Writing Western Landsc

In the early 20th century, Austin, who was captivated by the desert, and Muir, who was devoted to mountains and forests, forged new territory in nature writing. Excerpts from Austin's Earth Horizons and The Land of Journey's Ending are paired in this collection with those from Muir's The Grand Canon of the Colorado and Travels in Alaska. Zwinger ( Beyond the Aspen Grove ) has selected striking examples of the work of these two writers; of particular note are the essays on the the Grand Canyon. This volume and its companion, the publisher's 1991 Nature/Walking by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, edited by John Elder, vividly illustrate the differences in perspective between early eastern observers and later western writers. (Sept.)