The book also introduces readers to prehistoric mustelids, a family of carnivores that includes weasels, badgers and wolverines. These ancient mammals were far larger than their modern relatives.

An instant best seller, the book belongs to a booming subgenre of autobiography: memoirs about the surprising bonds between humans and wild animals. Books about writers’ dogs and cats have long ...

Stephen Lewis Detail from the color plate of the bridled weasel, also known as the long-tailed weasel, from Audubon’s book of mammals. Stephen Lewis Detail from the color plate of John James ...