I want to thank you for the support and encouragement so many of you have offered as I’ve been pitching, researching, and writing my book about the major role of deer in the environment and in American culture. It’s been a long road, and now the big day is almost here.
On April 2, Lyons Press will release DEERLAND: America’s Hunt for Ecological Balance and the Essence of Wildness. With only a few weeks remaining until my book’s launch, I’m asking for your help in making DEERLAND a success.
Although I’ve been blessed with great early endorsements and reviews, this is only my second book. My first, written with co-author Eric Fromm, was Gut It. Cut It. Cook It.: The Deer Hunter’s Guide to Processing and Preparing Venison. While I’m proud of that book, and while it continues to do well, it’s in a different genre and aimed at a different audience. In a sense, I’m almost starting over as a first-time author. That makes it challenging to help DEERLAND find the audience it deserves.
Pre-ordering DEERLAND before the launch date will help build momentum among bookstores, libraries, and the media. (You’ll also get a substantial discount.) I’m asking for your help with these simple steps:
1. Pre-order your copy (or copies!) today. You can click on any of the links in the upper-right corner.
2. Share this information with your friends, colleagues, students, classmates, book clubs, and any organizations of which you’re a member. Promoting the book on Facebook, Twitter, and your other social networks is also greatly appreciated.
3. If you’re a blogger or member of the media, please spread the word among your readers, listeners, or viewers. If you like, I’ll be glad to put you in touch with my publicist at Lyons so you can request a review copy. (You can also find her contact info by visiting my Press page.)
The U.S. is now home to 30 million hungry deer—100 times more than were here a century ago. When we see all those deer out in the woods, most of us believe it’s a measure of the forest’s health. It is, but in exactly the opposite way we think. All across America, overabundant deer routinely devastate ecosystems and alter entire landscapes. DEERLAND traces the story of how we got here and asks tough questions about what it will take to restore the balance we’ve disrupted.
I’ve also asked tough questions about the rapidly changing gear, tactics, and values of today’s hunters—and about what role those hunters will continue to play in 21st Century America. And when it comes to deer, are hunters part of the solution, part of the problem, or both? Rest assured, however, that DEERLAND isn’t just about hunting. It’s a much larger environmental and cultural story. (To learn more, please take a moment to explore my website and check out a few more blog posts.)
Whether you’re a hunter, a gardener, or a birder, and whether you care about the environment, the deer in your back yard, or the shrubbery they just ate, DEERLAND is an eye-opening read that will change forever the way you think about deer and the landscape we share with them.
I’ve shared some of the advance praise for DEERLAND on my Home page. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as those readers did. Thanks to all of you for your continued support!
Best wishes,
Al Cambronne
Is this book available in digital format?
Not yet. Possibly at some point in the future. But the print version will be available April 2.