A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There
by Aldo Leopold
Few books have had a greater impact than A Sand County Almanac, which many credit with launching a revolution in land management. Written as a series of sketches based principally upon the flora and fauna in a rural part of Wisconsin, the book, originally published by Oxford in 1949, gathers informal pieces written by Leopold over a forty-year period as he traveled through the woodlands of Wisconsin, Iowa, Arizona, Sonora, Oregon, Manitoba, and elsewhere; a final section addresses the philosophical issues involved in wildlife conservation. Beloved for its description and evocation of the natural world, Leopold's book, which has sold well over 2 million copies, remains a foundational text in environmental science and a national treasure.
Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0197500269
Schedule
Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT.
June 6 - Introduction, Forward, and Part I: A Sand County Almanac
June 27 - Part II: Sketches Here and There
July 11 - Part III: The Upshot
Discussion Leader
Tyler "Smitty" Smith
About the author
Considered by many to be the father of wildlife ecology and modern conservation, Aldo Leopold was a forester, philosopher, conservationist, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast.
Among Aldo Leopold’s best-known ideas is the “land ethic,” which calls for an ethical, caring relationship between people and nature. This land ethic continues to inform our work, values, and goals at the Aldo Leopold Foundation today, just as it informs the work of countless individuals and organizations worldwide – a testament to the power of Leopold’s conservation philosophy.
ALDO LEOPOLD’S SAND COUNTY ALMANAC
There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.
First published by Oxford University Press in 1949, Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac has become a conservation classic, selling over 2 million copies worldwide and being translated into 15 languages. Leopold spent many years crafting these essays, which inspire readers to understand how the natural world works and to care for all wild things. Informed by his developing philosophies and his family’s effort to transform the landscape surrounding The Shack, the essays make an appeal for moral responsibility to the natural world.
After a series of rejections from various publishers, Leopold’s manuscript was finally accepted by Oxford University Press on April 14th, 1948. Tragically, just one week later, Leopold died of a heart attack while fighting a grass fire less than a hundred yards from where the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center stands today. While Aldo Leopold was writing in the 1940s, he could not have imagined the far-reaching impact his book would have. Admired by an ever-growing number of readers and imitated by hundreds of writers, A Sand County Almanac serves as one of the cornerstones of modern conservation science, policy, and ethics.
Additional Resources
Website: https://www.sebastianjunger.com/
Discussion
Please share your thoughts on A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There and the discussions in the comments. Please include a rating so we can utilize it to help us with future selections. Thank you!
Some friends from foraging and I plan to pick blackberries tomorrow in a new-to-me location. Google and some clicks later, I came across this article referencing some of the passages we discussed at the last Book Club meeting. https://www.knps.org/roadsides-as-vital-habitat-an-old-idea-is-getting-its-due/ Thought it was cool to see Sand County in my life. :)
~ Bourbon Chris