American Nature Writing

The sixth annual volume in this series (formerly published by Sierra Club Books) is an uneven collection of 18 essays, including a few gems. Series editor Murray, aiming for geographic diversity and alternating male and female voices, has uncovered some fresh talents: Ken Lamberton, who learns to embrace life by watching the birds around his prison cell (""Raptors and Flycatchers""); John Noland, whose ""The Way of a River"" evokes ""the indelible markings of place in the blood""; and Franklin Burroughs, whose ""Of Moose and a Moose Hunter"" captures the nature of these ""gangly and ungainly"" beasts. Fans of earlier editions will welcome the return of Louise Wagenknecht, David Petersen and Marybeth Holleman but will mourn the absence of such well-established former contributors as Rick Bass, Terry Tempest Williams and Barry Lopez. Some of the essays fall short of the standard of excellence Murray sets for himself, while others, such as Gretchen Legler's ""All the Powerful Invisible Things,"" convey personal catharsis but fail to evoke vividly the natural world. While a mixed bag, this book does highlight the next generation of American nature writers. (Apr.)