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Most writers spend their days confined by four walls. Not so the nature writer. Nature writers, says David Petersen, author of Writing Naturally, "must spend every minute [they] can manage out there, in the most natural (wildest) possible environs." Nature writing, for Petersen's purposes, is nonfiction prose, usually in the first person, that celebrates "wild nature." That is, not pop science and not "gadget-flacking" outdoor recreation. Petersen's specificity about his subject, his infectious passion for it, and his just-plain-sensible advice make Writing Naturally utterly engaging and eminently useful. His suggestions concern, among other things, subject matter, length, and research: "Shoot for a thorough, detailed, yet tenably limited discussion of a limited topic," he says, "painted as concisely as possible without making the reader feel cramped." Petersen provides ample examples from the works of such beloved nature writers as Edward Abbey, Tim Cahill, and Terry Tempest Williams. And for those who guiltily shirk the writing exercises in books such as this, Petersen offers relief: his range from "optional" to "utterly optional." Ahhhhh. --Jane Steinberg ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Mixed Bag
Petersen's book is a mixed bag. The informaton is very good but, in places, the writing is clunky and breaks from commonly accepted standards (Petersen repeatedly refers to Edward Abbey as "Ed," which grated me.) He has a number of good observations and also brings in some good examples, but, as a previous reviewer pointed out, the book is far from flawless.

Peterson conveys an attitude in this book of being 100% right, which is important in an instructional book. In places, however, divergant opinions are just as valid as Petersen's.

Basically, if you have an idea about nature (or any type) of writing and want some additional keen insights, get this book. But, when reading it, be prepared to hold on to the ideas of yours which you feel are more apt than Petersen's.

Petersen Knows His Stuff
I just read Dave Petersen's "Writing Naturally" and loved every page. OK, so I am more partial to Ed Abbey and Ernest Hemingway than HD Thoreau or Diane Ackerman. OK, so I like Dave's down-home style and lack of pretension, and am impressed by his years of free-lance nature writing experience. So what?

Petersen reviews all the key topics, from title selection and journal-keeping to revision to making sales, with vivid, colorful anecdotes. The section comparing two essays on the porcupine, one drab, one brilliant, alone was well worth the price of admission. No matter how successful or jaded you may be as a writer, Dave's book will buck you up and get you in love with writing - and nature - again.

Don't waste your money!
This one was a huge disappointment. I've read Petersen's essays and they're not bad. But in Writing Naturally the prose is clumsy and cliched; the chapters focus on the most elementary writing topics. He makes absurd and insulting suggestions. For example, he advises readers to avoid Thoreau because the "archaic" prose is "a tough row to hoe." I expected content on how to use natrual imagery for metaphic purpose, or techniques on observation and description. Instead I got a chapter on tense and point of view. He puts down other authors who load their writing books with their own writing, then he does exactly that himself! If you are a beginning writer who needs good, concrete information, I suggest you spend your money on a subscription to Writer's Digest or another monthly magazine that deals with the basics. You'll get much more value for your money!

Writing Naturally
If you are serious about nature writing, this book written by the David Peterson is a must, must, read. This brilliant work is an insight into what a great nature writer should be; crack the cover and you won't be able to put it down. Myself being a late bloomer to nature writing, that was born from an intense passion to learn and photograph the nature and wildlife of Florida, Writing Naturally is just what the doctor ordered. Enjoy and be masterful! ... Read more

Book Description

A modern-day retracing of the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition

"Nancy Lord is a twenty-first century Thoreau, only with more common sense and estrogen."
-Tom Bodett

In 1899, railroad tycoon Edward Harriman assembled a company of exceptional characters including John Burroughs, John Muir, Edward Curtis, William Dall, George Bird Grinnell, and Louis Agassiz Fuertes. They cruised glacial fjords, collected specimens, and photographed Alaska's native peoples. Almost one hundred years after the original voyage Nancy Lord follows in Harriman's steps, seeking to understand this century's attitudes toward nature, landscape, and culture. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Letdown
This book takes a good concept (retracing John Muir's travels) and indelible subject matter (southeast Alaska) and reduces it to mediocrity with dull anecdotes and amateurish writing. I got so bored that I stopped reading. I'm still waiting for a truly skilled author to do justice to Alaska and "get it right."

Eloquence and Clarity
It is set on the page as prose but Nancy Lord's prose is poetry. Thought, emotion, reflection, and insight, blend together to form a simple eloquence that is at once the state of Alaska then and now. Following a 'millennial' voyage across this vast territory, Nancy manages to make us understand the ending of the last century, attitudes toward the world, the environment, its theft in some cases, and she does it in as few words as possible. Join her on her own journey as well as she brings into strong relief the changes that took place over the last 100 years and what has not changed. This is exceptional work and a must-read for anyone who wants to understand not only Alaska but also what it means to love the land.

A great read on a hot summer day
Though I read the library's copy, now I have to buy it. Lord, New Englander turned long-time resident of Homer, AK, traces the route of the 1898 Harriman expedition, with many glimpses of her own work on a fishing vessel and of her fellow Alaskans. Amusing vignettes of Harriman and his fellow travellers, esp. the "Two Johnnies," Muir and Burroughs, and their opposite approaches to appreciating & protecting nature. Altogether, a riviting and poignant tale of the Bring 'em Back Dead school of science, but not too heavy on the eco-enlightenment, and well researched, using a wide net. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

Mary Austin
I used to live write down the street from Mary Austin's old house in the Owen's Valley. I found her life very interesting and maybe from reading this book you get more of an inside on what her life was like.

Didn't do much for me
There are few books I dislike, but this book was one of the few that came close. While I enjoyed some of Austin's imagery, it seemed she went around in circles and never get to a destinaton. It was like reading a bunch of settings, but never getting any plot. The highlight of the book was Seyavi, the basket maker but the book itself seemed to be lacking. If you're looking for nature writing, read Linda Hogan's "Dwellings." It's a lot more personal.

Best natural history writing
Austin lived in the Owens Valley during a turbulent period at the turn of the century, and she observes the people and wild things dwelling there with a novelist's eye. But what sets this gem above all the rest is simply her writing, the plain beauty of her voice and phrasing. She achieves a tone that is somehow at once wistful and tinged with levity, very gently ironic yet always loving. Her words caress their subjects like -- well, like the pen and ink drawings that graced the original publication in 19-ought-whatever. They evoke all the richness of the place, its austerity, its pathos, its beauty, with a gentle affection that is sweet but never cloying, sometimes sad but never downcast. It has a kind of Zen translucency, filtered through the gently humorous, sensitive lens of a literary genius.

