What do you think?
Rate this book
Thinking Like a Mountain
In twenty short books, Penguin brings you the classics of the environmental movement.
In this lyrical meditation on America's wildlands, Aldo Leopold considers the different ways humans shape the natural landscape, and describes for the first time the far-reaching phenomenon now known as 'trophic cascades'.
Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.
In this lyrical meditation on America's wildlands, Aldo Leopold considers the different ways humans shape the natural landscape, and describes for the first time the far-reaching phenomenon now known as 'trophic cascades'.
Over the past 75 years, a new canon has emerged. As life on Earth has become irrevocably altered by humans, visionary thinkers around the world have raised their voices to defend the planet, and affirm our place at the heart of its restoration. Their words have endured through the decades, becoming the classics of a movement. Together, these books show the richness of environmental thought, and point the way to a fairer, saner, greener world.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1949
About the author
Aldo Leopold
60 books1,151 followers
A Sand County Almanac
, published posthumously in 1949, of American writer and naturalist Aldo Leopold celebrates the beauty of the world and advocates the conscious protection of wild places.
His effect on resource management and policy lasted in the early to mid-twentieth century, and since his death, his influence continued to expand. Through his observation, experience, and reflection at his river farm in Wisconsin, he honed the concepts of land health and a land ethic that since his death ever influenced in the years. Despite more than five hundred articles and three books during the course of his geographically widespread career, time at his shack and farm in Wisconsin inspired most of the disarmingly simple essays that so many persons found so thought-provoking.
Life story of Aldo Leopold, the development of his career as a conservationist, scientist, and philosopher, and his open-mindedness, his vision, and the evolution of his thinking throughout his life inspire other persons to start or to further their own intellectual journey of discovery. A closer engagement with his story, his inspiration, and his family helps persons better to understand the contours of environmental history and the role in culture and to reflect on their own in the complex weave of the way in which our society relates to land. His vision of a society that cares about the connections between people and land provides a starting point for thinking about modern-day cultures, economies, ecosystems, and communities.
Starker Leopold, Luna Leopold, Nina Leopold, Carl Leopold, and Estella Leopold—children of Aldo—founded the Aldo Leopold foundation in 1982. People respected all members of the Leopold family as scientists and conservationists in their own right. They recognized the shack and farm as a focal point for legacy of their father for generations to come and for this primary reason established the foundation. This public charity owns and manages the Leopold center, including the Leopold shack and 264 surrounding acres in addition to several other parcels and also manages much of the adjoining 1,800-acre Leopold memorial reserve, which neighboring landowners established as an early trust in 1967. It acts as the executor of literary estate of Leopold, encourages scholarship on Leopold, and serves as a clearinghouse for information regarding Leopold, his work, and his ideas. It provides interpretive resources and tours for five thousand visitors annually, cooperates with partners on education and other programming off site, and maintains a robust website and numerous print resources. The Aldo Leopold foundation manages this Goodreads page.
His effect on resource management and policy lasted in the early to mid-twentieth century, and since his death, his influence continued to expand. Through his observation, experience, and reflection at his river farm in Wisconsin, he honed the concepts of land health and a land ethic that since his death ever influenced in the years. Despite more than five hundred articles and three books during the course of his geographically widespread career, time at his shack and farm in Wisconsin inspired most of the disarmingly simple essays that so many persons found so thought-provoking.
Life story of Aldo Leopold, the development of his career as a conservationist, scientist, and philosopher, and his open-mindedness, his vision, and the evolution of his thinking throughout his life inspire other persons to start or to further their own intellectual journey of discovery. A closer engagement with his story, his inspiration, and his family helps persons better to understand the contours of environmental history and the role in culture and to reflect on their own in the complex weave of the way in which our society relates to land. His vision of a society that cares about the connections between people and land provides a starting point for thinking about modern-day cultures, economies, ecosystems, and communities.
