Finding Home: Writing on Nature and Culture from Orion Magazine [Paperback]

Peter H. Sauer (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0807085197 | ISBN-13: 978-0807085196 | Publication Date: August 26, 1992

Writing on Nature and Culture from Orion Magazine

Edited and with an Introduction by Peter Sauer

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Generally thoughtful and evocative, these 19 essays originally appeared in a quarterly magazine that emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between people and nature. The first section, "Finding Home," transcends conventional musings on nature, as David Ehrenfeld ( The Arrogance of Humanism ) writes movingly about his discovery of "a place worth saving" and Wallace Kaufman ( The Beaches Are Moving ) offers a wry, spirited account of his life as a developer. Some essays in "The Geographics of Home" are overly abstract, but Barry Lopez ( Arctic Dreams ) makes telling observations about the generalized, romantic American geography projected by politics and advertising. In "Other Walls, Other Wildness," essayists range from the Amazon to Bali. "A Child's Sense of Wildness" includes a piece by Scott Russell Sanders ( Secrets of the Universe ) on his son "eagerly building a model of nature." In the final section, "Metaphors of Desire," Ann Zwinger ( Aspen: Blazon of the West ) reflects on how drawing teaches her about nature, and Barbara Dean ( Wellspring: A Story from the Deep Country ) chronicles a search for a Christmas tree that prompted meditations on killing and natural regeneration. Sauer is on the editorial board of Orion magazine.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A first collection of writings compiled by Orion magazine editors, Finding Home explores current ecological thought on humanity's influence on nature. The authors of these articles show why and how we must understand the biological and spiritual effects on nature and culture. Clive Ponting's book A Green History of the World ( LJ 4/15/92) chronicled these effects from early civilizations to the present. Sauer's book provides a snapshot of the present generation's view of many of the same cultural and biological challenges. Readers of Ponting's book will see this as an interesting continuation. Highly recommended for all general collections.
- Mary J. Nickum, Fish and Wildlife Reference Svce., Bethesda, Md.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press (August 26, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807085197
• ISBN-13: 978-0807085196
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,910,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A provocative collection, December 19, 2001

By 

Matthew Cheney (New Hampton, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Finding Home: Writing on Nature and Culture from Orion Magazine (Paperback)

No matter what you think about environmentalism, nature, and ecology, this book has an essay to challenge your assumptions. More than that, though: these essays don't merely challenge, but rather expand your viewpoint.

The essays are arranged under five categories: Finding Home; The Geographies of Home; Other Walls, Other Wildness; A Child's Sense of Wildness; and Metaphors of Desire. There are magnificent and evocative essays by such well-known writers as Barry Lopez, Scott Russell Sanders, Terry Tempest Williams, and David Ehrenfeld, but also some wonderful pieces by writers who are less known. One of my own favorites is Wallace Kaufman's "Confessions of a Developer", an essay I found so fascinating that I wanted it to be an entire book of its own.

As can be expected from any work originally published by Orion Magazine, the writing here is uniformly excellent. Even if you have no interest in the ideas and philosophies behind these essays, you can revel in the beautiful language of most of them. It would be a shame, though, to ignore what these writers have to say.