`"The Country of Lost Borders"
Mary Austin's brilliant essay on a small corner of California is the subject of this breathtaking book. In prose of unvarying beauty and satisfaction she paints a stunning portrait of high mountains and deepest valleys, describes in vivid detail the lives of the native Indians and Mexican immigrants, and reminds her readers that there is life and vitality to be found in these trackless desert regions. I believe you will agree with her own motivation for writing "The Land of Little Rain" after reading it: "...as one lover of it can give to another.&quot ... Read more

Book Description

A 209-pound potbellied pig throws herself into traffic to help save her owner, who was suffering a heart attack. A dog steals a loaf of bread from the family pantry and brings it to a young girl confined in bed. A horse stands guard over an injured baby rabbit and refuses to leave until the rabbit is rescued.

These are just a few of the hundreds of true accounts collected in Beauty in the Beasts, a captivating narrative that combines provocative scientific findings with a compassionate understanding of the natural world to show that animals, like humans, can and do choose to do good.

Writes Philip Gonzales, author of The Dog Who Rescues Cats, "Finally von Kreisler is pointing out what's so easy to see, but hardly anyone does: Animals choose to act with incredible honesty, decency, and purpose. Anyone who loves animals will want to read this wonderful book." ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Nice stories, but not what it claims to be
I had high hopes for this book, but found it didn't live up to the book jacket. It claims to establish that animals choose to do good, and I expected some in depth stories about various animals. Instead, the author seems to include very very very short stories (some only one sentence long) about animals, largely gathered from correspondence she received in response to her first book, the Compassion of Animals. She spends time arguing that animals have feelings - first of all, I'm willing to bet most people who choose to read this book already agree with that, so she's preaching to the choir, and it gets patronizing and old fast. Secondly, as near as I can tell, she has no particular credentials or studies or background she is drawing from to make the statements she does. I wasn't looking for "proof," since I already agree with her outlook on animals, but all the same I was annoyed at her apparant belief that all that is necessary to "prove" something is to make an assertion and then point to a number of anecdotal stories to make her point. If you take the book for what it is, rather than what it purports to be, it's a nice, easy read - one filled with stories about animals which do good things. It's similar to sitting in a coffee shop listening to people talk about things they've seen or heard about animals, like "I heard of a dog once who saved someone from a fire by dragging them out of bed by an ankle!" In all seriousness, that's what most of the book contains, sentences or paragraphs of things the author has heard about animals or experienced. Every now and then one animals' story is covered in more depth, but not a lot of depth. She seems to be desperately trying to argue that animals have emotions and morals without doing it well - instead she should just tell the stories and say "Here are some nice animal stories about animals being kind to people and other animals; I think they demonstrate morality and experience emotion" and leave it at that, then tell the stories. Instead you have to endure what appear to be some very poor attempts to make this book into a serious work rather than a light read for animal lovers. All in all, still worthwhile, just go into it knowing what the book really is so you aren't disappointed. If you love animals, you'll probably still love all the stories and just skip the author's rants.

Very touching!
When I picked up this book, i.e., Beauty in the Beasts : True Stories of Animals Who Choose to Do Good by Kristin Von Kreisler, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson , at my local library I thought that it would be sugar sweet. However, what I found was a heartfelt and touching collection of stories that prove that animals too have feelings; and not only basic feelings but complex once such as empathy and sympathy. Highly Recommended (especially for people whom love animals)(.

Wonderful!
I just picked this book up last night. It is so touching and heartfelt I could not put it down. I laughed and cried. This is a must read for everyone with a soft spot for animals.

Heartfelt and Inspiring
I loved reading this intelligent, beautifully written book. Kristin von Kreisler takes the reader through eight important virtues: sensitivity, compassion, courage, loyalty, fortitude, cooperation, resourcefulness and generosity, all the while drawing on extensive research to demonstrate that animals are totally capable of choosing to act in ways that exemplify these virtues. She backs up her case with interviews with an astounding number of scientists, most of whom supported her ideas about "the beauty in the beasts" with their own research. Von Kreisler also describes meetings with other, less enlightened scientists who disparage animals, stating that what appears to be virtue on the part of animals is only self-interest in disguise. I can almost hear her standing up to these scientists with her own research and personal experience and making a very effective case. I would like to make one addition to the discussion. Yes, very often there is some possible advantage to the animal for acting in a virtuous way. In my opinion, that does not make the animal less virtuous! It simply demonstrates the wise and good provision of Mother Nature that when we do something for others, we also help ourselves. All life is, after all, ultimately one. Virtue, far from being only its own reward, rebounds to the benefit of all life. If animals realize this as much or more than we do, so much the better! Thank you, Kristin, for this lovely book.

A BOOK OF MAGIC, BEAUTY AND WONDER!
This book is one of my absolutely, all-time favourites books. I loved each and every page and to me the book will forever remain one of life's greatest treasures. It is one of the most sensitive and touching books ever written. For animal lovers around the world, "Beauty in the Beasts" will evoke wonder, awe, saddness, compassion, love and a bundle of other emotions all merged into one. Bring out the tissues before you begin; for all that it is a beautiful book, the tears will silently flow. The stories of each of these beautiful, magnificent animals will touch you to the centre of your soul and remain with you forever. Stories of courage, compassion, love, devotion and faith will leave you with the feeling that these intelligent beings are really no different from us. They love, feed, protect and nurture their families, they feel all the emotions that humans are capable of feeling, and they ask for so little in return. There is no price that could ever be too high for this memorable, extremely sensitive and deeply moving book. Buy one for every animal lover you know, and if you have a special animal companion of your own, love himher with all your heart....while he or she is still here to enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description

When naturalist Heinrich sets out for a year in the wilds of Maine accompanied only by his pet raven, Jack, readers everywhere will want to tag along. Looking for the answers to life's questions in the richness of one small place, he settles into a rustic log cabin. There is research to be done - on songbirds, insects, and mosses; but there is also life to be lived - chopping wood, carrying water, and planting a garden.By melding his own life with the life of the Maine wilderness, Heinrich finds meaning within this complex fabric far beyond our ordinary perceptions.Throughout this year where "the subtle matters and the spectacular distracts," he brings us back to the drama in small things, when life is lived consciously.

