In this eclectic anthology, more than 20 scientists, nature writers, poets, and Zen practitioners, attest to how paying attention to nature can be a healing antidote to the hectic and harrying pace of our lives. Throughout this provocative and uplifting book, writers describe their various experiences in nature and portray how careful, and mindful, attention to the larger world around us brings rewarding and surprising discoveries. They give us the literary, personal, and spiritual stories that point a way toward calm and quiet for which many people today hunger. Contributors to The Way of Natural History highlight their individual ways of paying attention to nature and discuss how their experiences have enlivened and enhanced their worlds. The anthology is a rich array of writings that provide models for interacting with the natural world, and together, create a call for the importance of natural history as a discipline.
The Way of Natural History
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
So confession first, I have a short chapter in this, but that aside Tom Fleischner of Prescott College has put together a remarkable collection of authors covering a broad spectrum of interests and foci, ranging from guitar great Richard Thompson to conservation biologists like Ed Grumbine and has got them to discuss their personal relationships with the science and practice of Natural History in a sequence of short, pithy essays. The result is an intellectual feast that should provoke, inspire, amuse any reader with a yen for the out-of-doors. A lot of the fun of the book is the sheer range of authors and styles, all converging on a love of gaining a greater understanding of wild things and wild places through active observation and engagement. An excellent read for the budding naturalist!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is both a broad and a personal look at the relationships people form by paying attention to the natural world. I like these essays because they reflect a wide range of perspectives about natural history, from the spiritual to the scientific to the artistic, and they capture the people as much as the topic. In addition, the essays are exceptionally well written, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, always honest and reflective, and they all seem to end just at the right point - that is each one leaves you wanting more. This is a must read for anyone wondering if their own practice really is natural history - it probably is - and for anyone who wants to the dig into the diverse personal roots of natural history, as told by naturalists of many stripes.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Harry Greene
Format:Paperback
This is one of those wonderful compact anthologies one can easily carry around, read in one sitting or browse as time allows, and dog-ear for future visits over the years. The writers include a few most folks have heard of (rewilder Dave Foreman, rock music giant Richard Thompson), a poet who never fails to bring one pause (Jane Hirshfield), one of the world's most distinguished marine ecologists (Paul Dayton), a lyrical sensory ecopsychologist (Laura Sewall), and a panolply of others, none of whose essays are clunkers. All of the writers are teachers in some sense or another, their topics ranging from conservation biology (Tom Fleischner) to writing (Sarah Rabkin), and their desire to explore with an open mind permeates this fine book. I've read the whole thing twice and found new gems to ponder each time.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Moontrolling
Format:Paperback
An environmental studies professor at Prescott College in Arizona, Tom Fleischner's local roots stretch back to summers spent working in North Cascades National Park and the founding of North Cascades Institute. Defining natural history as "a practice of intentional, focused attentiveness and receptivity to the more-than-human world," his vision of a zen-like study of the natural world is fleshed out in this volume with essay and poetry contributions from Jane Hirshfield, Robert Michael Pyle, Kathleen Dean Moore, Robert Aiken, Scott Russell Sanders and others.
By katneils
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
These writings have brought me such solace. I read many books and periodicals about the environment and most often feel painfully overwhelmed by the condition of Earth. It is as if Fleischner chose these writings for the soothing and encouragement of those of us left who honor all Life. More than ever I want to get outside and learn, but also teach.
By Liam
Format:Paperback
I'm enjoying these essays which provide diverse perspectives with a focus on integrating and strengthening natural history into personal world views. Essential renewal for each of us.
By Susan Tixier
Format:Paperback
The Way of Natural History, edited by Tom Fleischner, is a book that ought to be on every bookshelf and in every classroom. My decades-long professional involvement in the public lands wilderness movement and my much briefer professional endeavors in public education come together in Tom's beautifully written book. Fleischner's essay, "The Mindfulness of Natural History" ends by encouraging the reader to "step outside". I did and I do and I find Life, mine and all of it. Every essay is at least a good and inspiration one. For instance, I found wisdom and reason for the love and study of Natural History in John Anderson's essay, " Sauntering Towards Bethlehem, which states that "...there must be a destination or else it is too easy to slip from broad-minded observation to chaos". The "destination" must be real knowing of our lives through Natural History.
