Nature Literature discussion

Does anyone have a favorite Robert Macfarlane book? Many of his titles seem interesting, but since my passion is the American Southwest, I'd like to read one of his works which isn't exclusively focused on the UK, but is more broad. I actually haven't ready any of his books yet, so I'd be interested in any recommendations.

Underland was our book for June and was my first Robert Macfarlane book. I don’t know of books he’s written that explore the American Southwest. Of course there are several authors of nature literature both fiction and nonfiction who explore this territory. Who are your favorites?

I just missed it, thanks for letting me know! I'll enjoy going back and reading the discussion about "Underland".

My favorite authors of nature literature include Joseph Wood Krutch's books on the desert, John McPhee's geology books, and the explorations of Craig Childs.

I found a lesser-known author a while back, Carolyn Highland, whose book helped me start to manage my fear of heights.

Have you read any of those authors? Do you have a favorite type of landscape on which you like to focus your reading?

Not really a book by Robert Macfarlane, but he did write the introduction to this edition of this book by Edward Abbey - Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness. It's about Abbey's time as a park ranger in Utah and his love of the desert, so might be of interest to you if you haven't already read it.

Hi Pam, I didn't know Robert Macfarlane wrote the introduction to an edition of Desert Solitaire, thanks for the heads up! One of my favorite Abbey quotes from that book is where he talks about how you can't see anything from a car and when traces of blood begin to mark your path from treading through cactus "then you'll see something, maybe. Probably not.". Many quotes leaves off the "probably not", but to me that's the best part! I've also noticed this line says "then you'll begin to see something" in some editions of Desert Solitaire. That's one of the two quotes in my profile if you don't know what I'm talking about.

My favorite Abbey fiction work is probably "Fire on the Mountain". The old rancher is such a character and his persistent, one might even say impractical anarchism probably reflects Abbey's attitude. I also like that it's a read you can easily finish in a single sitting.

Robert Mcfarlane also wrote the introduction to The Snow Geese by William Fiennes, 2002. This book is a serendipitous find for me. I’m a stewardship volunteer here in Texas with the Coastal Prairie Conservancy. I was with a fellow volunteer conducting an annual monitoring visit to one of our properties that is used in part for rice farming. I spotted one lone snow goose on the ground and mentioned a Hallmark Hall of Fame film I had seen when I was 10 or 12 about an injured snow goose cared for by a lighthouse keeper on the coast of England. It was based on the short story, The Snow Goose by Paul Gallico. My friend mentioned a book he had read about an Englishman who comes to Texas to follow the snow geese on their northern migration to Canada. The first chapter of the memoir relates how the author had read the short story about a lost, solitary goose that sparked in him a great desire to experience the sight and sound of thousands of snow geese.
It’s been years since I’ve experienced the thrill of seeing large skeins of snow geese on the prairie northwest of Houston. Agricultural land is being converted to huge housing developments. Reading books like this one renews my passion for the work we’re doing to preserve land and restore grasslands and wetlands for birds and other wildlife.

How special, thanks for the work you do!

Daniel wrote: "How special, thanks for the work you do!"

I echo Daniel's comments, Iris!