"Quirky, unassuming, humorous, enlightening, and just a little bizarre." (Washington Post Book World) ... Read more

Reviews (14)

5 stars because this book is fantastic.
Bernd Heinrich does a spectacular job of compliling his experiences of spending a year in the Maine woods into a book.
This professor shows you in his journal how he explores the woods of Maine around his cabin, which is not equipped with running water or electricity.
Mr. Heinrich mentions everything from the pet raven he partly-raised to his encounter with a majestic moose that crossed his path. Other birds, insects, plants and animals that he finds on his daily walks through the remote and beautiful Maine woods are also widely mentioned. He clearly describes the flute-like song of the Hermit Thrush, the chirping of the crickets, the eerie howling of the coyotes, and much, much more.
This book is interesting and easy-to-read for nature lovers and casual observers alike who enjoy serene nature with a touch of civilization here and there.
I recommend this book and hope that Mr. Heinrich will come out with another book as good as this one soon!

Not What I Expected...But Still Okay

This is the second book by Heinrich that I have read. The first, Ravens in Winter, I found very enjoyable. (see review)

Based on the title and a review written on the book's back cover, I expected the book to be about Heinrich's year alone, except for his pet raven, Jack. With this in mind I thought we'd learn about his discoveries in nature and also his understanding into his own thoughts as he pondered life in seclusion.

This was not a book about living in the wild woods of Maine in seclusion. Heinrich often went into town and ate, met with neighbors, had family visit, and at one point he had a number of students over for a couple of weeks. Was this bad...no, but not what I expected based on the review on his book's back cover.

Heinrich has a gift in sharing information about nature. His curiosity and excitement for the natural world is contagious. In this respect I wasn't let down. He did go on quite a bit about the various things he noticed, sometimes sharing too much information, but I would just skip the paragraph and move on.

I think what appeals to me most are the times he is in seclusion and reflects on nature and his own life. He endures an amazing amount of cold...below zero, doesn't have running water, and the inside temperature in his cabin dips down below freezing on several occasions. I would enjoy many of the aspects of living in the location he speaks of but I would do it with a few extras...insulation in the walls, and electricity are two that come to mind!

Overall I did enjoy the book and I hope you do too!

A raven review...
Not planning to review this book, I changed my mind after perusing the reviews for "A Year in the Maine Woods." Most of them are by people who miss the point of his book (and, dare I say, life) entirely.

Yes, Bernd is foremost a Zoologist, and so does get a bit technical at times, but his over-whelming love of nature--and the sense that he's just a good guy doing what many of us are afraid to do (i.e. kick in our TeeVees and "get back to nature")--is enough for my vote.

In addition to the natural science found in these pages, I very much enjoyed his mundane, day-to-day observations (every time he made coffee or drank a beer, I inwardly smiled). He mixes his love for the woods with a few 21st-century earthly pleasures, as well he should. Of course he's no Thoreau, and I don't think he is in anyway trying to be. Still, he's a damn-sight closer to Nature and the ideas and mind of H.D.T than most.

Truly a pleasurable read. Thanks, Bernd.

Tedious, Read a textbook instead
A combination diary and ecology lesson, A Year in the Maine Woods focuses on trifling details of the author's mundane existence and scientific observations in and around his cabin in central Maine. I'll summarize a typical day: got up early, made coffee, listened to the birds, went out to observe the ravens, went for a run or a walk, drove into town for dinner, bought a six-pack, drove back to the cabin and went to bed. The book seems contrived and 'forced'.

The focus of the author's work is research on the behavior of ravens, to which he continuously feeds bovine carcasses. Through his research, he has acquired a strong attraction to the raven, which the reader is unlikely to share. Lacking the excuse of living off the land, the author's eccentricity is confirmed by casual eating of caterpillars, grubs, ants, and mice. I bought this book because of the title and some favorable reviews on Amazon. I was disappointed, but I did learn a few things and the prose is well written.

Looking Close
To appreciate Bernd Heinrich, you have to be prepared to slow down and look close. After all, the author himself has taken a year's leave of absence from a fast-paced university job to do just that. He wants to spend time in his beloved woods, study the creatures that live there and see where long rambles will take him. It not the sort of book to begin with an agenda in mind.

That said, I found A Year in the Maine Woods a quixotic mix of science and human exploits - a glimpse at the lives of a whole host of insects, birds, mammals and plant life I never knew existed, and a chance to share in one person's approach to learning.

Examples? Let's take Heinrich's penchant for climbing trees. For a full-grown, adult male he really does spend a lot of time in them, and as a result has some interesting stories to tell. There's the day he finds himself scrambling up a tree to avoid a moose who refuses to yield the right of way on a trail, and the time a doe wanders under the apple tree he is sitting in and proceeds to munch away. No amount of noise or movement on Heinrich's part seems to disturb her until he descends from the tree. Then she's off like a shot!

Here's another example. Heinrich loves ravens. He is fascinated by their intelligence, close-knit family systems, their flying ability and survival skills, and is not above combing the countryside for roadkill in order to provide food for them. Heinrich's exploits with a pet raven are both hilarious and revealing. Here is a man who delights in life itself and is willing to put up with a fair amount of discomfort and irritation to learn about it.

If you enjoy learning about special places on our planet, and the creatures that inhabit them, through the eyes of those who have studied and know them intimately, then this book will delight you. If, on the other hand you like your reading to be full of fast-paced action and spine-tingling climaxes, this is not the book for you. Be prepared to read slowly and savor the pictures Heinrich offers. ... Read more

Book Description

THE CRYSTAL DESERT: SUMMERS IN ANTARCTICA is the story of life's tenacity on the coldest of Earth's continents. It tells of the explorers who discovered Antarctica, of the whalers and sealers who despoiled it, and of the scientists who are deciphering its mysteries. In beautiful, lucid prose, David G. Campbell chronicles the desperately short summers on the Antarctic Peninsula. He presents a fascinating portrait of the evolution of life in Antarctica and also of the evolution of the continent itself. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Not About Antarctica
This was a disappointing read, mainly because it isn't about Antarctica, but about King George Island. Like writing a book about North America from research conducted on Cuba. Yes, Cuba is part of North America, but... If you want information on Antarctica, look elsewhere. Why he named it "Crystal Desert" is beyond me because there is NOTHING on the ice cap. Secondly, Campbell, who may or may not be a competent biologist, spends far to much time grinding his environmental axe. For some reason, he thinks he and other academicians are the only people with the right to go to Antarctica, making numerous disparaging comments about tourism throughout the text. Moreover, he seems to have a major problem with males - be they human, sperm whale, or elephant seal, espousing traits such as "machismo" and other derogatory human emotions to these animals simply because they are larger than the females. And finally, he spends the entire final third of the book expounding on the horrors of the seal and whale hunts that decimated the populations of these magnificant animals. Unfortunate, definately. But the book is supposed to be about Antarctica - not a treatise on over-sealing and over-whaling by people from another period in time. It does have some good descriptions of Admiralty Bay on King George Island - mainly from a biological perspective, but overall, it was a waste of time.

