Recommended Reads: Nature Writers
Observations and Inspiration from Nature Writers
The mysteries and wonders of the natural world have inspired and influenced travelers, philosophers, scientists, poets, theologians, and social scientists for hundreds of years. Many of these naturalists and adventurers have been moved to record their observations and the ideas springing from them in journals, stories, and essays. Henry David Thoreau's Walden is generally thought to mark the beginning of a rich tradition of modern nature writing. Below is presented a selection of works encompassing pieces by Thoreau and his contemporaries, as well as works by influential twentieth century and current naturalists.
Recorded cassette (RC), braille (BR), locally produced braille (BRM) and large print (LT) copies of these books are available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Please contact the library to order any of these materials.
The Moon by Whale Light: And Other Adventures Among Bats, Penguins, Crocodilians, and Whales by Diane Ackerman.
RC 34387
Essays by "New Yorker" nature writer Ackerman document her experiences observing exotic animals in their habitats, under the guidance of the experts who study them. Ackerman uses her descriptive skills as a poet to portray the feel, smell, sound, appearance, and customs of the often misunderstood animals represented in this collection.
The Book of Yaak by Rick Bass.
RC 45338
Nature writer Bass observes the beauty and serenity of the Yaak Valley in Montana. He observes that the destruction of the Yaak and other wilderness areas by commercial endeavors is socially and ecologically contemptible.
The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod by Henry Beston.
BRM 1243, RC 52331
In 1926-1927 a French-Irish writer extended a two-week vacation into a year of observing nature -- the sea and land, birds, and the seasons -- at his cottage on Cape Cod. Beston's future wife, the author Elizabeth Coatsworth, insisted on the publication of his musings, which became an environmental classic.
Soul of Nowhere: Traversing Grace in a Rugged Land by Craig Childs.
RC 63294
Nature writer and author of The Secret Knowledge of Water (RC 52722), relates his adventures and personal discoveries exploring the cliffs, canyons, and caves of Arizona, Utah, and Mexico. Through observing ancient archaeological sites and remains of vanished cultures, Childs becomes part of a land of constant change and its "inalienable, voracious presence."
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard.
RC 65463 (In process)
Author contemplates the metaphysics of nature in Virginia's Blue Ridge Valley during the seasons of a year. Combines meditations with scientific observations, philosophy, and introspection. Pulitzer Prize winner. 1974.
The Future of Ice: A Journey into Cold by Gretel Ehrlich.
BR 15857
Veteran nature writer chronicles living and traveling for six months in cold regions and speculates on climate change and its psychological and environmental impacts. Traveling in Tierra del Fuego, Greenland, and Wyoming, Ehrlich mingles personal and philosophical musings with dire predictions of the catastrophic consequences of global warming.
The Lost Notebooks of Loren Eiseley by Loren C. Eiseley.
RC 28792
Organized in rough chronological order, these segments from the author's personal notebooks span his lifetime. His writings range from observations on nature to poetry and short stories to journal entries about his life as an anthropologist.
Common Ground by Robert Finch.
RC 18547
Collection of nature essays that offers encounters from Provincetown to Nauset Beach to Dennis; along bluffs, beaches, marshes, and into the woods. Finch notes birds and fish migration as well as beach erosion.
A Country Year: Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell.
BR 6559, RCM 670
An invasion of spring peepers, a young indigo bunting at song practice, and a parade of caterpillars are integral parts of Hubbell's environment. A former librarian, she lives alone on a 100-acre farm in the Ozarks, where she tends 200 beehives and produces honey on a commercial scale.
The Attentive Heart: Conversations with Trees by Stephanie Kaza.
RC 45047
Applying Zen Buddhist concepts of human interaction with trees, Kaza works through a progression of experiences: sensual, historical, anthropomorphic, and religious. Amid contemplative narrative, Kaza offers rhapsodic appreciation of trees as an environmental force.
Best Nature Writing of Joseph Wood Krutch by Joseph Wood Krutch.
RC 35237
A collection of thirty-four essays by the nature writer who believed that human life is interconnected with the lives of other creatures.
A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.
