Nature Matrix: New and Selected Essays

by Robert Michael Pyle

Nature Matrix: New and Selected Essays contains sixteen pieces that encompass the philosophy, ethic, and aesthetic of Robert Michael Pyle. The essays range from Pyle’s experience as a young national park ranger in the Sierra Nevada to the streets of Manhattan; from the suburban jungle to the tangles of the written word; and from the phenomenon of Bigfoot to that of the Big Year―a personal exercise in extreme birding and butterflying. They include deep profiles of John Jacob Astor I and Vladimir Nabokov, as well as excursions into wild places with teachers, children, and writers.

The nature of real wilderness in modern times comes under Pyle’s lens, as does reconsideration of his trademark concept, “the extinction of experience”―maybe the greatest threat of alienation from the living world that we face today.

Nature Matrix shows a way back toward possible integration with the world, as it plumbs the range and depth of experience in one lucky life lived in close connection to the physical earth and its denizens. This collection brings together the thoughts and hopes of one of our most widely read and respected natural philosophers as he seeks to summarize a life devoted to conservation.

Genres: Essays, Nature, Nonfiction, Outdoors, Environment, Science

240 pages, ebook

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

Robert Michael Pyle is a lepidopterist and a professional writer who has published twelve books and hundreds of papers, essays, stories and poems. He has a Ph.D. from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. He founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in 1974. His acclaimed 1987 book Wintergreen describing the devastation caused by unrestrained logging in Washington's Willapa Hills near his adopted home was the winner of the 1987 John Burroughs Medal for Distinguished Nature Writing. His 1995 book Where Bigfoot Walks: Crossing the Dark Divide was the subject of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Reviews

[B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book as a result of a Goodreads Giveaway. This isn't the type of book I'd normally read - I'd much rather be out in nature than reading about it, but given the pandemic it showed up at a perfect time. The descriptions are beautiful, and it really goes a long way toward feeling like you're out and about even though you're not. Pyle has a gift for nature writing, and it really shows.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Nature Matrix" was for me at times breathtaking in the expository and wise writing of Robert Michael Pyle, while at times being a bit tedious and repetitive in theme. Overall, it shows the breadth of work and knowledge of the man over a dedicated and wonderful career. Many of the essays here are snapshots in a way of larger and more involved works. Having read and loved "Wintergreen", "Where Bigfoot Walks" and especially "Magdalena Mountain" I was eager to read these smaller pieces and did enjoy many, finding some amazing wisdom. A few times this compilation did seem more addressed to his peers and/or more dedicated fans.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of old and new essays relate Pyle's ethic and philosophy. Because I have read most of his work, I thoroughly enjoyed reading these, some of them for a second time. Much of his ethic has to do with preserving natural areas for growing children to enjoy, such as vacant lots, or fringes of farm and forest lands. His passion to make sure children and young adults spend time outside, getting to know the flora and fauna of their own communities. He talks about "extinction of experience," the lost opportunities to simply be attentive to what is nearby. He challenges institutions to incorporate the natural world in the midst of acadamia. A few of the essays are a bit obtuse, but I thoroughly enjoy the pleasure he takes in describing his butterflies and the places they abide.

[Linda Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Michael Pyle is a renowned writer of nature-related essays. He has a way of drawing a word picture that takes us to the scene of his experience and makes it real for us, too. This new broad-ranging collection takes us from the discovery of “talking leaves” (which we call books) by a Tennessee Cherokee named Sequoyah, to the concept of Alltheism (I’ll leave you to discover what THAT means). And in between is found wonder, and awe, and beauty and all things of natural delight. This writer is prolific and I, for one, am glad of it!

I met this book at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane, WA

[Holland Vande Krol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads giveaway. I started this book having no familiarity with Robert Pyle's writing, but quickly fell in love with the superb prose.

[Tara]

Did not finish as the intro was difficult to read for me though i am not sure why. Need to give it another go.