The Land of Little Rain [Paperback]

Mary Austin (Author), E. Boyd Smith (Illustrator), T. M. Pearce (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1974

Ecologist, feminist, and mystic before these terms became popular, Mary Austin knew the desert as few human beings have known it. The Land of Little Rain is an acknowledged classic of southwestern literature. It describes the plant, animal, and human life of the border region of Southern California and Arizona, land of the yucca, the coyote, and the buzzard, inhabited by miners, vaqueros, and Shoshone and Paiute Indians.

"In The Land of Little Rain, Mary Austin invested the land with magic, and yet looked at it with level eyes, relying upon history and science in her descriptions of her desert and celebrating its human nature with an eloquence which was also analytical."--Carl Van Doren

Editorial Reviews

Review

"To understand the fashion of any life, one must know the land it is lived in and the procession of the year." Mary Austin was one of this country's early writers of natural history and natural philosophy; in her classic The Land of Little Rain she explores the deserts of Arizona and Southern California, recording details of landscape and wildlife in prose that is as expansive and exacting as the desert itself. To survive and even flourish in such a harsh environment, the inhabitants (human and non-human) must adapt themselves to the demands of the climate and terrain and to each other. The experiences that shape personal truth must be grounded in the hard, dry soil of concession and nourished by relentless attention to the rapport between self and surroundings. Going beyond the role of the observer to become a participant in the ecology of the desert, Mary Austin describes a world that does not support or encourage human purposes, but follows a more compelling imperative. She recognizes this imperative, combining a deferential relationship to resources like water - "one expects to find springs, but not to depend upon them" - with an ultimate respect for the personal resources that enable individuals to live with the limitations, the risks, and the magnificence of such a place. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Kirsten Backstrom --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Austin came to California in 1887 to homestead with her family in Kern County, in the Great Central Valley. She is the author of many novels, essays, and story collections.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 191 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (October 1, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826303587
• ISBN-13: 978-0826303585
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,842,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Read, December 4, 2010

By 

Mumbo (Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Land of Little Rain (Kindle Edition)

I chose this book as it describes Death Valley and surrounds in the US and as I had been there thought it might provide a little more in depth information about the area. She writes delightfully about flora, fauna and nature's way, however, I got a little bogged down two thirds of the way in with almost unlimited descriptions of flora - perhaps someone with this background would find it fascinating - anyhow I soldiered on and found the remainder of the book very good, particularly the native indian tribe's customs and ways. Recommended....

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best natural history writing, June 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Land of Little Rain (Audio Cassette)

Austin lived in the Owens Valley during a turbulent period at the turn of the century, and she observes the people and wild things dwelling there with a novelist's eye. But what sets this gem above all the rest is simply her writing, the plain beauty of her voice and phrasing. She achieves a tone that is somehow at once wistful and tinged with levity, very gently ironic yet always loving. Her words caress their subjects like -- well, like the pen and ink drawings that graced the original publication in 19-ought-whatever. They evoke all the richness of the place, its austerity, its pathos, its beauty, with a gentle affection that is sweet but never cloying, sometimes sad but never downcast. It has a kind of Zen translucency, filtered through the gently humorous, sensitive lens of a literary genius.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars `"The Country of Lost Borders", June 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Land of Little Rain (Paperback)

Mary Austin's brilliant essay on a small corner of California is the subject of this breathtaking book. In prose of unvarying beauty and satisfaction she paints a stunning portrait of high mountains and deepest valleys, describes in vivid detail the lives of the native Indians and Mexican immigrants, and reminds her readers that there is life and vitality to be found in these trackless desert regions. I believe you will agree with her own motivation for writing "The Land of Little Rain" after reading it: "...as one lover of it can give to another."