Series in Nature Writing
Books in Nature Writing
All Creatures Great and Small Annual 1982
All creatures great and small annual 1982 [Hardcover] JAMES HERRIOT
Escape: In Search of the Natural Soul of Canada
We think of the cottage or cabin as a place where we can be our truest, most authentic selves. For those lucky enough to own one, just knowing it awaits can sustain the soul through the workday grind. In Escape, Roy MacGregor explores the powerful hold the wilderness, and the thought of our place in it, has on our imaginations. He weaves together chapters of personal history, telling of his family’s deep connection to the lakes and forests of central Ontario, and chapters that detail the evolution of the idea of wilderness in Canada and the history of “Cottage Country.” He shows that the Canadian wilderness meant freedom for many early settlers escaping privation and oppression in Europe. It meant a chance to create a paradise on earth to some early Utopians, and it meant a chance to profit from the desperate or gullible, such as at Cannington Manor in Saskatchewan and Brother Twelve’s City of Refuge on Vancouver Island. In more recent times, the wilderness and the cottage have represented an escape from a technologically driven and hectic civilization – although too often we take the trappings of our urban lives with us to the detriment of our intended refuge. In cottage country, MacGregor suggests, we may be loving our wilderness to death. This is a thoughtful, evocative, and often moving book about an essential part of the Canadian psyche by one of our best-loved writers. From the Hardcover edition.
Imagination in Place
“Berry's latest collection of essays is the reminiscence of a literary life. It is a book that acknowledges a lifetime of intellectual influences, and in doing so, positions Berry more squarely as a cornerstone of American literature . . . A necessary book. Here, Berry's place as the 'grandfather of slow food' or the 'prophet of rural living' is not questioned. This book ensures we understand the depth and breadth of Berry's art.” — San Francisco Chronicle “[A] stellar collection . . . Foodies, architects, transportation engineers, and other writers are adopting and adapting [Berry’s] concepts, perhaps leading to what he envisions will one day be 'an authentic settlement of our country.'“ — The Oregonian A writer who can imagine the “community belonging to its place” is one who has applied his knowledge and citizenship to achieve the goal to which Wendell Berry has always aspired—to be a native to his own local culture. And for Berry, what is “local, fully imagined, becomes universal,” and the “local” is to know one's place and allow the imagination to inspire and instill “a practical respect for what is there besides ourselves." In Imagination in Place , we travel to the local cultures of several writers important to Berry's life and work, from Wallace Stegner's great West and Ernest Gaines' Louisiana plantation life to Donald Hall's New England, and on to the Western frontier as seen through the Far East lens of Gary Snyder. Berry laments today's dispossessed and displaced, those writers and people with no home and no citizenship, but he argues that there is hope for the establishment of new local cultures in both the practical and literary sense. Rich with Berry's personal experience of life as a Kentucky agrarian, the collection includes portraits of a few of America's most imaginative writers, including James Still, Hayden Carruth, Jane Kenyon, John Haines, and several others.
Kook
With grit, poetry, and humor, Peter Heller, acclaimed author of The River and The Whale Warriors recounts his remarkable journey of discovery—of surfing, an entirely new challenge; of the ocean’s beauty and power; of the strange surf subculture; of love; and, most of all, of how to seek adventure while crafting a meaningful life. Author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Dog Stars Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Literature Having resolved to master a big-hollow wave—that is, to go from kook (surfese for beginner) to shredder—in a single year, Heller travels from Southern California down the coast of Mexico in the company of his girlfriend and the eccentric surfers they meet. Exuberant and fearless, Heller explores the technique and science of surfing the secrets of its culture, and the environmental ravages to the stunning coastline he visits. As Heller plumbs the working of his own heart and finds joy in both love and surfing, he affords readers vivid insight into this fascinating world, with all of its perils and pleasures, its absurdity and wonder. Exhilarating, entertaining, and moving, Kook is a love story between a man and his surfboard, a man and his girlfriend, a not-so-old man and the sea.
