Throughout human history, bears have been associated with rebirth and renewal, kinship and healing, and have been universally feared, respected and loved. The center of early myth, fairy tales, and campfire lore, bears are also an "umbrella"; species.

As omnivores at the top of the food chain, the health of a bear population is indicative of the health of their entire ecosystem. As many species' numbers sink towards extinction, environmentalists and bear-lovers alike know that the problem is larger than simply vanishing bears.

In Shadow of the Bear, Brian Payton undertakes a remarkable series of journeys to find the world's eight remaining bear species. His journey is inspired by a dream about teaching a bear to read and a peaceful close encounter with a mother grizzly and her cub in British Columbia. From that beginning, Payton travels great distances to risk a confrontation with the extremely dangerous sloth bear in India, learn about the science of panda sex and the cruel bear bile trade in China, go nose-to-nose with a polar bear in Canada, stalk the shy spectacled bear in Peru, and view with awe the ancient paintings and bear bones in the Chauvet Cave in France. In the final chapter Payton visits a Navajo medicine man in Arizona to make his own peace with all of the bears that he has encountered.

From the widely-discussed documentary Grizzly Man to the worldwide concern with declining polar bear populations, bears are in the forefront of our collective consciousness. A beautiful, thoughtful exploration of the bear's role in world cultures, Shadow of the Bear captures the power and beauty of these fascinating creatures and provides a warning of their increasingly tenuous existence in the modern world.