Investigations into the cultural significance of that most familiar and charismatic group of animals, bears.Bears are iconic animals, playing a variety of roles in human culture. They have been portrayed as gods, monsters, kings, fools, brothers, lovers, and dancers; they are seen as protectors of the forest; symbols of masculinity; a comfort for children; and act as symbols for conservation and environmental issues. They also symbolise wilderness, reinforcing and maintaining our connection to the natural world. And stories abound of cultures that gathered berries in the same fields as bears and fished on the same rivers; consequently a wealth of myths, legends and folklore has informed us of our place in the world and the deep connection we have with bears. The essays collected here provide a rich selection of views on the human/bear relationships. They explore how bears are an influence in contemporary art, and how they are represented in the illustrations in children's literature and in museum exhibitions. The connection between bears and native peoples, and how contemporary society lives alongside these animals, provides an understanding of current attitudes and approaches to bear management and conservation. The history of captive bears is brought into contemporary relief by considering the fate of captive bears held in Asian countries for bile production. Other pieces look at how bears feature in gay culture, and are an intrinsic component to researchon the Yeti and Sasquatch. Together, these articles present an insight into the changing face of attitudes towards nature, species survival and the significance of conservation engagement in the twenty-first century. Biologists, historians, anthropologists, cultural theorists, conservationists and museologists will all find riches in the detail presented in this bear cornucopia. OWEN NEVIN is Associate Vice-Chancellor, Gladstone Region, CQUniversity, Australia; IAN CONVERY is Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Cumbria; PETER DAVIS is Emeritus Professor of Museology in the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University. Contributors: Philip Charles, Melanie Clapham, Ian Convery, Koen Cuyten, Elizabeth O Davis, Peter Davis, Sarah Elmeligi, Beatrice Frank, Barrie K. Gilbert, Jenny Anne Glikman, Tracy Ann Hayes, Mike Jeffries, Jón Jónsson, John Kitchin, Miha Krofel, Gareth Longstaff, Henry McGhie, Jeff Meldrum, Owen T. Nevin, Heather Prince, Lynn Rogers, Kristinn Schram, Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir, Russ Van Horn, Mark Wilson, Samantha Young.

Foreword: The Bear: A Cultural and Natural Heritage - Barrie K. GilbertIntroduction: What is a Bear? - Ian Convery and Owen Nevin and Peter Davis and John Kitchen and Melanie ClaphamThe Spirit Bear - Philip CharlesOut of the Wild Wood and into our Beds: the Evolutionary History of Teddy Bears and the Natural Selection of Deadly Cuteness - Mike JefferiesBears within the Human Landscape: Cultural and Demographic Factors Influencing the Use of Bear Parts in Cambodia and Laos - Elizabeth O. DavisBears within the Human Landscape: Cultural and Demographic Factors Influencing the Use of Bear Parts in Cambodia and Laos - Jenny Anne GlikmanBears in Gay Culture: Histories, Discourses and Anthropomorphism - Gareth LongstaffBears, Wildmen, Yeti and Sasquatch - Jeff MeldrumBears in Children's Literature - Tracy Hayes and Heather Prince and Ian ConveryKnowing Individual Bears - Owen Nevin and Ian Convery and John KitchenBears Behind Bars: Captive Bears throughout History - Koen Cuyten and Ian ConveryThe Bear in the Museum - Peter DavisMuseum Polar Bears and Climate Change - Henry McGhieOn the Oblique Imperative: What Revealing Conceals and Concealing may Reveal - Mark Wilson and Bryndis SnaebjornsdottirVisitations: The Social and Cultural History of Polar Bear Narratives in Iceland and the North Atlantic - Kristinn SchramVisitations: The Social and Cultural History of Polar Bear Narratives in Iceland and the North Atlantic - Jón JónssonChemical Signalling in Brown Bears - Melanie Clapham and Owen Nevin and Ian ConveryReducing Uncertainty in Bear Management - Sarah Elmeligi and Owen Nevin and Ian ConveryLiving with Bears in Europe - Miha KrofelCitizen Science and Bears - Sarah Elmeligi and Owen Nevin and Ian ConveryUnderstanding Local Folklore and Attitudes in Apennine Brown Bear Conservation - Jenny Anne Glikman and Beatrice FrankReducing Human Impacts on Andean Bears in NW Peru Through Community-based Conservation - Samantha A. YoungReducing Human Impacts on Andean Bears in NW Peru Through Community-based Conservation - Russell C. Van HornReducing Human Impacts on Andean Bears in NW Peru Through Community-based Conservation - Jenny Anne GlikmanAfterword: 'It's Me Bear': Reflections on a Unique Career Working with Bears - Lynn Rogers