Natural state : a literary anthology of California nature writing / selected and edited by Steven Gilbar ; with a foreword by David Brower.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gilbar, Steven.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Natural history--California.

Natural history.

Nature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (396 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c1998.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is the first anthology of nature writing that celebrates California, the most geographically diverse state in the union. Readers-be they naturalists or armchair explorers-will find themselves transported to California's many wild places in the company of forty noted writers whose works span more than a century. Divided into sections on California's mountains, hills and valleys, deserts, coast, and elements (earth, wind, and fire), the book contains essays, diary entries, and excerpts from larger works, including fiction. As a prelude to the collection, editor Steven Gilbar presents two California Indian creation myths, one a Cahto narrative and the other an A-juma-wi story as told by Darryl Babe Wilson. Familiar names appear in these pages-John Muir, Robert Louis Stevenson, John McPhee, M.F.K. Fisher, Gretel Ehrlich-but less familiar writers such as Daniel Duane, Margaret Millar, and John McKinney are also included. Among the gems in this treasure trove are Jack Kerouac on climbing Mt. Matterhorn, Barry Lopez on snow geese migration at Tule Lake, Edward Abbey on Death Valley, Henry Miller on Big Sur, and Joan Didion on the Santa Ana winds. Gary Snyder's inspiring Afterword reflects the spirit of environmentalism that runs throughout the book. Natural State also reveals the many changes to California's landscape that have occurred in geological time and in human terms. More than a book of "nature writing," this book is superb writing about nature.

Contents:

Natural State

Front matter

CONTENTS

Foreword

INTRODUCTION

THE CREATION

Grampa Ramsey and the Great Canyon

THE MOUNTAINS

An Elk Hunt

Ramblings in Yosemite

Lake Tahoe

Climbing Matterhorn Peak

A Mount for All Seasons

Trumpets of Light

The Fourth Dimension

Climbing Half Dome

THE HILLS AND VALLEYS

Into the Valley

The Sea Fogs

On Sonoma Mountain

Flight

Spirits of the Valley

A Reflection on White Geese

In Condor Country

Winter's Fog

A Vanishing Land

Remnants

THE DESERT

Desert Walking

Death Valley

Overlooking Carrizo Gorge

The Palms in Our Hands

THE COAST

Gaviota Coast Trails

Where the Mountains Meet the Sea

Big Sur

The Sundown Sea

A Certain Moment

Tapping the Source

Santa Rosa

Lost Coast

EARTH, WIND, RAIN, AND FIRE

Continental Drift

The San Andreas Discrepancy

A Wind-Storm in the Forest

The Santa Ana

Nurslings of the Sky

The Storm

After the Fire

Afterword Coming into the Watershed

FURTHER READING

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 369-373).

ISBN:

9781283646314

1283646315

9780520920330

0520920333

OCLC:

815667333