Nature is a mysterious force that has been a concern of some of the greatest writers. Several writers are recognized for their writings about nature: John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Charles Darwin, and others.
1. Nature Writings
by John Muir, and William Cronon (Editor). Library of America. From the publisher: "In a lifetime of exploration, writing, and passionate political activism, John Muir made himself America’s most eloquent spokesman for the mystery and majesty of the wilderness."
2. Reading the Roots: American Nature Writing Before Walden
by Michael P. Branch. University of Georgia Press. From the publisher: "'Reading the Roots' is an unprecedented anthology of outstanding early writings about American nature—a rich, influential, yet critically underappreciated body of work. Rather than begin with Henry David Thoreau, who is often identified as the progenitor of American nature writing, editor Michael P. Branch instead surveys the long tradition that prefigures and anticipates Thoreau and his literary descendants."3. Writing about Nature
by John A. Murray. University of New Mexico Press. From the publisher: "He uses examples from such masters as Barry Lopez, Annie Dillard, Larry McMurtry, Edward Abbey, Ernest Hemingway, and Henry David Thoreau."4. The Norton Book of Nature Writing
by Robert Finch. W.W. Norton & Company. From the publisher: "'The Norton Book of Nature Writing,' including 125 selections by 94 writers, is the first definitive and comprehensive collection of the many voices of nature writing which have flourished in England and America over the last two hundred years."5. At Home on This Earth: Two Centuries of U.S. Women's Nature Writing
by Lorraine Anderson (Editor), and Thomas S. Edwards (Editor). From the publisher: "The first chronological presentation of U.S. nature writing by key women authors of the last two centuries."6. A Natural History of Nature Writing
by Frank Stewart. Island Press. From the publisher: "The book offers a penetrating overview of the origins and development of this uniquely American literature. Essayist and poet Frank Stewart describes in rich and compelling prose the lives and works of the most prominent American nature writers of the 19th and 20th centuries."7. Natural State: A Literary Anthology of California Nature Writing
by Steven Gilbar (Editor). University of California Press. From the publisher: "Spanning more than a century of observation of California's wild places, this collection will transport you into the out-of-doors, whether you are a hiker or naturalist or armchair explorer."8. Nature Writing: The Tradition in English
by Robert Finch (Editor), and John Elder (Editor). W.W. Norton & Company. From the publisher: "'Nature Writing: The Tradition in English' includes 157 selections by 131 authors. This is the definitive collection of a many-voiced genre that has flourished in England and America for over two hundred years."9. This Incomparable Land: A Guide to American Nature Writing
by Thomas J. Lyon. Milkweed Editions. From the publisher: "The author covers the full spectrum of the genre, including field guides, travel and adventure stories, and essays on solitary and back-country living."10. Coyote at Large: Humor in American Nature Writing
by Katrina Schimmoeller Peiffer. University of Utah Press. From the publisher: "Nature writers offer writing that, like Coyote, plays with the intersection between nonhumans and humans. Coyote At Large critiques the humorous and comic visions of nature writers Wendell Berry, Edward Abbey, Louise Erdrich, and Rachel Carson. Each of these writers employs humor as a way to look beyond individual egos and to gain nature's perspective."