Starker Leopold, Luna Leopold, Nina Leopold, Carl Leopold, and Estella Leopold—children of Aldo—founded the Aldo Leopold foundation in 1982. People respected all members of the Leopold family as scientists and conservationists in their own right. They recognized the shack and farm as a focal point for legacy of their father for generations to come and for this primary reason established the foundation. This public charity owns and manages the Leopold center, including the Leopold shack and 264 surrounding acres in addition to several other parcels and also manages much of the adjoining 1,800-acre Leopold memorial reserve, which neighboring landowners established as an early trust in 1967. It acts as the executor of literary estate of Leopold, encourages scholarship on Leopold, and serves as a clearinghouse for information regarding Leopold, his work, and his ideas. It provides interpretive resources and tours for five thousand visitors annually, cooperates with partners on education and other programming off site, and maintains a robust website and numerous print resources. The Aldo Leopold foundation manages this Goodreads page.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
July 24, 2022
And, that's a wrap... Having read this slender volume, I reach the end of the 20-volume Penguin Green Ideas collection. I'm somewhat curious that the editors/publishers chose to conclude with this - I fully understand why they included it - but, for me, it meant that the whole concluded with a whimper, rather than a bang, let alone a fanfare.
I'm glad I was introduced to the keen eye, the perspective, the insight, and the writing (ah, the lyricism) of Aldo Leopold - his is a unique and evocative and important and resonant voice. If Thoreau speaks to you, this is probably right up your alley. Part of me wants to analogize to Wallace Stegner or maybe Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, without the distractions of plot or characters or action (which I realize makes little sense). And yet ... and yet ... the whole left me surprisingly ... unmoved. Granted, it's hard to judge a large body of work based upon excerpts and snippets - it is what it is - but at no point did I find myself fully immersed or lost in the book (despite everything it had going for it).
Having (relatively slowly) completed the journey (over the course of 8 months) - rarely reading multiple installments back to back - I'm still of the mind that acquiring the boxed set was well worth the investment ... and the minor hassle of acquiring it (in my case, through Amazon UK)...
Sadly, if you're interested in embarking on the journey, and you (like me) are a US reader ... as my local independent bookstore confirmed, it is not available for sale (in the slipcase collection) in the U.S. That's a shame! (Fortunately, thanks to our modern, global economy, it's not that difficult to order it from a UK supplier). One wonders whether sets will start appearing on the reseller market, but, alas, I have no idea how many they printed.
Ultimately, I'm ecstatic that I found and bought the boxed set/collection, if for no other reason that I'm glad I was able to (in some very small part) subsidize/contribute to the initiative. Well worth the effort, money, and time ... at least for me. Frankly, I can't recommend the collection (warts and imperfections and all) enough.
I'm glad I was introduced to the keen eye, the perspective, the insight, and the writing (ah, the lyricism) of Aldo Leopold - his is a unique and evocative and important and resonant voice. If Thoreau speaks to you, this is probably right up your alley. Part of me wants to analogize to Wallace Stegner or maybe Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, without the distractions of plot or characters or action (which I realize makes little sense). And yet ... and yet ... the whole left me surprisingly ... unmoved. Granted, it's hard to judge a large body of work based upon excerpts and snippets - it is what it is - but at no point did I find myself fully immersed or lost in the book (despite everything it had going for it).
Having (relatively slowly) completed the journey (over the course of 8 months) - rarely reading multiple installments back to back - I'm still of the mind that acquiring the boxed set was well worth the investment ... and the minor hassle of acquiring it (in my case, through Amazon UK)...
Sadly, if you're interested in embarking on the journey, and you (like me) are a US reader ... as my local independent bookstore confirmed, it is not available for sale (in the slipcase collection) in the U.S. That's a shame! (Fortunately, thanks to our modern, global economy, it's not that difficult to order it from a UK supplier). One wonders whether sets will start appearing on the reseller market, but, alas, I have no idea how many they printed.
Ultimately, I'm ecstatic that I found and bought the boxed set/collection, if for no other reason that I'm glad I was able to (in some very small part) subsidize/contribute to the initiative. Well worth the effort, money, and time ... at least for me. Frankly, I can't recommend the collection (warts and imperfections and all) enough.