Good, but the author isn't big on introspection
Since I've visited Antarctica, and enjoyed its haunting, indifferent beauty as well as the spectacular wildlife, I was interested in reading an account of someone who had lived, studied, and conducted research there.

Campbell's strength is writing about the science, the wildlife, the extremes of weather and of living in a difficult place. His weakness is his utter lack of self-analysis. He berates the tourists who come to this place (does he think he owns the Antarctic area himself?), and laments the loss of microscopic and macroscopic life that is lost when the loutish tourist dares step on the fragile landscape, yet he is blissfully unaware of the far greater damage he does to the ecosystem when he powers up the hills to work on the weatherstation, and when he pulls up marine creatures and watches them burst, dying, under his microscope.

I guess anything is fair game when done under the guise of 'science', but woe be to the ordinary person who dares to learn about one of the farthest reaches of the planet.

Quite a topic
It would be hard for this book to be uninteresting, covering as it does the natural history and present teeming life, as well as the everyday life of a human community, in this remote area. My only objection is the use of some scientific biology words which may be common enough among scientists but which are curveballs for us lay folk. Otherwise it's a fine read. This really made me picture myself there, and want to visit Antarctica, and appreciate its role in the world environment.

Superbly written and lovely presentation of natural history
This book is elegantly descriptive of the history, both natural and anthropogenic, of one of the last true frontiers - Antarctica. Dr. Campbell presents an interesting history of Antarctica before the human invasion as well as after, which provides the reader with a better understanding of the environment in Antarctica.

The best scientific travel book I have read
The Crystal Desert is an excellent exposition of just about everything you ever wanted to know about Antartica. It covers history, wildlife (from microbiology to whales), geology, scenery, life on Antarctic bases, and the present day politics of the continent. It also has a wonderful bibliography for those who want to know more, and is written by an author with a real gift for evoking a landscape which few of us will ever see. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Caring for the world.
Wendell Berry is a Kentucky farmer--a "country person" (p. 46), and a former English professor. He is also among my favorite poets. I arrived at this collection of six inspired essays through Berry's poetry. He is no ordinary country farmer, and this is no ordinary book of essays.

These are not easy essays. They often raise more questions than answers. But reading them is rewarding. Poet Ezra Pound wrote, "Learn of the green world what can be thy place." For Berry, "thy place" means "good stewardship" (p. 57), which is the theme of his book. He insightfully examines farm reform, food quality, nature conservation, caring for local communities, and finding redemption in "a fallen world" (p. 102) that is controlled by "distant," "supranational" corporations. "I am a Luddite," Berry proudly proclaims, "not 'against technology' so much as I am for community" (p. 90). For Berry, "human beings, let alone human societies, cannot live indefinitely by poison and fire" (p. 47).

Berry begins his book with a memorable quotation from R. S. Thomas: "What to do? Stay green/ Never mind the machine,/ Whose fuel is human souls,/ Live large, man, and dream small." He ends his book with, for me, the two most memorable essays in the collection: "The Conservation of Nature and the Preservation of Humanity" and "Health is Membership."

With a "turn of the crank," Berry hopes to bring his reader to a starting place to care for the world. But the point of the plucked chicken on the book's cover eludes me still.

G. Merritt

Toccata and Fugue in D minor
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Another Turn of the Crank by Wendell Berry should *not* be the first Berry book one reads.

Wendell Berry seems to attract two kinds of readers. One group of readers consists of the fanatical true-believers. They eagerly snap up every word he writes. One suspects that their objectivity has been washed away by their enthusiasm.

The second group of readers are those who have just stumbled across some portion of Berry's work in the course of their meandering. They have yet to form an opinion. This review is written for the second group.

Wendell Berry, as an essayist, has the ability to slice through the passivity that cocoons the modern reader. His essays challenge them to exercise their mind and to examine their value system. Berry is not an easy read, he does not mollycoddle the reader with short simple sentences. The complex sentence structure is not the result of whim or laziness. Rather, it is core to Berry's mode of writing. The image that springs to mind the exercise in logic that requires the student to sort through a box of marbles with a balance-beam scale to find the marble(s) that are different. Expect to work when you read a Wendell Berry essay.

Another Turn of the Crank, specifically, is a depressing book. Berry writes in the Foreword "The proper role of government is to protect its citizens and its communities against conquest - against economic conquest just as much as conquest by overt violence." The majority of the remaining 100 pages are devoted to showing how the government failed (short synopsis: Policy supports industrial farming/forestry. Industrial farming is a commodity-extraction process. Commodity extraction does not create much wealth but is efficient for *concentrating* wealth. Wealth concentration is a zero-sum game. Weath is concentrated at the expense of others. Consequently, industrial farming causes widespread impoverishment.) and why the government failed (short synopsis: Farmers are no longer electorially significant but the cash contributions of industrial farming are.) to fill their proper role. The book projects the anguish one would expect of a general who learned that the diplomats traded away the battlefield his troops bought with blood.

Another Turn of the Crank should not be the first Wendell Berry book that they read because of it's one-dimensionality. New readers of Berry will be better served to start with The Gift of Good Land, or What are People For? These collections of essays are Wendell Berry samplers. They give the reader a much better feel for the range of Wendell Berry's ability to savor the human condition and his ability to project that experience through the written word.

A Beautiful Collection
Once again, Berry has produced a work worth reading over and over again. By far one of his best collections of essays, I found myself warmed and heartened by his words and was impressed by how well he expresses the compatibility of good human work with nature, as they are often seen as opposing forces. He shows us how the best of our cultural traditions can bring a better life to all of us. His writings simply get better and better. If you've never read anything by Berry before, this could be a great one to start with. I also highly recommend another book of his, The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture. I will treasure this book for years to come.

As lucid as it gets.
Wendell Berry patiently keeps showing us how to regain the sanity and goodness that life once held. Here are six essays: Farming and the Global Economy; Conserving Community; Conserving Forest Communities; Private Property and the Common Wealth; The Conservation of Nature and the Preservation of Humanity; Health is Membership. In Conserving Community, Berry lists 17 specific guidelines for regaining our lives by rebuilding our communities. They alone are worth far more than the price of the book--if we use them. Berry keeps turning the crank; we need to start the engine.

