The Collected Works of Sigurd F. Olson: The Early Writings

This is the first of a projected five-volume series collecting the writings of Sigurd Olson, an outdoorsman and environmentalist whose name is inextricably linked to the canoe country of Quetico-Superior in Canada. Naturalist Link, author of Love of Loons , traces Olson's writing career from the 1920s, when he taught biology at Ely (Minn.) Junior College. Olson's early work appeared in Boy's Life , Field & Stream , Sports Afield , Outdoor Life ; he wrote about canoeing, camping, fishing, his experiences as a wilderness guide. Some of the pieces are dated; the animal stories reflect the influence of E. T. Seton, and the fiction is easily forgettable. This collection shows Olson's growing interest in ecology as we recognize it today; in 1930, he saw the wolf as a ``varmint,'' a view he would shortly change. Readers interested in the history of the environmental movement will eagerly await the second volume. (September)