John Burroughs: An American Naturalist (Paperback)

~ (Author) "THE DATE WAS APRIL 3, 1912..." (more)
Key Phrases: nature fakers, nature appreciation, New York, Walt Whitman, West Park (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Through his essays in books and popular magazines, John Burroughs (1851-1921) taught countless Americans to appreciate nature. In this, the first comprehensive biography of him to be published since 1925, Renehan draws on original sources to portray Burroughs as the boy from a poor farming family in the Catskills who as a man hobnobbed with such eminent figures as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford and Theodore Roosevelt. In 1863, after teaching in rural schools, Burroughs and his wife Ursula moved to Washington, D.C., where Walt Whitman encouraged the younger man's literary efforts. Theirs was an enduring friendship; Burroughs defended Whitman's poetry and wrote the first biography of him. Renehan traces his subject's unhappy marriage and his return to a farm in the Catskills. He chronicles Burroughs's growing fame, his friendships with other writers and his liaison with Clara Barrus, who became his literary executor. Renehan, editor of A River View , has restored Burroughs to a well-deserved place in American literature and conservation. Photos. Reader's Subscription alternate.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Burroughs...could not have asked for a more inclusive or caring portrait. -- Kirkus Reviews

Renehan reveals a far more complex and interesting man than other biographers have revealed. -- New York Times Sunday Book Review

Renehan's biography does precisely what it sets out to do: it provides the thorough, responsible, readable biography... -- American Nature Writing, 1993 Edition

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Black Dome Press; 1st pbk. ed edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883789168
• ISBN-13: 978-1883789169
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,357,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 24, 1999

By A Customer

I first got turned on to Ed Renehan when I saw him on C-SPAN discussing the book he wrote about the family of Theodore Roosevelt, entitled THE LION'S PRIDE. After enjoying LION'S PRIDE, I purchased and learned a lot from Renehan's beautifully written account of John Brown and the Harpers Ferry raid, entitled THE SECRET SIX. Then, although I'd never heard of John Burroughs, I moved onto this excellent biography of a fascinating but neglected figure of American history, and am glad I did. Now I will turn to some of Burroughs's own writings, if I can find them!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite, April 26, 1999

By A Customer

Ed Renehan has put together an exquisite, instructive review of the long life of John Burroughs. The old lion emerges in all his splendor in these pages -- intellectual, literate (he knew Emerson and Whitman among others), worldly (he had a mistress who was a New York psychiatrist), and above all, a sympathetic observer of the natural world. We need his perspective as never before. -- John Hanson Mitchell, author of CEREMONIAL TIME, LIVING AT THE END OF TIME, and other books

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real education, April 7, 1999

By A Customer

Edward Renehan has restored John Burroughs to his rightful place in the history of American literature and conservation. -- Frank Graham, Jr., author of SINCE SILENT SPRING, THE AUDUBON ARK, and other books