A must read!
As a long-time fan of Wendell Berry, I was expecting a something thought provoking. I underestimated him. In this collection of essays Berry has gone beyond his usual high standard to write something utterly transcendent. I place it squarly in the same league as Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" and Walker's "Winter Wheat" for beauty of prose, story-telling and quality of instruction. The essays are thoughtful, spiritual and finally, telling - about where we are, and where we could be. After enjoying Berry for years, this one caused me to send him a thank you note for writing it. This one is a keeper ... Read more

Book Description

Perched high on mountains, sometimes even above the clouds, are lookouts, the people who staff the fire towers located throughout our national forests. Most have one thing in common. They have taken the road less traveled.

Captured by the author are the life experiences and insights of 18 remarkable lookouts. Their stories are fascinating and often humorous. The many photographs show views of the landscape that are breathtaking, but the lookouts share views on life that etch equally deep impressions.

Throughout the book, readers are entertained and inspired --- entertained by vicariously experiencing unique adventures, and inspired by refreshingly clear-sighted perspectives that light new paths for the journey through life.

These intrepid guardians of our national forests have reached the top - but by climbing a much different ladder. Now it's a ladder they enjoy climbing every day. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Views from the Top of Arizona Forests
A timely look into Arizona fire towers and the men and women who work in them. After visiting fire tower lookouts over a four-year period, the author treats us to a rare insight into the people who have chosen to work in the isolation of fire towers surrounded by the grandeur of some of Arizona's spectacular forests, illustrated here with beautiful photos. The "lookouts" prove to be diverse in their views of life and their reasons for chooosing this occupation.Their stories are introspective, filled with adventure and told with humor.A thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking read. ... Read more

Book Description

"In the tradition of Wendell Berry, Sanders champions fidelity to place, informed by ecological awareness, arguing that intimacy with one's home region is the grounding for global knowledge.

"Reflective, rhapsodic, luminous essays. . . . A wise and beautifully written book."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A Good Book to Read in Winter
because you'll want to toss it in the fireplace when you're finished. If you're not quite sure what an elitist academician is, read "Staying Put" and you'll never again have any doubt. Sanders clearly occupies the lower ranks of this group, but he fits the mold perfectly of a pompous professor who believes no thought that pops into his head, no matter how tiny, must go unexpressed. Of course, I may be wrong. This book may be a shrewd satire of such a blowhard personality, but I doubt it. In any case, it is a waste of time and money.

Wonderful...
Maybe it's because I moved back to Indiana not long after discovering this book, but I am constantly moved by this...particularly the title essay.

If you love Barbara Kingsolver, Kathleen Norris or Anne Lamott, give Mr. Sanders a try.

A truly excellent book
As with all of his books, Sanders brilliantly explores his feelings, thoughts, and beliefs in a well-researched (despite his claims to the contrary) book. As a fellow resident of Bloomington, Indiana (the home he's making in a restless world), I appreciate the way he describes life here in this quiet part of a quiet state in a quiet region of the country.

The force of moving water
The strength of this collection of interwoven essays lies in Sanders' clear, lucid, often lyrical prose. His strongest moments, particularly "After the Flood" and "Settling Down," are where he focuses on the fundamental idea of his book: the notion that the natural world benefits from people who attach themselves to a place, who reject the idea of "moving on." The chapters about the history of the Ohio River valley are interesting and informative, and his personal memoirs are worthwhile. I did wonder at times why he insists on dealing with the question of whether or not the world is ordered; it didn't seem to me to be important to his main argument. I also at times was overwhelmed and bewildered by the far-flung sources from which he draws quotes: Thomas Berry to Lao-tzu to Salman Rushdie to Wendell Berry. Like John Elder, Sanders suffers perhaps from being too well-read. But if you like Elder's books, or those of Thomas Berry, Ian Marshall, Scott Slovic, and Barry Lopez, this one is well worth reading. It's not too heavy, but meaty anyway.

Life begins in the heart at home
An extraordinarily fine stylist, Mr. Sanders reminds us in the very personal essays how important it is to value home and heart. Lives begins at home; life begins when we know where our home is. ... Read more

Book Description

Part memoir, part meditation, part love story, Shadow Mountain is an impassioned commentary on how our connection to the wild can rescueor destroy us.

While completing an undergraduate research thesis, Renée Askins was given a two-day-old wolf pup to raise. Named Natasha, the pup, was destined for a life in captivity. Through her work with Natasha and her siblings, Askins developed a deep, fierce love for the species. On the day Natasha was unexpectedly taken from her and sent to a remote research facility, Askins made a promise to the wolf pup: "Your life, your sacrifice, will make a difference."And it did.

Renée Askins spent the next fifteen years in the grueling effort to restore wolves to Yellowstone, where they had been exterminated by man some seventy years before. The campaign's popularity with the American public aroused the rage of the western ranching community and their powerful political allies in Washington. She endured death threats, years of contentious debate and political manipulations, and heartbreaking setbacks when colonizing wolves were illegally killed. But in March 1995, Askins witnessed the realization of her mission when wolves were released into their native home in Yellowstone–the first wolves to be found there in almost a century.

A born storyteller, Renée Askins offers moving and vibrant examples of the reciprocity that exists between man and animal. And, like a wolf in the shadows, Askins circles the issues surounding the conundrum of embracing wild nature. Shadow Mountain explores the wildness present within animals and humans, urging us to recognize both its light and its shadow–its power to heal and harm. Roaming from wolves to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, from passion to politics, Shadow Mountain is the story of shared struggles and destinies, of failure and redemption, and offers insight into how we can mend our contentious relationship with wildness by understanding the power of the wild to guide and shape us. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A life altering book
I originally got this book out of the library, in part of planning a trip to Yellowstone and a desire to see its wolves. After only a few pages, I realized I was reading a book that was about so much more than wolves -- Ms. Askins writes brilliantly about conservation ethics, wildness, the politics of animal reintroductions, and living a commitment. The book was so good that I rushed out to buy my own copy, in part so I could underline all of the 'nuggets' of wisdom she serves up. This is a woman that I hope someday my daughter can meet - for she is a living example of what someone with vision, chutzpah, a good education, and perserverance can accomplish.

