Signs and Seasons

by John Burroughs, Jeff Walker

Overview

Renowned as a pioneer of the new school of nature writing and among the most widely read authors of his time, John Burroughs has had a profound influence on our appreciation of nature. Signs and Seasons, originally published in 1886, provides an excellent introduction to the extensive work of one of America's great writers. Because the essays were collected and arranged by Burroughs himself, they offer a synoptic view of his complex and many-sided genius. Signs and Seasons covers a wide range of Burroughs's interests, including plants and animals, the wilderness, pastoral landscapes, and the methods and goals of the naturalist.

An authoritative new introduction by Jeff Walker makes Burroughs's work relevant to the twenty-first century, not only through Burroughs's excellent natural history writing but also through his beliefs about community, sustainability, and social justice. Additional notes give historical and scientific context for each essay and offer the reader fresh insight into his work. Walker's intimate knowledge of the Hudson River valley, Riverby, and Slabsides, the areas about which Burroughs writes, reveals sympathy for, and understanding of, Burroughs's work. This edition will be indispensable to the devotee of John Burroughs's writing and to a new generation of environmental reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815608752
Publisher:	Syracuse University Press
Publication date:	05/29/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.05(d)

About the Author

John Burroughs was the naturalist of the Catskills and friend and contemporary of John Muir.

Jeff Walker is an associate professor of geology and environmental studies at Vassar College. He lives in Hyde Park, New York.

Table of Contents

I.	A Sharp Lookout	1
II.	A Spray of Pine	35
III.	Hard Fare	49
IV.	The Tragedies Of The Nests	63
V.	A Snow-Storm	89
VI.	A Taste Of Maine Birch	99
VII.	Winter Neighbors	127
VIII.	A Salt Breeze	149
IX.	A Spring Relish	163
X.	A River View	183
X.	Bird Enemies	201
XII.	Phases Of Farm Life	219
XIII.	Roof-Tree	247
	Index	265