Wild Country: The Best of Andy Russell

Frits Pannekoek is the president of Athabasca University, and the author
of A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.

The late Andy Russell was a beloved Albertan conservationist and author
of 12 books, including Grizzly Country (1967), The Life of a River
(1987), and Memoirs of a Mountain Man (1984). This collection of 24
stories represents the best of Russell as both storyteller and
wilderness soulmate.

His excitement and constant sense of wonderment at the environment and
its creatures are the keystone of the volume. Chapters of a more
personal nature tell of his grandfather’s coming via Red River cart
and his own childhood near the St. Mary’s River. Russell’s
increasing respect for wildlife is apparent as he describes the skills
required to do good game photography. The vignettes convey a sense of
his connection to the land, his ability to communicate with wildlife,
and his passion for the southern part of the province.

One gets a good sense from reading this book why Russell won the
Alberta Wilderness Association Defender Award in 2003, why he was
inducted into the Alberta Order of the Bighorn in 2003, and why he was
made a member of the Order of Canada as well as awarded several honorary
degrees.