Tory Burch on Shopbop
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-10% $8.99
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$8.99 with 10 percent savings
List Price: $9.99
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 19 hrs 34 mins
In Stock
$$8.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$8.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$8.05
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Ships directly from Amazon. Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Ships directly from Amazon. See less
FREE delivery January 15 - 22 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery January 12 - 16
$$8.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$8.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
$8.99 with 10 percent savings
List Price: $9.99
FREE pickup Tuesday, January 7 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE pickup Saturday, January 4. Order within 19 hrs 34 mins.

1.76 mi | Ashburn 20147

How pickup works
Pick up from nearby pickup location
Step 1: Place Your Order
Select the “Pickup” option on the product page or during checkout.
Step 2: Receive Notification
Once your package is ready for pickup, you'll receive an email and app notification.
Step 3: Pick up
Bring your order ID or pickup code (if applicable) to your chosen pickup location to pick up your package.
In Stock
$$8.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$8.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Aldo Leopold
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections) Mass Market Paperback – December 12, 1986

by Aldo Leopold (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,345 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$8.99","priceAmount":8.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fgcV3QHvwspZzp7jfGH2GZiWgjksLyGfjNLj9ok4sVQ3dGj%2FKKbNqkS1VW1zUVqcK2GwX6Rc4Z1fkL4LF8HYZ3LXgK9L3XptlBRl3J0eRwQcXAzLjbddy9bUpSQ0gzAkxO4LpMGYW6c%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$8.05","priceAmount":8.05,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"05","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fgcV3QHvwspZzp7jfGH2GZiWgjksLyGfkCuZaAU4fJ1Zz5NN2VDmgawuwoa1%2F2UkBbNu86Q5dQEaqo3zLNaZbHiH8HHXHyVLW0vCa%2B%2Fl7%2FEiyRFc%2Fqf1Ss%2Fg1UY4MnQmm6bxCy%2FK5ca5WwJBoeRtKMhz%2FqVkidC%2BKa0q4ExI7nlb5Arqcd31LgdeFUlMb7Uw","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}],"desktop_buybox_group_2":[{"displayPrice":"$8.99","priceAmount":8.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fgcV3QHvwspZzp7jfGH2GZiWgjksLyGfjNLj9ok4sVQ3dGj%2FKKbNqkS1VW1zUVqcK2GwX6Rc4Z1fkL4LF8HYZ3LXgK9L3XptlBRl3J0eRwQcXAzLjbddy9bUpSQ0gzAkxO4LpMGYW6c%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"PICKUP","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":2}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The environmental classic that redefined the way we think about the natural world—an urgent call for preservation that’s more timely than ever.
 
“We can place this book on the shelf that holds the writings of Thoreau and John Muir.”—San Francisco Chronicle
 
These astonishing portraits of the natural world explore the breathtaking diversity of the unspoiled American landscape—the mountains and the prairies, the deserts and the coastlines. Conjuring up one extraordinary vision after another, Aldo Leopold takes readers with him on the road and through the seasons on a fantastic tour of our priceless natural resources, explaining the destructive effects humankind has had on the land and issuing a bold challenge to protect the world we love.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ballantine Books
  4. Publication date
    December 12, 1986
  5. Dimensions
    4.13 x 0.76 x 6.88 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0345345053
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0345345059
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)
This item: A Sand County Almanac (Outdoor Essays & Reflections)
$8.99
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
$11.33
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Silent Spring
$13.66
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Jan 7
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
1,345 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and informative about ecology. They appreciate the author's insights and prose style that makes it easy to understand. Readers enjoy the beautiful descriptions of natural landscapes and animals that help them visualize the story. The book provides insightful and enlightening insights that are relevant today. Overall, customers consider it a great read and good value for money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityEnvironmental awarenessWriting qualityBeautyInsightValue for money
82 customers mention "Readability"82 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it's a must-read for outdoor enthusiasts and anyone interested in wildlife, conservation, and history.

"My words can't express how amazing Aldo and this book is. He was a poet who created the best stories about wildlife amd nature...." Read more

"Great book" Read more

"...This book is truly for the person who loves the outdoors and is in itself 5 stars..." Read more

"...all flora and fauna (and humans) interconnected in a complex and glorious system." Read more

45 customers mention "Environmental awareness"45 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's environmental awareness. They find it a classic read for conservationists, with the author's own observations and philosophy on ecology from his farm in Wisconsin. The book makes readers think about important conservation topics and issues. It is a great teacher about nature and how people should be aware of regenerative environmental systems.