March 5, 2022
This is one of the volumes from Penguin's recent Green Ideas collection. It's very cute and the books make a rainbow when they're in order. I started with the last one, with the intent of working my through them chronologically. The essays in here are taken from A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, specifically the essays in part two, plus an extra called The Outlook that was new to me.
I didn't remember much from these essays, so it was fun to fall in love with Leopold's writing all over again. My two favourite pieces were the title essay, Think Like a Mountain, and Manitoba. Manitoba was simply a fun read for CanCon. Maybe I need to make a pilgrimage to Clandeboye marsh. Does it still exist? I hope so. In Think Like a Mountain, the descriptions of his participation in a wolf cull and the realisations he came to were so relatable. At the time, wolf culls were common because of the flawed logic of 'fewer wolves = more stuff to hunt', but today we continue to do the same thing using a more modern version of 'fewer wolves = more caribou'. It didn't work then, it doesn't work now.
These days when I read older non-fiction, I often get depressed about how little we seem to learn from the past (or just plain forget the things we've done - there's a cyclical nature to our collective memory), but I thought that was a relatively recent thought I'd been having. Once I finished these essays and looked back at my original review, I'd said the same thing about this collection a decade ago. Too funny. If I can't even remember my own past, I guess what chance do we have of learning from other people's past.
I didn't remember much from these essays, so it was fun to fall in love with Leopold's writing all over again. My two favourite pieces were the title essay, Think Like a Mountain, and Manitoba. Manitoba was simply a fun read for CanCon. Maybe I need to make a pilgrimage to Clandeboye marsh. Does it still exist? I hope so. In Think Like a Mountain, the descriptions of his participation in a wolf cull and the realisations he came to were so relatable. At the time, wolf culls were common because of the flawed logic of 'fewer wolves = more stuff to hunt', but today we continue to do the same thing using a more modern version of 'fewer wolves = more caribou'. It didn't work then, it doesn't work now.
These days when I read older non-fiction, I often get depressed about how little we seem to learn from the past (or just plain forget the things we've done - there's a cyclical nature to our collective memory), but I thought that was a relatively recent thought I'd been having. Once I finished these essays and looked back at my original review, I'd said the same thing about this collection a decade ago. Too funny. If I can't even remember my own past, I guess what chance do we have of learning from other people's past.
March 30, 2024
The writing was lovely, but I couldn’t bring myself to like this. As I understood it, each small chapter described wildlife in a “back in my day” way, then describes how tourists come and ruin everything (maybe this was a new take at the time it was written?). Leopold slightly seems to realize his part in this, but also includes his happiest moments hunting (which were awful and graphic, tbh) and calls a marsh “my marsh.” He just seemed very possessive and entitled. Can’t figure out why this was the last book within the collection
Read
May 15, 2026rip aldo leopold, you would hate data centers
June 25, 2022
A short yet compelling story of humans impact on the wild in a remarkable short space of time.
I found myself at several times during this story craving the outdoors like Aldo Leopold. Beautifully written.
I found myself at several times during this story craving the outdoors like Aldo Leopold. Beautifully written.
March 29, 2022
I didn’t really understand this in any capacity, I think it’s somewhat a discussion of how the environment is changing and what it once was, in particular wildlife. Perhaps it’s a sort of love story to the land and the authors youth when he traveled and lived off the land but I just don’t think it was that well written, this may be of the time though as he wrote these essays 80+ years ago. This just didn’t do it for me sadly, I didn’t learn anything but I’m glad I finished it.
Side note, I didn’t enjoy all the descriptions of hunting and animal death, I know it would be natural of the time but that shit makes me sad, especially when they hunted wolves and kid a mother and her young, wtf!
Side note, I didn’t enjoy all the descriptions of hunting and animal death, I know it would be natural of the time but that shit makes me sad, especially when they hunted wolves and kid a mother and her young, wtf!