Its not about the wolf.
Askins has crafted a compelling story about examining our human relationship with the natural world. Ostensibly, the book describes the formation of the Wolf Fund, her single issue, streamlined, strategic environmental organization aimed at garnering grass roots support and applying political pressure to achieve the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park. And yet it is about so much more. She writes with candor and wit, wandering back and forth in time, highlighting the trail, effectively illustrating serendipitous twists of fate that ultimately influence her role in the attainment of this greater goal. It's her story, and yet, like any good writing, there is something universal here. Digging at the roots of her own motivation, she uncovers a philosophy for life. Askins herds the reader along with a mixture of dogged determination and poetic passion, feeding us cookies of wisdom along the way, plenty of food for thought. I hope we hear her howl again.

Renee's Wolves
Just before the start of Chapter one in the book Shadow Mountain is the Quote from Gandhi "Whatever you do will be insignificant and it is very important that you do it". Ghandi also once wrote that you can judge people by the way they treat their animals. Renee Askins founded the Wolf Fund in 1986 for the purpose of reintroducing the wolf into Yellowstone National Park. Renee Askins is a fine human being, one who, like Dian Fossey, has devoted herself to one endangered species and from her efforts has found ground breaking and hopefully, long lasting success. Shadow Mountain is a wonderful book filled with emotion and adventure that will make you laugh, make you angry, and make you cry, but most of all is will make you pleased about the way you treat your animals.

great enough to buy it for a friend
Renee Askins has written something (somewhat tangentially), about wolves--that truly translates into every other aspect of life--she's a brilliant and beautiful genius, and it will probably be ages before we realize her wisdom. For the time being, I am content to wander through her metaphors and images, just hoping that I discover their worth.

A Truly Great Book
Renee Askins is a lyrical writer who tells her story beautifully. It's not about the wolves and it's not about Yellowstone; it's about passion and heartbreak and staying on course. It made me laugh, shake my head, and cry. And long after the last page of the book, her bright images peer from behind trees and peek around corners. ... Read more

Book Description

Award-winning natural history filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert have lived in the wilds of Africa for twenty years, fiercely dedicated to understanding and protecting the majestic animals surrounding them. The Africa Diaries is a powerful first-person account of their extraordinary work as wildlife researchers and conservationists. The Jouberts document their odyssey through passages culled from the pages of their field journals and over 130 stunning full-color photographs, giving readers a rare insight into their extraordinary lives in the African bush. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Excellent Complement to the Jouberts' Videos
Derek and Beverly Joubert are probably best known for their National Geographic videotapes on African wildlife, such as "Africa's Stolen River," on the drying of the Savuti river over the course of several years and the resultant effects on the local animal populations, and "Eternal Enemies," on the enmity between lions and hyenas. The text of this book is comprised of excerpts from the Jouberts' personal journals during the period when those videos were made, interspersed with explanatory material. There are also plenty of excellent photographs - both of wildlife and of the Jouberts themselves and their equipment.

For those familiar with their videos, this book provides a more personal look at the Jouberts and what their life was like in the Savuti, as well as providing some tidbits about what happened to some of the subjects of the videos after they were made. For those not familiar with the videos, it may still be an interesting look at what life can be like for dedicated naturalists in the parts of Africa that are not yet completely tamed.

Note that unlike their videos, which focus exclusively on wildlife, this book includes quite a bit of discussion of people - not only the Jouberts and their filmmaking, but also of hunters and of the human political issues that determine the fate of the animals. If you would prefer a book focused more exclusively on wildlife, you might try the Jouberts' earlier book, "Hunting With the Moon."

An Awesome Book!!!
I LOVED this book. Anyone that likes animals, Africa or adventures will like this book. This book does a great job of expressing what it would be like to live in the wilds of Africa. It also has great photos!

An absorbing read packed with details
The natural history filmmaker authors have lived in the African bush for over twenty years: their lifestyle and work with wildlife is profiled in a diary of their world documenting their work. Any with an interest in African life will find The Africa Diaries an absorbing read packed with details and a 'you are there' atmosphere. Color photos complete the effect.

The Africa Diaries: An Illustrated Memoir of Life in the Bus
After so many outstanding Joubert wildlife films, we finally get to know more about the great people behind the lenses! The Joubert's second book is a classic African wildlife-book and a must for any fan of this great continent. Two books came to my mind while I devoured this wonderful book: "Serengeti shall not die" and "Cry of the Kalahari" - all three have the following in common: an honest, down-to-earth description of life among Africa's spectacular wildlife; a long-term conservation-approach; a unique way of putting the reader right in the middle of the bush-action with wonderful words and stunning photographs. The African Diaries are must-reading for any traveller to the great dark continent. Having experienced the mentioned locations many times myself this book brings back fond memories of Africa's last true wilderness area. My recommendation is to first see one of the Joubert's classic wildlife films and then to enjoy the "read behind the scenes". One will not be disappointed! ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

When the distinguished naturalist Archie Carr first ranged through the Florida marshes, swamps, and hammocks, the state was a paradise for biologists, a relatively unexplored Eden. Florida would change greatly.And for five decades, Carr, a professor of zoology at the University of Florida who died in 1987, would write about its natural beauty and the encroachments upon it. More than two dozen essays in this collection show his writing at its best. "Carr's essays of Florida shine with charm, grandeur, and a childlike delight. This is the writing not only of a brilliant naturalist, but of a poet and of a journalist. It stands as a memoir to a breathtaking paradise, and as an eloquent call to save what's left of it." --Carl Hiaasen ... Read more

Reviews (1)

You should read this book!
Archie Carr was a renowned naturalist and perhaps the world's expert on marine turtles. He wrote with a lyrical simplicity that reflects the south of the early- and mid-20th century. His elegant descriptions of animals and his understated wit reveal his deep involvement with the natural world and the human processes that are now shaping it. Archie knew Florida like a native and could describe it like no one else of his generation. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Prosek has commandeered a unique branch for himself in the long stream of fishing literature. With Trout: An Illustrated History and Joe and Me, he's reeled in the reputation of a modern-day Audubon with a keen eye that translates experience into both words and watercolors. In The Complete Angler, he sets out to tackle the legacy of Isaak Walton, the granddaddy of littoral lit and his 17th-century classic, The Compleat Angler. While still an undergraduate, Prosek convinces the solons at Yale to fund a traveling fellowship for him to fish the waters Walton fished, to ponder their joint obsession with angling, and the fellowship and philosophies inherent in sitting on banks with a rod in your hand. "Fishing is my religion and the trout stream is my temple," Prosek declares proudly, which makes Walton at least a High Priest, if not the Messiah.

