cover image The Island Within

The Island Within

Richard Nelson. Vintage Books USA, $15 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-679-73239-6

Anthropologist Nelson tells of his self-sufficient existence on an island near the Pacific Northwest, practicing a respect for the wilderness learned from the Alaskan native peoples. ``Whether he is describing the remains of a clear-cut forest, a beached whale or a night in a petrel rookery, Nelson gives a notably sensitive portrait of island life,'' PW saidpk . (Apr.)