A Sand County Almanac

Conservationist Aldo Leopold writes with a poetic style that brings alive the flora and fauna of the Wisconsin River farm he restored to a wildlife habitat. His work, which takes listeners through a year at that farm, has inspired conservationists since it was first published in 1949. Stewart L. Udall reads with a rough-hewn voice that still carries a poetic grace that is fitting for the writing of a lifelong outdoorsman. It's not a conversational tone, yet it conveys all of Leopold's love for nature, skill at creating mental images, and awareness of the challenges involved in preserving nature. These writings give listeners a glimpse of the noted conservationist's efforts and spirit. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine


At first, the timbre of the elderly reader, Stewart Udall, is disconcerting. We even hear a little gasp of air between sentences. Udall's stilted speech makes us think we made a mistake choosing this tape. But the story is by a professor, naturalist, and conservationist, speaking in poetic prose about his surroundings and his perceptions of it. Udall, in turn, was Secretary of the Interior during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, thus, adds credibility to Leopold's naturalistic observations. Since we are gleaning hard-earned wisdoms from the end of a bright life, the narrator's patina of age becomes appropriate. After some adjustment to this genre of writing, compared to that of Thoreau and John Muir, one realizes that Udall is using poetic cadences and timing intended by the author. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

November 5, 2001
These original essays on the natural environment by renowned conservationist Leopold (1887–1948) were first published posthumously in 1949. In this edition, more than 80 lush photographs shot by nature photographer Sewell on Leopold's former Wisconsin farm accompany the text. Following the seasons, Leopold, whose seminal work in the U.S. Forest Service and in books and magazines helped shape the conservation movement in this country, shared his perceptive and carefully observed portraits of nature month by month. In April, he watched the "sky dance" of the woodcock, who flew upward in a series of spirals. As he hunted partridges in October, his way was lit by "red lanterns," the blackberry leaves that shone in the sun. A November rumination details how the products of tree diseases provide wooded shelters for woodpeckers, hives for wild bees and food for chickadees. Included also is an appreciative essay on wild marshland and several pieces stressing the importance of protecting the natural environment. Leopold sadly observed, "there is yet no ethic dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it." His hope that society would develop an "ecological conscience" by placing what should be preserved above what is economically expedient remains relevant today. These evocative essays about the farm Leopold loved will again be enjoyed by nature lovers and preservationists alike. Though the book has been continuously in print, this beautiful illustrated edition, with its introduction by nature writer Brower (The Starship and the Canoe) will attract fans and newcomers and will make a great gift book this holiday season.