American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon

Steve Rinella’s American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon is part natural history, part adventure narrative, and part meditation on the enduring relationship between humans and one of North America’s most iconic animals. Rinella weaves together his personal journey of hunting a buffalo in Alaska with a deep exploration of the species’ role in shaping the continent’s ecosystems, cultures, and economies. His writing balances scientific detail with vivid storytelling, making the book both educational and engaging. Rinella’s passion for the buffalo is evident as he reflects on its near-extinction, its symbolic importance to Indigenous peoples, and its modern revival. The result is a thoughtful, compelling work that captures the mystery, majesty, and significance of the American buffalo while raising important questions about conservation, heritage, and our connection to the natural world. Highly recommended.

Good read. Steve Rinella is a good storyteller.

This book is thoroughly enjoyable and really engaged me immediately. This is one of those books that you don't want to put down at all and I almost did read cover to cover in one sitting. The historical bits pertaining to natural science and the history of the evolution of the buffalo are very skillfully interwoven with the mainline narrative detailing an arduous hunting expedition into the Alaskan wilds. I felt as if I were right there with the author enduring all the harshness and beauty of the frontier which is a place that absolutely scares the pants off of me if I imagine myself trying to trek through it. It is so wonderful to experience something that I would NEVER in my right mind have the courage or downright insanity to attempt. The Alaskan frontier becomes a living, breathing character in this compelling and informative narrative. I have always held the Buffalo in highest regard and now I have an even deeper appreciation of the magnificence of this animal.Thanks to the author for sharing his experiences with us and for writing in such an engaging manner. I am usually a fiction reader and don't know very much about science or ecology and I sure know nothing about hunting but this book reads as engagingly as any masterpiece of fiction that I have ever read. I usually don't say this but I give this book my highest recommendation to anyone. Just a great reading experience!

Steve writes about so much history and an amazing hunt all in a great read. Very enjoyable and I would recommend this book

I don’t read many books that I say are really good, but this is one of those. He gives you some history, some perspective, a little friendship along the way and the things to think about if you want to hike in the wild or hunt in the wild; especially how to hunt for buffalo. He shares experiences that teach you how things are in the world and his experiences to make you think about how life today can look different. I love the way he looks at things and takes them apart a little to look at situations a little different than what you may be looking at it.

Wonderful book! Great read!

This was a good read. The author goes back and forth between the history of the bison in North America and a bison hunting trip he took to Alaska. He did a lot of research on bison history and has an extensive list of sources that one could reference for further information. The hunting trip was also interesting. Who knew there was a bison herd in Alaska? And who would know how it got there? Who knew bison existed almost all over the USA? He also reviewed how the bison has always been hunted to extremes when ancient natives herded bison over cliffs by the hundreds and a lot of waste was the result. The herds were so vast it apparently didn't make a difference. But when the white man came and pushed into the west, the scales tipped in a direction where the bison almost became extinct. It's a terrible tale of human abuse of the environment and wanton killing of other living things.

Greatest account of the history of the bison

A hunter would love it. I enjoyed the history lessons and got caught up in the story, cheering the author on.

Really enjoyed this. Steve is a great story teller, and expertly weaves a range of anecdotes and adventures around his main narrative. As a bonus, if you listen to his podcast or watch his show first you can read the whole book to yourself on his voice. It’s like a an audio book but harder work. Perfect.

An interesting read about my favourite animal. Wonderful heritage.

Brilliant read Engaging and full of insight A book you will read more than once

This was such a great read. I can’t wait to spew buffalo facts at a party this weekend. Nice job Steven.