were her puppies.

Children's Books

Wild Kittens

1995, Peggy Bauer. Good book for adults, too. Mainly features color photo's with a little text on the world of kittens in the wild.

Dear Children Of The Earth

1994, Schim Schimmel. Beautifully illustrated with Schimmel's moving paintings and text written by the artist. A remarkable letter from Mother Earth asking for help from children everywhere. She writes to express her love for each and every child and asks for their love and appreciation in return.

Books For Young Explorers

1990, National Geographic Society. A set of four educational picture books. Animal Families, The Big Cats, Our Amazing Animal Friends, and Along A Rocky Shore.

Saber-Toothed Cats And Other Prehistoric Wonders

1991, Q. L. Pearce. A page of text and color illustration focusing on each topic that takes a journey back through time to trace the beginnings of life on Earth.

Animal Quiz

1979, Bill Burrud with Allen Rich. Wildlife trivia with black and white photos. Over 500 questions, a bit outdated on accuracy, but fun for everyone.

CD ROM Programs

Eyewitness Virtual Reality-CAT

Requires IBM 486SX/25MHz, 4 Mb RAM, double speed CD ROM and sound card, mouse, SVGA 256 color display, and speakers or headphones. This is the ultimate multimedia guide to the world of felines. Put out by the popular Eyewitness Series (books and PBS specials) in the form of their virtual 3D museum. Departments on anatomy, behavior, mythology, history, species, etc. Download wallpaper and sounds.

Last Chance To See

Requires 386SX, 640 x 480 256-color display, 4 Mb RAM (8 Mb recommended), CD ROM, sound card, speakers, Windows 3.1 or DOS 5.0 or later. Novelist Douglas Adams teamed up with zoologist Mark Carwardine to write this book. The complete text is read (400 minutes of audio) by Adams in this CD ROM version. Over 800 photographs taken by the authors. An hour of extracts from the BBC radio series based on the book. They travel to remote corners of the globe visiting endangered species, studying their status and the efforts being made to protect them. Photo's and hilarious narrative combine to capture the high and low points of their journey.

Microsoft's Dangerous Creatures

Requires 386SX, 4 Mb RAM, 2.5 MB available hard drive space, CD ROM, sound card, VGA 16-color (SVGA 256-color recommended), Windows 3.1, DOS 3.1 or later, mouse, and speakers. Explore the endangered world of dangerous animals from all families, mammals, reptiles, insects, fish, amphibians. Fun to explore with lots of videos and sounds, easy to use. Download screensavers.

The Lion King-Animated Storybook

Requires 486SX, 8 Mb RAM, double-speed CD ROM, sound card, speakers, mouse, SVGA (256-color) display, Windows 3.1. Excellent interactive storybook for children. Click on different parts of the screen and watch things happen. Games that aid computer coordination. Read along and vocabulary information.

Lion

Requires 486DX/33 (66 recommended), MS-DOS 5.0 (if launched from DOS) 4Mb RAM, (if launched in Win 3.1 or later) 8Mb RAM, 20 Mb free disk space, 2X CD ROM, SVGA display, Sound Blaster compatible, mouse, speakers. Outstanding realistic wildlife simulation. Strategy, skill, instinct, all important to survive. Play 20 different lions, each with distinct capabilities, talents and kill-success ratings.

Wolf

Same as LION above, by the same company, Sanctuary Woods, in the Predator Series.

Jungle Book

Requires 486DX/66, Win 3.X or newer, 8 Mb RAM, SVGA (256 colors) display, Sound Blaster compatible, 10 Mb disk space, optional microphone for voice recognition, 2X CD ROM, mouse. Based on the Disney live-action movie, but you control the action. 100% video action. You are Mowgli and are called upon to save the jungle.

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