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The Best of Frank Buck
Introduced and Edited by Steven Lehrer
Timeless classics of
adventure and daring for anyone who “likes to sit on the edge of his chair and
gasp for breath as his
eyes eat up the print to see what happens next.”—New York Times Book Review
In 1930, the publication of Bring ’Em Back Alive, an instant best
seller, made its author, Frank Buck, an international celebrity. These animal
stories told by the intrepid Texas animal collector and jungle adventurer
enraptured generations of readers.
Buck spent his life capturing alive every kind of animal, from birds to snakes
to elephants. Because there were no tranquilizer darts in those days, he learned
to build traps and snares in ways that prevented injury to the animals he
caught. Buck always accompanied his animals on shipboard to America to be sure
they were well treated, and refused to sell to anyone who did not have an
impeccable reputation for animal care.
The creator of the Dallas zoo in the 1920s, Buck was a hero ranking with
Lindbergh, Ruth, and Dempsey. The dashing and powerful Buck leapt easily from
Simon and Schuster’s published pages to the silver screen, portraying himself
in Wild Cargo and Fang and Claw. He was also the model for the
jungle film director Carl Denham (played by Robert Armstrong), who brings Fay
Wray to Skull Island in
King Kong.
This new edition of Bring 'Em Back Alive, expanded and
edited by Steven Lehrer, captures not only the best of Frank Buck, but also the
excitement and glamour of an era and lifestyle that still hold readers
spellbound.
“Bring
'Em Back Alive: The Best of Frank Buck, introduced and edited by Steven Lehrer,
is a delight for anyone interested in wildlife and conservation…a wonderful
reminiscence for old timers like
me, and an adventurous introduction to the past for young wildlife
enthusiasts.”
Charlie Hoessle, Director, St. Louis Zoo
"I do not know when I have read a book concerning wild animals that is so
interesting from cover to cover."
George Eastman
Eastman Kodak Company
subject: nature, jungle animals
Bring 'Em Back Alive: The Best of Frank Buck
Texas Tech University Press, 2000
256 pages, 6 x 9
(cloth) $28.95 ISBN: 0 89672 430 1
25 B&W photos, map, notes, bibliography, index
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