You certainly can't accuse Prosek of shrinking from a challenge. Walton's Compleat Angler is one of the towers of English literature. Not only the third most reprinted volume in the language (after the Bible and Shakespeare), it is the rare book that has spanned several centuries of readership without ever going out of print. Stepping into Walton's waders--literary and sporting--and fishing his way through public and private waters throughout Britain, Prosek attempts to navigate deeper, trickier currents than he's previously attempted. What he catches is part homage, part pilgrimage, part meditation, and entirely alluring--a work that balances youthful exuberance with insight and depth. Walton's considerable shadow challenges and encourages Prosek's growth as writer and artist; both his writing and the painting that illustrates this handsome effort are maturing. "I didn't exactly know what I would find," Prosek admits at the start. It's precisely this attitude that makes his journey, and the surprises he snares, all the more enchanting. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Meet Izaak Walton
I enjoyed this book. I was one the people who had heard (quite a bit, actually) of Izaak Walton's "Angler", but had not read it. Prozek's work was the motivation for me to dive into the 17th century for a few hours and read the book. So, if for no other reason, I'm grateful to Prosek. There is a lot here to remind the reader that this is an effort made at the beginning of a literary career; some undisciplined gushing here; a bit of bragging there. But it's hard to deny that there was real effort involved. Prosek has worked on understanding both his subject and himself enough to win me over, even though I'm jealous that he (at least by his account) catches way more fish than I do.

not-so-deep thoughts
This book tries very hard to be "deep" and insightful; it is neither. This is not a book about the human condition; it is a book about a privileged young man fishing with privileged old people.

Prosek does lovely paintings, but the bottom line is that his writing lacks maturity. He violates many rules that should have been drilled into his head during "freshman comp" class. He doesn't show, he tells. He overuses flowery adjectives. And he can be melodramatic to the extreme.

There is no shortage of books about flyfishing that are filled with overblown prose, books that try to make flyfishing something it is not. This book is one of them.

Comparisons to Izaak Walton abound. This gets old after a while. So do the many "characters" Prosek fishes with, who we are told are very interesting and "quite delightful," but most seemed to be pompous, bland individuals.

For some reason, the trip itself bothered me. He got to fish many rivers only because he was a young man of privilege. Everyone he meets is awed by him, mainly because he is an Ivy Leaguer with the right connections. He then makes sure we know that the class-obsessed people he meet complimented him on his "class" and "character." He seems to revel in this, never examining his privilege. Many times I wanted him to quit rhapsodizing over trout and start examining his own life.

I was very disappointed in Prosek as a writer. It lacks the depth of a good travel book (like Fen Montaigne's "Reeling in Russia"). And he can't compare to sporting writers like McGuane, Bodio, Tom McIntyre and Robert F. Jones, all writers whose books reflect fierce joy, love, pain, conflict, and ambiguity.

I understand Prosek is now writing about love. Be very afraid.

For a painter he's a good writer...
Let's face it, this is not a very good book. There is a tendency among those who fly fish to readily accept any ink put to paper as elegaic, contemplative and downright superior. Young Mr. Prosek is a fortunate lad, having pulled the wool over the eyes of the academic sachems at Yale to bless his fly fishing vacation in England as the subject of his thesis. He wraps the proposal in the esteemed pages of Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, the most purchased and least read book in the history of print. Prosek forces us to wade through a number of English rivers and some tedious prose, and in this respect he does resemble Walton. His constant comparisons of himself to Walton tend to bog down his writing. He ruminates on how he is standing in the same water that Walton once stood, the worst kind of conceit. You don't even stand in the same river yourself when you happen to be standing in one! The only redeeming feature of this volume is that it is beautiful book, with Prosek's watercolors generously peppered throughout. He is a gifted painter and his first book is one of my favorites. This volume, however, has more of the red herring about it than the noble trout. I admire a good con job, I just hate it when it's pulled on me.

I really look forward to reading this book
Having read Prosek's other two books (and having thoroughly enjoyed them, and given copies as gifts), I really look forward to reading this one - long anticipated. This young man has unusual talents, and (at least as of a couple of years ago) possesses another rare quality today - humility and politeness.

Beyond fishing-ripples of a sweet life.
James Prosek has crafted three books around trout fishing. I'm not a fisherwoman, I'm a birdwatcher, card carrying enviro-lobbyist with complex affinities for hunting and fishing. I bought his first book because he was supporting a cause I cared about and it was a pleasure to look at. Prozek's renderings of trout are jewel toned. Fascination will strip away all pretensions because it feeds so greedily. Hypersensitive, you seek all nourishment to supplement the core hunger. James Prozek in his youth celebrates his fascination for trout, and the art of troutfishing. I am now trying to learn how to watch fish. The Compleat Angler: A Connecticut Yankee Follows in the Footsteps of Walton finds Prozek searching further. He's looking for his place in space, senses heightened by his passion for troutfishing and the need to make his way in the world. His affinity with Izzak Walton is natural. Izzak Walton, in uncertain times (17th century England) used his fascination for fishing to make sense of his world. This book is savory with the manchild's gleanings of people and life in a familiar foreign land. It's a good thing he is in love with life, because he notices so many things: food, architecture, gardens, dairy maid, weather and people with a generous spirit. The book is fun to read because he is always 'there' - diffident and cocky, smart and rueful, testing and accepting. History and always fishing provide the backdrop to each vignette...encounters that inevitably lead to the next pool. The book's few faults have to do with the youth of the author, so they really can't be faults now. Prozek works hard and is productive. His watercolors are gorgeous. He is growing and I will watch for his future boooks as benchmarks. Spend some time with this young man; stray with him. Reaffirm that the nature around us is the foundation for the condition of all things human. ... Read more

Book Description

Well known master storyteller and arctic guide Fred Webb has taken the most interesting, funny, and remarkable stories of his long and illustrious North American guiding career and placed them in this adventure-filled, fascinating book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fred Webb is Outstanding
I had, of course, heard of Fred Webb before I bought this book, but was not all that familiar with his writing.Now, however, I can say I think he's the best writer of hunting and fishing stories since Russel Annabel,Robert Ruark, or even Peter Capstick.Fred's down-to-earth style, hiswonderful sense of humor, and his great insight into the people side of theoutdoor sports are simply fabulous.

Some of the stories are serious andtouching, some (most?) are hilarious, but all are so entertaining that whenyou finish one, you'll be eager to turn the page to start the next one. You may even lose all track of time (least I did -- more than once). I'veread most (all?) of the stories at least twice, and my father-in-law readthe whole book four times (until I finally bought him a copy for Christmasso I could get my copy back).

