MOOSE COUNTRY: Saga of the Woodland Moose, by Michael W.P. Runtz, NorthWord Press, 110 pages, $39.

“The sight of this monstrous beast performing an ageless ritual, seemingly oblivious to our presence, held me totally spellbound. This exhilarating experience was to be repeated countless times in the years following, as `moosing’ became an integral part of my fall agenda.”

That was late September in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park some years ago. Canadian photographer and naturalist Michael W.P. Runtz recounts his first close encounter with a large moose. From that experience, a fine book was born: “Moose Country: Saga of the Woodland Moose.”

Runtz, who is a nephew to former Bangor Daily News political cartoonist and lensman Vic Runtz, has in “Moose Country” assembled an extraordinary collection of incomparable color photographs and carefully chosen words.

“Moose Country” starts with a foreward by physiologist and moose expert Dr. Tony Bubenik. The Canadian scholar sets the stage for the book by sharing some historical background, some of which may surprise you. The Algonquin Indians called this animal “monz,” which translated means twig eater. According to Bubenik, the moose first came to North America along the same route used by native Americans: the Bering Strait, during low water about 40,000 years ago.

Runtz’s book is divided into seven chapters. Each chapter contains not only lovely, glossy, full-page photos of moose in their diverse habitats, but Runtz’s insights into the animal’s behavior.

Runtz says that an average moose consumes 60 pounds of vegetation a day, and that a moose’s hearing is enhanced by the massive antlers, which actually perform like parabolic dishes, pulling in and amplifying sounds.

It was news to me, too, that moose have great visual acuity in low light conditions and, thanks to their rotary eyes, can actually see behind themselves without craning their necks backward.

During his many “moosing” expeditions in Ontario, Runtz piled up some interesting personal experiences. Here is a sample from the chapter called “The Rut.” (It was in October. Runtz and a friend were watching a prime bull in rut in company with a cow.) He writes, “I was about 50 feet from the bull, and his hulking frame nearly filled the scene in the viewfinder of the camera. Suddenly, he lowered his massive antlers and charged. My heart leapt into my throat, and I grabbed the tripod with mounted camera, fleeing in terror.”

Did Runtz outrun the moose? Well, sort of. But you’ll have to buy the book to find out the outcome of that encounter.

By the way, this is not an inexpensive book at $39. But as quality books go, this is a bargain. Between the covers of this book are dozens of the best moose photographs I’ve ever seen. In fact, “Moose Country” has to be an unrivaled photographic documentation of North America’s largest wild animal.

The Runtz family must be very proud of this effort. Anyone fascinated by moose or merely the possession of fine publications will find “Moose Country” an irresistible literary treasure — all 110 pages.

V. Paul Reynolds is the NEWS managing editor.