"...It is a must-read for every nature-lover and conservationist. Hunters, fishermen and farmers will love it too." Read more

"Such a good read regarding conservation." Read more

"...Knowing it is a beloved and enshrined text of environmentalists, from moderate to fanatical, I feared it might be more polemical than inspiring,..." Read more

"...and his deep awareness of what we today refer to as regenerative environmental systems, how all flora and fauna (and humans) interconnected in a..." Read more

44 customers mention "Writing quality"39 positive5 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing quality. They find the essays and ideas on conservation and ecology well-written in prosaic language with lovely descriptions. The book is described as detailed yet short enough to complete easily. Readers describe it as an American classic that reads like an outdoor classic.

"...He was a poet who created the best stories about wildlife amd nature. It is a must-read for every nature-lover and conservationist...." Read more

"...He writes with the brilliance of a science professor, the passion and soulfulness of a sentimental farm boy, and the messianic zeal of a visionary..." Read more

"...He is astute and articulates the world around us in effective and efficient prose; his writing style is remarkable and will appeal to the Every Man..." Read more

"...After a couple pages, I was hooked. Aldo Leopold has a wonderful way of telling the story of all the goings on around his Sand County farm that most..." Read more

20 customers mention "Beauty"20 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's descriptions of natural landscapes and thought-provoking insights. They find it easy to visualize animals and their environments, and appreciate the author's keen observation of nature. The book paints a lovely picture of a snapshot in time, with vivid descriptions of his surroundings.

"...The most hauntingly beautiful is “Chihuahua and Sonora,” an amazing report of his canoe voyage with his brother among the channels and lagoons of..." Read more

"...The Galaxy (White cover with Geese) is much nicer and makes a much better gift. It is definitely worth the extra money...." Read more

"...This book will ground you, but yet open your eyes to the beautiful natural world around us. If you are a nature lover, this is a must-read." Read more

"The author had a keen observation of nature. A lot of his recommendations, though ignored, proved to be correct...." Read more

18 customers mention "Insight"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enlightening and interesting. They appreciate the author's insightful observations and writing style. The book is relevant for anyone interested in nature and provides a wonderful voyage of discovery. Readers praise the author's understanding and insights into nature as unequaled.

"...The author takes the reader on a dazzlingly observed personal tour of his life and farm in Sand County, Wisconsin and we willingly accompany him on..." Read more

"...He is astute and articulates the world around us in effective and efficient prose; his writing style is remarkable and will appeal to the Every Man..." Read more

"...This book will ground you, but yet open your eyes to the beautiful natural world around us. If you are a nature lover, this is a must-read." Read more

"...Considering that it was written in the 1940s, it is an incredibly relevant must- read for anyone who is interested in the relationship between..." Read more

6 customers mention "Value for money"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money. They say the history is worth the price.

"...It is definitely worth the extra money...." Read more

"...I bought this for my dad and my brother as a present. Awesome book, great price." Read more

"Price and condition were good." Read more

"...We were so lucky to be able to purchase this book at a such a reasonable price here at Amazon." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • El
    5.0 out of 5 stars Top 10 books of my life
    Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    My words can't express how amazing Aldo and this book is. He was a poet who created the best stories about wildlife amd nature. It is a must-read for every nature-lover and conservationist. Hunters, fishermen and farmers will love it too.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Abby H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Such a good read regarding conservation.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • gail b.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Condition
    Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Great book
    Helpful
     Report
  • The Garden Interior
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enduring Conservation Classic
    Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I just finished reading this conservation classic and I have to confess, I approached it with some trepidation. Knowing it is a beloved and enshrined text of environmentalists, from moderate to fanatical, I feared it might be more polemical than inspiring, more Al Gore than Henry David Thoreau, but was happy to find this fear misplaced. The text was left to the world in draft from when the author died tragically in 1948, helping a neighbor fight a wildfire. It was first published by his son in 1949, and in this reorganized edition in 1966.

    First, some information about Leopold himself. He was born in Iowa in 1887 and was educated at Yale before joining the Forest Service in 1909, serving in New Mexico and Arizona. He became one of the founders of the Wilderness Society and in 1924 formed the first wilderness in the Forest Service, the Gila National Forest. Then followed a long tenure as a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He writes with the brilliance of a science professor, the passion and soulfulness of a sentimental farm boy, and the messianic zeal of a visionary reformer who sees more deeply into things than most people can.

