Words from the Land: Encounters with Natural History Writing

Here is a choice sampler of this decade's very best nature writing. Trimble, author of Canyon Country and The Sagebrush Ocean, interviewed nine literary naturalists to find out how they work. All regard themselves primarily as writers; most had liberal arts educations rather than scientific training, and the scientists among them claim to be generalists. Trimble offers excerpts from John McPhee's Basin and Range, Barry Lopez's Arctic Dreams, Peter Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard, Annie Dillard's Teaching a Stone to Talk, Sue Hubbell's A Country Year, Ann Zwinger's The Mysterious Lands, plus nine other delicious pieces from award-winning books. There is a brief biographical sketch of each author. This is an admirable introduction to the genre; readers unfamiliar with the original writings have a treat awaiting them. Photos. (April)