“Bear Man of Admiralty Island is a major contribution to the general history of Alaska. Anyone with an interest in Alaska and its history, the out of doors, conservation, brown bears and other related topics will be interested in this book.”
Frank Williamson, director emeritus, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks
“As an anthropologist intrigued with all dimensions of human experience, as an amateur naturalist, and as an Alaskan fascinated by everything about this place, I found Bear Man of Admiralty Island a rich piece of work.”
– Richard Nelson, anthropologist and author of An Island Within, Hunters of the Northern Forest, and Make Prayers to the Raven
“On first perusing Bear Man of Admiralty Island I was not sure that this Alaskan’s life would be a compelling story. But Howe soon convinced me the Bear Man was worth knowing.”
– Alaska Magazine
“Bear Man of Admiralty Island is a superbly researched and ably written biography of an interesting man living in interesting times.”
– The Midwest Book Review
“The book has been described as a ‘work of scholarship’. In down-to-earth terms that means that it represents some 12 years of patient and persistent searching for the many bits and pieces and then writing the highly readable story of Hasselborg’s life that John Howe has put together. The depth and width of his research can be seen in his source notes and bibliography.”
– Sitka Sentinel
“Howe does an excellent job . . . while the book is nonfiction, it reads as entertainingly as a novel. . . . The publishers say they intended [Bear Man of Admiralty Island] to be ‘worth putting into a backpack before setting off across tundra or through rain forest.’ They’ve succeeded with Howe’s portrait of Hasselborg.”
– Peninsula Clarion
“A sensitively written account of a unique Alaskan outdoorsman and naturalist.”
– CHOICE Magazine
“[A] narrative adventure story told by a gifted writer . . . Howe’s study of an Alaskan pioneer demonstrates the utility of biography as a case study of a time, a place, and a way of life. Allen Hasselborg was an extraordinary individual.”
– Pacific Northwest Quarterly
“Hasselborg was the quintessential back-woodsman. . . . Stories about him, circulating by word of mouth among zoologists and big game hunters and later published in adventure magazines gave life to the image of Alaska as the last frontier where self-reliant individualists could still define life on their own terms.”
– Journal of American History