    This book is actually four slim books “welded together”, as the author says. The first part is the month-by-month almanac that that gives this present form of the book its title. The author takes the reader on a dazzlingly observed personal tour of his life and farm in Sand County, Wisconsin and we willingly accompany him on this warm and insightful narrative journey. Here, for example, is a sample of a couple throw-away lines from October: “Lunch over, I regard a phalanx of young tamaracks, their golden lances thrusting skyward. Under each the needles of yesterday fall to earth building a blanket of smoky gold; at the tip of each the bud of tomorrow, preformed, poised, awaits another spring.” He writes feelingly about the death of the last carrier pigeon, the last jaguar in Baja, the last grizzly to be killed in Arizona, his regret to kill a mother wolf and watch as the green light died out in her eyes; each death and each extinction diminishes us profoundly, for we are integrated into a world that we are ourselves diminishing.

    The second part of the book “The Quality of Landscape,” is a series of essays about places. The most hauntingly beautiful is “Chihuahua and Sonora,” an amazing report of his canoe voyage with his brother among the channels and lagoons of the Colorado River’s delta in Baja in 1922. Then it was a fabulously rich environment, teeming with wildlife and abundant flora. Now, of course, the great river has been dammed, managed, and consumed by the thirsty and growing populations of the southwest, so much so that the river never even reaches the Gulf of Baja now and all that fabulous world of flora and fauna has vanished. Leopold: “Man always kills the thing he loves, and so we the pioneers have killed our wilderness. Some say we had to. Be that as it may, I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are forty freedoms without a blank spot on the map?” And here is another pellucid throw-away line in the essay “Manitoba”, about swans observed in a marsh: “A flotilla of swans rides the bay in quiet dignity, bemoaning the evanescence of swanly things.” We may all bemoan the evanescence of swanly things.

    The third part of the book is called “A Taste for Country” and it comprises a series of essays that are about things and ideas, rather than about places. In it, Leopold declares himself a conservationist. The difference between a conservationist and a preservationist is that the latter emphasizes excluding man from wild places, while a conservationist aims to make wise use of all natural resources, a range of uses that includes wilderness as one important value among many others. Indeed, the very word comes from the Latin verb conservare, which means “to make wise use of.” Here is Leopold: “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land. By land is meant all of the things on, over, or in the earth. Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. That is to say, you cannot love game and hate predators; you cannot conserve the waters and waste the ranges; you cannot build the forest and mine the farm. The land is one organism. Its parts, like our own parts, compete with each other and co-operate with each other.” And then later he adds: “What conservation education must build is an ethical understanding for land economics and a universal curiosity to understand the land mechanism. Conservation may then follow.”

    The final part of the book is a section called “The Upshot,” which is Leopold’s attempt to propose an action agenda that is under-pinned with ethics. It reads a bit dated now, having been formulated in the aftermath of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and at the dawn of the conservation era when advocates hardly even had a vocabulary for the new school of policy they were trying to form. And yet in some ways it is still fresh and interesting. Here is Leopold in an essay called “The Land Ethic,” writing about how disputes about conservation always cleave the disputants into two groups: “In all of these cleavages, we see repeated the same basic paradoxes: man the conqueror versus man the biotic citizen; science the sharpener of his sword versus science the searchlight on his universe; land the slave and servant versus land the collective organism.”

    Here is a great idea for the curious and open-minded student. Go read Thoreau’s masterpiece Walden (1854); then read Rowland’s Cache Lake Country: Life in the North Woods (1947); finally read Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac. It will be a wonderful voyage of discovery and a first class education in the transcendental ethics of wild America.
    65 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • rhcycle
    4.0 out of 5 stars Galaxy (Oxford) edition is worth the extra money
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    This review does not relate directly to the information in the book which has been discussed in detail in many excellent reviews. This book is truly for the person who loves the outdoors and is in itself 5 stars

