Books

The new born wolf cubs were wrapped in their mother’s gory hide when RD Lawrence found them stowed in the Cree Indian’s canoe. Then began an amazing adventure for Lawrence, wife Joan, and their malamute dog, Tundra, as they raised the wolves in secret until their return to the wild.

RD Lawrence’s first novel, Cry Wild, is the remarkable saga of a family of timber wolves that roam the untamed wilderness of North America’s forestland. Seen through the eyes of Silverfeet as the young pup grows to maturity, the wolf family endures the harsh privations of winter, the attacks of predator animals and the roaring inferno of forest fire that brings about Silverfeet’s fateful encounter with man. Cry Wild evokes a genuine love for all living creatures and clearly proclaims that one of them, the wolf, is more sinned against than sinner.

In The North Runner, RD Lawrence tells the story of the adventures he experienced in the British Columbia wilderness with Yukon, a half wolf, half-Alaskan malamute, and the building of trust between man and dog. A nature classic.

During three seasons in British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains, RD Lawrence observed (and was observed by) a puma in its remote natural habitat. His endearing story describes the special relationship between man and wild animal, and of his own survival alone in a perilous and unforgiving wilderness. But foremost, The Ghost Walker is a story of a patient and dedicated pursuit to understand the elusive puma and its place in the environment.

RD Lawrence’s moving novel about a predator animal that has been so mercilessly hunted as to be at risk of extinction describes human carelessness and greed, and the struggle for life from the cat’s point of view. The result is a gripping tale of the hunted turning on the hunters.

Can wolves teach us humans valuable lessons about ourselves? RD Lawrence believes they can, and that wolves provide a much closer model of human behavior than do primates. Told through anecdotes and personal observations of wolves in the wild and in captivity, he demolishes old myths about wolf aggression and upholds the wolf and the wolf pack as the ultimate stabilizer of nature demanding our respect.

Believing that biologists must show the relationships between sharks and other marine animals in their environment to truly understand them, RD Lawrence takes us into his own world of close and personal encounters with “the most physically perfect of all life forms.” The result is a scientific study that reads like a fast-paced novel.

Intended to complement standard guidebooks, “Wildlife in North America: Birds” is filled with RD Lawrence’s personal anecdotes of the characters and habits of commonly-seen North American birds, including an encounter with 38 bald eagles. More than 80 black and white photos by leading wildlife photographers augment his lively, personable and very readable prose. A delightful guide.

A vividly written book that belies its dry title, RD Lawrence draws the reader into the lives of the many mammals he encountered and observed along North America’s game trails: opossum, mole, bear, coyote, moose, musk-ox among others. By Lawrence’s intimate knowledge and affectionate telling, the reader is led to a deeper understanding of the wilderness and its inhabitants.  “Wildlife in North America” Includes 65 black and white photographs.

While canoeing in the wilds of Ontario, RD Lawrence comes across a small bundle of fur about to be attacked by a swooping hawk. The bundle turns out to be a tiny frightened beaver kit, the size of the naturalist’s hand. In this true story of nurture and love, instinct and survival, RD Lawrence and “Paddy” form a unique relationship before the beaver is drawn toward the lake and his own kind.

True to his belief that natural history should be easy to understand and non-clinical, RD Lawrence’s first book marked (in the words of the publisher) a “New approach in natural history.” New also? The he tells us about each animal’s daily routines from their point of view while sharing beautiful descriptions of their wilderness habitats. For, as Lawrence wrote: “To know the animals one must also know the land.” This fusion of knowledge and insight separated Lawrence from other nature writers of his day – and to this day creates a page-turner of a book.

A heart-warming story of animal psychology, “The Zoo That Never Was” describes the adventures of the wild menagerie that came about as RD Lawrence and his wife Joan cared for orphaned and abandoned animals, including bear, otters, skunk, raccoons, lynx, Canada geese, ducks, turtles, porcupines and more. Includes an unforgettable road-trip involving a Malamute puppy, a bear cub and one very surprised traffic cop.

In 1972, following the death of his beloved wife Joan, RD Lawrence seeks solace exploring 1600 miles of coastline and waters off the North Pacific’s Inside Passage. From a small cruiser he names the “Stella Maris,” he encounters shark, whales, dolphins and Orcas among other marine life. The adventure brings emotional healing and rejuvenation, and an unforgettable story of Canada’s dynamic and sometimes perilous ocean environment.

Arguably the one book where R.D. Lawrence describes his accumulated knowledge of wolves ~ from their social structure and hunting methods to their biology and differences with other canids. Impressively illustrated, “Trail of the Wolf” dispels common wolf myths and enlightens readers with the author’s personal experiences observing wild and captive wolves.

When RD Lawrence and Joan, his wife, buy a 350-acre farm in Ontario (which they call:  “The Place”) they are quickly made to feel at home by the many animals already living on the property. The human couple are fascinated by the behaviors of the wolves, the courting rituals of wild ducks, the friendly mischief of raccoons – all of whom afford rich insights into wild lives. First published in 1967, this book was dedicated “To Canada, on her 100th Birthday.”

In this sequel to “The Place in the Forest,” RD Lawrence describes what he and Joan learned from the many animal species that ventured to the lilied lake near their home in the back woods of Canada. Of one such lesson he writes: “Out here, walking upon the ice of my lake a thousand adventures are unfolding all around me. Some I can see, or hear; others are beyond my senses, but yet are real. Often I stand still and silent, and I listen and see and smell this place and I become content. And sometimes I become exhilarated by fear which I cannot escape and I would not escape it, for it is a part of things here and it fines the mind and the instincts.”

This conducted tour of Canada informs and entertains general readers, conservationists and students hungry for a comprehensive guide to our natural world. Illustrated with stunning photography, the chapters cover the effects of the ice age, the boreal forests, prairie flatlands, mountain wilderness and oceanographic environments.

In a book ahead of its time, and highly relevant today, RD Lawrence tells us in blunt language that we consumers are as much poison makers as the industries that produce and use synthetic chemicals. Pollution, he says, is just one aspect of man’s seemingly determined efforts to destroy himself and all other life. The final chapter is a strong call to action.

Written for young readers as part of the Sierra Club Wildlife Library series, “Wolves” reveals this highly intelligent but greatly misunderstood animal as it is rarely seen – at play, on the hunt and in tender family relationships. RD Lawrence also edited Sierra Club Wildlife Library titles: Seals, Elephants, Apes, Eagles, Bears and Snakes. Each book in the Library was originally published by Key Porter Books Natural History Series.

Illustrated with superb photographs, Owls examines the history, myths and legends of these noble birds, and celebrates their survival. True to form, RD Lawrence recounts his own considerable experiences of owl observation and rehabilitation.