Notes of an East Siberian Hunter

Synopsis by Vladimir Beregovoy


Notes of an East Siberian Hunter by A. A. Cherkassov is among the oldest bestsellers in Russia, in print since 1865. This book has often been called an encyclopedia of hunting in nineteenth century East Siberia. It has been cherished and read and reread by generations of hunters and naturalists. It was my dream to share its content with the world outside Russia. I met Steve Bodio*, who is also a naturalist and a professional writer with experience in hunting and Russian literature and history. Working together, we completed its first translation into English. The book is narrated in a lively, colloquial Siberian folk dialect; we tried to preserve it as much as possible. Its content includes meticulous descriptions of hunting methods, wildlife, ways of life, customs and even superstitions common among Russian frontiersmen and the native people of East Siberia in the nineteenth Century. It will be a good reference for historians, biologists, geographers, ethnographers, hunters, linguists and serious environmentalists.



V. B



*Stephen Bodio, author of Eagle Dreams, On the Edge of the Wild, and Querencia among other titles.