    My comments relate to the quality of the materials and format of the book. A good friend of mine gives this book to many of his friends so that they can become more aware of the environment and world around them. I thought that this was a great idea since we are so busy with HDTV, IPODS, Blackberrys and cell phones. I purchased one copy of the Galaxy (Oxford)publication and several of the Ballantine. There is no comparison. The Ballantine is a typical, cheap paperback. The Galaxy (White cover with Geese) is much nicer and makes a much better gift. It is definitely worth the extra money. When one considers the information deleted from the Ballantine edition (see review by Reiheld), it makes the argument even more compelling. My final comments --enjoy the reading, but spend the extra dollar or so and really enjoy the book.
    19 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Guy Hochstetler
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for broad ecology understanding
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I read this in university many moons ago and just reread it again, this time with much greater appreciation for Aldo Leopoldo’s gift for writing and his deep awareness of what we today refer to as regenerative environmental systems, how all flora and fauna (and humans) interconnected in a complex and glorious system.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Big Daddy O
    5.0 out of 5 stars Aldo Leopold - A Sand Country Almanac
    Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I saw a PBS special on Aldo Leopold whom I had never heard of. I am not a tree hugging conservationist, but I became captivated by the portrayal of the man as one of the vanguards of the conservation ethic. But he went beyond this and in this book, A Sand Country Almanac, he presents a common view but from a different perspective. He is astute and articulates the world around us in effective and efficient prose; his writing style is remarkable and will appeal to the Every Man in us - at least those who have some kind of consciousness of our actions. I came to realize how much we are responsible for the destruction and alterations in nature. When you tug on one thread in the grand tapestry of nature, we find it is interwoven and touches so many others. The book helped me realize what an important responsibility we have as caretakers of the land. Leopold was truly a remarkable man, ahead of his time and I can see this book as being formative in the conservation movement. Truly an enlightening and, at times, fun read.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kimberly Pope
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, great gift
    Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Classic read for conservationists. Bought this copy for a gift and it was well received! Highly recommend.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • William Blackwell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awe-inspiring and thought-provoking.
    Reviewed in Canada on October 20, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Author. Philosopher. Scientist. Ecologist. Forester. Conservationist. Environmentalist. Those are the credentials Aldo Leopold took with him to the grave after he died of a heart attack while battling a wildfire in 1948. But the powerful warnings and challenges he eloquently issues in A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC are more important now than ever before.

    Now more than ever humankind wantonly and recklessly destroys our planet for personal gain, greed, commercialism, and just pure stupidity. And, make no mistake about it, Leopold boldly challenges us to do our part to protect the world we love.

    He writes, “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.”

    But, while scathingly critical of public and private sector conservation efforts, and his own land conservation errors, the book is not all doom and gloom. In polished and poetic prose, Leopold pays tribute to the wonders of Mother Nature; exploring the unspoiled beauty of the mountains, prairies, forests, deserts, and coastlines of the American landscape.

    With extraordinary vividness, Leopold takes readers on a spellbinding tour through the seasons, explaining at every turn the beauty and interconnectedness of the plants, animals, insects, marshlands, and trees. He identifies every bird and animal call, recognizes practically every insect and plant, and their vital place in the complex ecosystem.

    Where some people would see only weeds, he sees a dynamic part of the ecosystem. Where some might get bored wandering through a forest, Leopold would rather be there than any other place on the planet. Given a choice between the theatre and Mother Nature, he would gladly choose the magic and miracles of the great outdoors over any man-made entertainment.

    Perhaps Leopold best sums up his own book: “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot.”

    If the news of the day has got you down and you want be re-inspired and re-invigorated, trust me, you can’t go too far wrong with this book.
    Report
  • K.Jayaram
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Almanac for Conservation
    Reviewed in India on February 20, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Earlier, I owned the original US Library edition and finally lost to a friend who never returned it.!? This is one of my all time favourite book and one of the best apart from Thoreau, John Muir and Emerson. I recently bought this Mass Market cheap Paper back to add to my collection again. A great conservationist with lucid writing and practical ideas to conserve nature in the times of destruction. Any body who is interested in Nature must own this edition with tremendous description of nature and its denizens.!? An affordable copy and thanks for the Amazon to make it available for all of us.
    Report
  • Emma P
    5.0 out of 5 stars Readable and relevant
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Leopold's views on conservation and how we mistreat the land that sustains us should be compulsory reading for politicians everywhere. But this is not a heavy read; there are lovely chapters on the wildlife Leopold saw around his cabin, and the book has lots of charming illustrations by Charles Schwarz.
    Report
  • Tim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, worth the read
    Reviewed in Australia on October 23, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Influential in the creation of the modern conservation movement. Eloquently put and well worth the time
    Report
  • Patricia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Out of all the university books I’ve read….
    Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    … And that was 10 years of post-secondary education, this book sung to my soul. And it’s the only book I have never forgotten.

    Beautifully written by Aldo Leopold.

    I have gifted this book many times too many different people.

    Just Lovely.
    Report