January 12, 2022
Veľmi zaujímavá a stále aktuálna esejistická úvaha o tom, aké dopady môže mať narúšanie ekosystémov ľudskou činnosťou na ich fungovanie. Veľký palec hore obzvlášť za nádherné opisy prírody.
July 6, 2024
Don’t think I’ve read anything that for me evokes wilderness, nature, its complexity and how people fail to value it as good as Aldo Leopold’s writing. The absolute master, and so ahead of the curve.
September 16, 2021
Quick read. Highlights/excerpts from ‘A Sand County Almanac’. My favorite takeaway ::
…
“Thus always does history, whether of marsh or marketplace, end in paradox. The ultimate value in these marshes is wildness, and the crane is wildness incarnate. But all conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish."
…
“Thus always does history, whether of marsh or marketplace, end in paradox. The ultimate value in these marshes is wildness, and the crane is wildness incarnate. But all conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish."
July 9, 2023
One of the most beautiful books I read - and I've read a few.
Bonito, sensível, com muita atenção ao detalhe. Um livro que respira ao ritmo da natureza.
Pára, observa, sente e pulsa ao mesmo tempo que a natureza em volta. De uma delicadeza incrível, parte da biota e sente-se que ali pertence mesmo.
O autor foi um visionário e tanto do que escreveu continua groundbreaking e atual.
Uma leitura incrível e altamente recomendada.
Bonito, sensível, com muita atenção ao detalhe. Um livro que respira ao ritmo da natureza.
Pára, observa, sente e pulsa ao mesmo tempo que a natureza em volta. De uma delicadeza incrível, parte da biota e sente-se que ali pertence mesmo.
O autor foi um visionário e tanto do que escreveu continua groundbreaking e atual.
Uma leitura incrível e altamente recomendada.
September 23, 2022
the first half of this little book was exactly in line with that i’ve been loving about eco-essays/nonfiction recently, and marshland elegy is in particular a fantastic piece to start with— “the quality of cranes lies, i think, in the higher gamut, as yet beyond the reach of words… when we hear his call we hear no mere bird. we hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution. he is the symbol of… that incredible sweep of millennia which underlies and conditions the daily affairs of birds and men.” it lost me a little bit towards the end, but only until i came around to his way of writing: the sense i get with leopold is that experience is the argument, and he’s excellent at writing so large but so detailed at the same time that it feels dense but… worthy? the other word that springs to mind is “loamy”, which he seems to enjoy using too, and considering the importance of land to his narrative it seems appropriate. i guess what’s most striking to me is how all of this entirety, this “loam”, is itself powerful enough to make leopold’s point for him, and what he’s here to do is to occasionally prod and sketch it out for us.
anyway one thought that i had while reading (this was at around “odyssey”) was that to read a story about nature and the wild is a little like reading a fairytale: it’s easy to yearn for a happy ending but it rarely ever comes, but could so easily, actually.
on the low end of the 5 stars, but i thought it deserved it! definitely cool to hear ecological perspectives from a guy born in 1887 (i say this without snark), and also i love birds so anyone who writes that passionately about them gets an automatic bump from me.
anyway one thought that i had while reading (this was at around “odyssey”) was that to read a story about nature and the wild is a little like reading a fairytale: it’s easy to yearn for a happy ending but it rarely ever comes, but could so easily, actually.
on the low end of the 5 stars, but i thought it deserved it! definitely cool to hear ecological perspectives from a guy born in 1887 (i say this without snark), and also i love birds so anyone who writes that passionately about them gets an automatic bump from me.
January 5, 2023
A lyrical end to this enjoyable boxed set
June 3, 2022
Esseyjusafn í styttri kantinum, frábært stuff og mjög vel skrifað, mikið langaði mig út að kanna landið við lesturinn. Mæli með.
March 8, 2025
Adore this! Such gorgeous use of language, and a reminder of the beauty and value of the natural world - a message that is only becoming more important.
July 28, 2026
bears over beefsteaks (man always kills the thing he loves)
February 14, 2022
There are many powerful words in this chapter.
