Patrick McManus's wry wit has made him an American classic, his trademark outdoorsman's humor endearing him not only to fellow wilderness enthusiasts, but to anyone who enjoys humor and can bear witness to the antics and anecdotes McManus recounts. In his newest collection of hilarious essays, he ponders the strange allure of the RV, a thirtieth-century hunting trip, the art of wrestling toads, the existential implications of being lost, the baffling tendency of animals to outsmart those who wish to hunt them, the singular pleasure of doubling the size of every fish one doesn't catch, and what happens when a bear named Pooky decides to hibernate in the attic.

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Combing the curmudgeonly tone of Dave Barry and the clever insights of Garrison Keillor with his own keen sense of the absurd, McManus brilliantly captures the funny and strange in our everyday existence. But within his entertaining anecdotes and revealing observations, McManus also evokes a childlike wonder at the natural world. Even if we are running low on food, the compass is broken, and we are fairly certain we have just spotted a family of Sasquatches frolicking in the treetops, The Bear in the Attic makes the outdoors seem irresistible.