BR 1846, RC 52718
Essays on the delights and sorrows of nature on a Wisconsin farm, written by a naturalist and conservationist. A forester by training, Leopold calls for land reform and conservation. He examines the ethics of ecology, and urges protection of wildlife and respect for the environment.
Nature Writings: 'The Story of My Boyhood and Youth', 'My First Summer in the Sierra', 'The Mountains of California', 'Stickeen', selected essays by John Muir.
RC 58485
A selection of four books and eighteen essays by Scottish-born naturalist John Muir (1838-1914), a key figure in the creation of the American national parks system. The writings, published primarily between 1871 and 1913, chronicle his lifetime of exploration, observation, and conservation advocacy.
The Good Life: Helen and Scott Nearing's Sixty Years of Self-sufficient Living by Helen Nearing.
RC 45293
Describes how in 1932 a married couple left New York City for the backwoods of Vermont in search of a life of "simplicity, serenity, utility, and harmony." This account of their pioneering venture tells how they built a house, worked a self-sufficient farm, and lived a satisfying life in nature.
Finding Home: Writing on Nature and Culture from 'Orion' Magazine by Peter Sauer, editor.
BR 10906
Essays on human coexistence with the changing natural environment. Explores such issues as acid rain, global warming, destruction of the Amazon rain forest, and the debate between preservationists and developers. Presses the theme that society and nature exist in an inexorable, mutually dependent relationship.
Wickerby: An Urban Pastoral by Charles Siebert.
RC 48518
A poet-writer reflects on what he, a city dweller, learned during a five-month stay in an isolated Canadian cabin called Wickerby. Ponders the human role in the context of nature while he describes scenes from his Brooklyn neighborhood and the cabin's bucolic setting. Offers insights from readings, contemplation, and reminiscences.
North with the Spring: A Naturalist's Record of a 17,000-mile Journey with the North American Spring by Edwin Way Teale.
RC 34827
This was first published in 1951. Teale describes a journey with his wife along the Eastern seaboard from the Florida Everglades to the Canadian border. Following the progress of spring--a season that "advances up the United States at the average rate of about fifteen miles a day"--the nature writer provides bypaths for the armchair traveler.
Walden: or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau.
BR 12576, LT 4373, RC 50835
Philosophical observations recorded during an experiment in simple living at a small pond near Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau's essays include his detailed observations of nature and his comments on the world's problems. He states that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
Words from the Land: …Natural History Writing by Stephen Trimble.
RC 32390
Eleven natural history writers who share a passion for the land were interviewed by Trimble when he drove across the country in 1986. In this sometimes earthy tribute to nature, he adds an introduction and information about each author.
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams.
RC 42156
A multifaceted reflection on the retreat and return of life, nature, and family. The author poetically links the damage of the 1982 Great Salt Lake floods with the destruction cancer wreaks in her mother and the many women of her family and the neighborhood. Williams ponders the human -- especially male -- role in both disasters. She draws strength from family,
An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field by Terry Tempest Williams.
BR 11321
A collection of eighteen essays by a naturalist who draws attention to the earth and reminds readers that they are part of the environment. The author urges people to become more intimate with nature.
Naturalist by Edward O Wilson.
RC 40091
Edward Wilson wanted to be a scientist. Some of his happiest times were spent exploring the creeks and woods of Alabama and Florida. It was during one of these trips that a fishing accident left him blind in one eye and helped determine his career choice. Wilson looks at his childhood, his growth as a naturalist, and the evolution of sociobiology, a field he pioneered.
The Nearsighted Naturalist by Ann Zwinger.
RC 49405
A nature writer depicts the flora and fauna of the wild in twenty-one essays spanning two decades of exploration. She describes Robinson Crusoe's island off the coast of Chile, the Snake River Canyon, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and other natural wonders.
Wind in the Rock by Ann Zwinger
RC 12983
A naturalist-writer and interpreter of the wilderness explores the canyon country of southeastern Utah through a series of journeys by boat, on foot, and horseback. Recounts the area's history, evokes the dramatic landscape, and describes the plants, animals, and insects that survive in the harsh climate.
Prepared by Reader Advisor Patricia Ahern
Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library