March 18, 2023
I had been very curious about Aldo Leopold's writings, as I am already familiar with his land ethic. Sadly, this book, which is an excerpt of his A Sand County Almanac (1949), gives me only a tiny familiarity as Leopold's writings were very US-based and he did not try to make it more relatable to the reader (me, in this case) by putting context in each essay. It is a really different nuance when compared to a similar reflective book, for example by Robin Kimmerer or even Anna Tsing.
Nevertheless, this book is still enjoyable as I could get a glimpse of the mountain areas that he explained. I love the last essay, "The Outlook", as it kinda gave a summary of the book. I have just finished the second session of School of Soil Futures yesterday, so this essay resonates more and more with me and the discussion of the session. It reminds us to always put love, respect, admiration, and high regard value in our relations with the land. We need to regain the ecological consciousness of land by checking our economic and education systems. Also, the evolution of land ethic is both an intellectual and emotional process, so let's bring all of ourselves immersed in this effort.
I will always remember the line that I previously used when I mentioned his land ethic in one class on environmental ethics: "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise" (p.83-84). As debatable as it is, I believe that I am walking towards the same direction as Leopold.
Nevertheless, this book is still enjoyable as I could get a glimpse of the mountain areas that he explained. I love the last essay, "The Outlook", as it kinda gave a summary of the book. I have just finished the second session of School of Soil Futures yesterday, so this essay resonates more and more with me and the discussion of the session. It reminds us to always put love, respect, admiration, and high regard value in our relations with the land. We need to regain the ecological consciousness of land by checking our economic and education systems. Also, the evolution of land ethic is both an intellectual and emotional process, so let's bring all of ourselves immersed in this effort.
I will always remember the line that I previously used when I mentioned his land ethic in one class on environmental ethics: "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise" (p.83-84). As debatable as it is, I believe that I am walking towards the same direction as Leopold.
February 17, 2023
"Man always kills the things he loves, and so we, the pioneers have killed our wilderness. Some say we had to. Be that as it may, I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?"
A collection of short essays written in 1949 exploring Aldo Leopold's (an ornithologist and ecologist) personal experience with the american landscape. Using non-beings as the narrative for his stories, he exacerbates the importance of a harmony between man and nature.
This shortened version of "A Sand County Almanac with Sketches here and there" brought me to tears, some of the most beautiful and most respectful writings I have ever read. Not only making me yearn for a time when life had time for exploration, but making me fearful for my future when these words were spoken over 70 years ago, and things have only gotten worse.
A collection of short essays written in 1949 exploring Aldo Leopold's (an ornithologist and ecologist) personal experience with the american landscape. Using non-beings as the narrative for his stories, he exacerbates the importance of a harmony between man and nature.
This shortened version of "A Sand County Almanac with Sketches here and there" brought me to tears, some of the most beautiful and most respectful writings I have ever read. Not only making me yearn for a time when life had time for exploration, but making me fearful for my future when these words were spoken over 70 years ago, and things have only gotten worse.
January 27, 2022
Reflections and lessons learned:
“An understanding of ecology does not necessarily originate in courses bearing ecological labels; it is quite as likely to be labeled geography, botany, agronomy, history, or economics”
Oh - not quite what I expected… I love nature and having a nice old walk, but this was quite indescribable in terms of content covered. As I read out one of the more complicated statements made from the many, my husband simply commented that I might be reading books above my ZPD… even when the comedic sarcasm is removed from this, he might actually still be unfortunately right…! Hopefully not how the whole series is structured
“An understanding of ecology does not necessarily originate in courses bearing ecological labels; it is quite as likely to be labeled geography, botany, agronomy, history, or economics”
Oh - not quite what I expected… I love nature and having a nice old walk, but this was quite indescribable in terms of content covered. As I read out one of the more complicated statements made from the many, my husband simply commented that I might be reading books above my ZPD… even when the comedic sarcasm is removed from this, he might actually still be unfortunately right…! Hopefully not how the whole series is structured
June 26, 2022
This is not a real review, just some thoughts I like to write down.