I eagerly look forward to meeting Fred andhis son, Martin, next month (March 2000) when a friend and I travel to thefrozen Arctic for a Musk Ox hunt with their guide service.I just hope weget the chance to have a drink or two with them and hear even more aboutFred's adventures hunting, fishing and guiding all across Canada over thelast 40 years.

This is a very fine book, and I can hardly wait for hisnext one, Campfire Lies of a Canadian Guide, which is due out sometime thiswinter.

See you in March, Fred! By the way I still laugh out loud everytime I read the story about "The Day the Shotgun Jammed". ... Read more

Book Description

John Muir first saw Alaska in 1879, only twelve years after it was purchased from Russia by the United States. Four more times, in 1880, 1881, 1890, and 1899, he was drawn back to this land of rivers and glaciers, sunsets and northern lights, campfires and Arctic stars. Few people have lived so many adventures, yet Muir was not a mere collector of adventure; the hazards he encountered - and many were spine-tingling - came as a result of his intense desire to examine new aspects of the natural world. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Don't know what to make of this
From the title, one would think this a type of travel journal, a panorama of episodes along the way, a sequence of stations between the starting off point and the destination. Instead, the overall weight of the book is given to glaciers, their descriptions, their influence on the landscape, their geological record, the discovery of new glaciers, and other characteristics of these moving rivers of ice. While Muir offers descriptive powers unequaled among authors on nature, never repeating himself though constantly repeating his subject, the sheer repetition tends to bog the work down. Two whole pages might contribute to our view of a particular glacier, and suddenly Muir reports that he's finished a 200-mile leg of his journey on foot. He tells us when he's climbed a glacier, and along the way we've missed an entire week. Time and space almost have no medium in this publication, utterly lost when gazing upon a glacier. For nature lovers who will never go to Alaska, the descriptions in this book make the ranges and glaciers come alive in print, but as a dramatic journey, a travelogue, or a field manual for the Alaskan bush, this book forms only a vague shadow.

Muir in southeast Alaska.
I confess up front, it's been a few years since I read Muir's Travels in Alaska. Yet significant aspects I remember well. Given Muir's exuberance for life and almost everything he encounters in his travels, one almost looses view of Muir the botanist and geologist. But not quite. Here we find the author contemplating the activity of glaciers and documenting the flora of southeast Alaska. Muir (who tended strongly toward vegetarianism) gleefully entertaining himself by foiling duck hunters. Baffling the locals by happily wandering out into major storms.
The book is a journal of Muir's 1879, 1880, and 1890 trips (he wouldn't mind if we called them adventures) to SE Alaska's glaciers, rivers, and temperate rain forests. He died while preparing this volume for publication.
I remind myself, and anyone reading this, that Muir isn't for every reader. And, as other reviewers have stated, this may not be the volume in which to introduce oneself to the one-of-a-kind John Muir. One reviewer doesn't think that Muir is entirely credible in these accounts. I won't say whether or not this is wrong, but I tend to a different view. For some of us -- and certainly for Muir -- wilderness is a medicine, a spiritual tonic, so to speak. For the individual effected in this way, physical impediments and frailties rather dissolve away when he is alone in wildness. I once heard Graham Mackintosh (author of Into a Desert Place) speak of this. In all of his travels alone in the desert, he doesn't recall having ever been sick. This may not sound credible to some, but I strongly suspect it is true.
If you like Muir's writings, read this book. If you like the stuff of Best Sellers, perhaps you should look elsewhere.

The Literary Side of Science
Nature is a beautiful and highly complicated phenomena of this world. Many have sought to understand it and capture its essence in writing. The nature writings of John Muir succeed in capturing the beauty of nature as well as the scientific aspect. I have to be honest, I wasn't that enthused about reading a book about science. I expected Muir's book to be identical to a science textbook, definitely not my idea of enjoyment. However, his book was actually full of detailed descriptions and creative uses of similes, metaphors, and analogies. In fact, it completely changed my perception of a scientific novel.

In his book, "Travels in Alaska", Muir brings alive the magnificence of the vast expanses of unexplored Alaskan territory. His prose reveals his enthusiasm for nature, and he weaves clear and distinct pictures through his words. Muir's writing is very personal. His favorable feelings toward the land are very apparent, and reading the book is like reading his diary or journal. He avoids using scientific jargon that would confuse and frustrate the average reader; his words are easily understood.

Muir also uses very detailed descriptions throughout "Travels in Alaska". Although at times his painstaking description is a plus, at others, he seems to take it a little too far. Numerous times throughout the book, Muir spent a paragraph or two talking about something slightly insignificant. He would go off on a tangent of enthusiasm for something as simple as a sunrise or the rain. While his careful observances make the book enjoyable, the sometimes excessive detail tends to detract from the point he was trying to make. The description also reveals that his heart and soul was in his research; this became very evident upon reading the long and thoughtful descriptions.

"Travels in Alaska" can be appreciated by a wide audience. Muir shines light upon the Alaskan territory, and he is detailed in his account of the many people he meets. Anyone could read the book and find enjoyment learning about Alaska when it was for the most part unsettled. Muir shares with the readers his keen insight upon the various Indian tribes that lived in Alaska. At one point in the book, he gives a very detailed description of one tribe's feasting and dancing. His observances capture exactly what he saw and the feelings these observances evoked in him.

John Muir's writing is of high quality. He incorporates beautiful and creative similes, metaphors, and analogies. His prose is very poetic, which makes it an enjoyable read. For example, Muir says that "when we contemplate the world as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty." His work is also very organized. The book is divided into 3 sections, or parts of his trip, as well as separate chapters devoted to specific subjects. Muir spends one chapter describing his trip to Puget Sound, another on Wrangell Island, etc. The book follows a specific format that ensures that everything is easily followed and understood.

Truthfully, I was impressed with the writing, and the fact that it was nothing like a textbook. It incorporated the literary aspect so well, that the book held my interest whereas a textbook would not have. I had the wrong impression of a scientific novel, and I urge anyone unfamiliar with the genre, to give "Travels in Alaska" a fair try. It may just change your mind about scientific writing.

Don't start your Muir education with this one
If you're new to John Muir's writings, please don't start with this one. It's a worthwhile read in its own right, don't get me wrong. But read _My First Summer in the Sierra_ or a Muir biography like Michael P. Cohen's _The Pathless Way_ before you move on to this one. Get a good dose of what the naturalist is like and learn some of his background, and then you'll be in the proper frame of mind to tackle _Travels in Alaska_. Otherwise, this book is just one glacier after another. And bless his heart, Muir wants to see them all. And climb them and explore them and sketch them and hike their entire len