Let Them Be Eaten By Bears
Based on the author's acclaimed Integrated Outdoor Program, LET THEM BE EATEN BY BEARS is Peter Hoffmeister's inspiring guide to getting kids to enjoy and appreciate nature. Drawing from his personal and professional background as an educator, guide, writer, and father, Peter reminds his readers of the adventurous pleasure of the great outdoors. This book teaches why children need nature in their lives, how to begin and continue going on adventures with them, and how to enjoy the process along the way. Combining proof of the need for returning to nature in a country increasingly alarmed by its health with an approachable, fun reintroduction to hiking, camping, and exploring, LET THEM BE EATEN BY BEARS marries the manifesto to the handbook. Founded on the ethics, mantras, and survival prompts of the author's outdoor programme, LET THEM BE EATEN BY BEARS is a natural extension of Richard Louv's LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS. Louv details the problem. Peter explains where and how to go from here. And with rising childhood obesity, ADHD, and technological addiction, this book has never been more timely. Peter has ten years of experience guiding hundred of young people - ages one to nineteen - on rock climbing trips, rafting trips, map and compass courses, in caves, and on backpacking trips, and this book will teach others to do the same. It will help adults - from stay-at-home parents to secondary school teachers to survival course instructors - feel empowered and capable. This is a book about fun versus fear in the natural world, leaving the mobile phone behind, getting dirty, and reading and integrating literature that will inspire readers to go out even more.
Nature Lover's Soul
For anyone who enjoys spending time in the great outdoors: hikers, mountain climbers, snowboarders, kayakers, campers, beach-lovers, tree-huggers and more! Stories of adventure are complemented by tales of introspection and quiet moments that focus on the exhilaration of bonds created outdoors and the beauty of natural landscapes.
Nature Lover's Soul
For anyone who enjoys spending time in the great outdoors: hikers, mountain climbers, snowboarders, kayakers, campers, beach-lovers, tree-huggers and more! Stories of adventure are complemented by tales of introspection and quiet moments that focus on the exhilaration of bonds created outdoors and the beauty of natural landscapes.
Nature Lover's Soul
For anyone who enjoys spending time in the great outdoors: hikers, mountain climbers, snowboarders, kayakers, campers, beach-lovers, tree-huggers and more! Stories of adventure are complemented by tales of introspection and quiet moments that focus on the exhilaration of bonds created outdoors and the beauty of natural landscapes.
When The Wild Comes Leaping Up
In this eloquent collection, writers from the United States, Canada, the U.K., and Australia describe a personal encounter with the natural world that moved them, enhanced their understanding of nature, changed them, or was in some other way of prime importance to them. These essays describe childhood memories, everyday walks transformed into life-changing events, being in the grip of a great force, and startling encounters with wild animals. They are funny, sad, reflective, exciting, nostalgic, and outlandish. Each one presents a singular experience, and all are beautifully written and deeply felt. Personal encounters with the natural world written by award-winning authors. Some of the award-winning contributors include Margaret Atwood, Diane Ackerman, David Quammen, Rick Bass, and Wade Davis.
When The Wild Comes Leaping Up
In this eloquent collection, writers from the United States, Canada, the U.K., and Australia describe a personal encounter with the natural world that moved them, enhanced their understanding of nature, changed them, or was in some other way of prime importance to them. These essays describe childhood memories, everyday walks transformed into life-changing events, being in the grip of a great force, and startling encounters with wild animals. They are funny, sad, reflective, exciting, nostalgic, and outlandish. Each one presents a singular experience, and all are beautifully written and deeply felt. Personal encounters with the natural world written by award-winning authors. Some of the award-winning contributors include Margaret Atwood, Diane Ackerman, David Quammen, Rick Bass, and Wade Davis.
Windmills, the River & Dust
"Windmills, the River & Dust: One Man's West" by James C. Work is comprised of fourteen intimitately written stories, of a lifetime of experiences.