Das ist keine richtige Bewertung, nur ein paar Gedanken, die ich aufschreiben wollte.
1/20 Green Ideas Series
Interessante kurze Essays über erste Gedanken und Beobachten, wie in der Natur über dir trophischen Level alles zusammenhängt. Aber es sind mir, klar auch durch das Alter geschuldet, zu viele Erzählungen eigener Wildniserlebnisse und Jagdausflüge
Das ist keine richtige Bewertung, nur ein paar Gedanken, die ich aufschreiben wollte.
1/20 Green Ideas Series
Interessante kurze Essays über erste Gedanken und Beobachten, wie in der Natur über dir trophischen Level alles zusammenhängt. Aber es sind mir, klar auch durch das Alter geschuldet, zu viele Erzählungen eigener Wildniserlebnisse und Jagdausflüge
April 15, 2024
Three things impressed me profoundly in Mr. Leopold's writings.
His great love of nature, how he is able to describe it with such an incredible passion and lyricism and how he was able to see the signs of man's impact on the natural environment and where it will sadly lead.
One story involves the unveiling of a statue of a bird that went extinct in 1948. This impressed me, as I somehow thought of man's "effects" on nature as more recent but wrongly so, we've been "at it" for quite a while.
His great love of nature, how he is able to describe it with such an incredible passion and lyricism and how he was able to see the signs of man's impact on the natural environment and where it will sadly lead.
One story involves the unveiling of a statue of a bird that went extinct in 1948. This impressed me, as I somehow thought of man's "effects" on nature as more recent but wrongly so, we've been "at it" for quite a while.
December 30, 2025
Last book of the collection, baby! I really enjoyed his hyper-poetic vibe throughout the book and, honestly, learned a lot of new words while reading. Leopold's ideas are still relevant today (both unfortunately and relatably), but you have to, at least I did, take them with a little grain of salt, as he is coming from his old hunting energy. Lots of talk about birds which was sick and beautiful descriptions of places I've never thought of. Overall beauty read, though perhaps nothing profound.
February 25, 2026
Leopold had a way with words. I found this short book to be beautifully poetic - both in describing places I never have (nor will) see and when touching on subjects such as time, space, human "progress", and habitat loss.
Many of the phenomena he descripes echoes conservation challenges in 2026 - and as far away as in Denmark.
In summary: I found this both entertaining and moving. A must-read for anyone interested in the (cultural) history of conservation or ecological thinking.
Many of the phenomena he descripes echoes conservation challenges in 2026 - and as far away as in Denmark.
In summary: I found this both entertaining and moving. A must-read for anyone interested in the (cultural) history of conservation or ecological thinking.
June 5, 2022
I get the message of the book, but I think if you know the basics of ecology and conservation a lot of it goes without saying now. Since it was written a while ago I imagine he was quite progressive in his time but it feels a bit outdated. Especially all the talk about hunting which tends to conflict with a lot of people who like conservation’s morals and took me out of the book a bit.
June 7, 2025
Beautifully observed, places the reader deep inside of living breathing landscapes that no longer exist or barely cling to life in a much degraded form. The version of conservation here reflects the publication date so I can't entirely subscribe to the slightly compromising final chapter but this remains a gorgeous evocation of a wilderness I have never and likely will never see
September 10, 2022
a reminder of nature as a community of beings and non-beings that have their own history, their own way of keeping time and relating to each other. an invitation to see nature beyond its usefulness and to move in tune with it.
January 10, 2023
A lyrical exploration of America’s wilderness and the importance of wilderness to all our lives - both materially and spiritually. Some of it feels a little dated (hunting) but overall and beautiful and important pioneer of ecological thinking.
January 4, 2022
A poetic collection of observations from a man ahead of his time, detailing man's effect on nature back in the 1920s-40s.
April 19, 2022
Wonderful. Hard to explain how so much wisdom can be put into so few pages. SM
May 1, 2022
This man was a poet. Read him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews