Offers suggested titles and authors that no serious reader intereted in literature focused on the natural world should be without.
There are a whole lot of wonderful books focused upon sophisticated visions of conservation and environmentalism, as well as countless good books that offer records of personal natural experiences and examinations of the role of nature in human lives. While the names of authors and titles of great books in this ever-growing segment of the literary marketplace are too numerous to offer a comprehensive listing, what follows are suggestions for books that are indispensable when starting a library focused on literature and the environment. The list is broken into categories to assist readers of differing environmental focus points suggested beginning points for reading.
Classic Environmental Texts
No “green” library is complete without these benchmark titles:
- Walden Henry David Thoreau
- The Land of Little Rain Mary Austin
- Sand CountyAlmanacAldo Leopold
- Silent Spring Rachel Carson
- Desert Solitaire Edward Abbey
As with several of the important writers suggested here, one could own virtually every title by Edward Abbey and not go wrong. Some other iconic writers in the discipline who invite multiple book holdings include: John Burroughs, Annie Dillard, Loren Eisley, Barry Lopez, and Wallace Stegner. Additionally readers examining the history of this body of literature and of the movement towards environmental consciousness would be wise to read books either by or about figures like John Muir, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and David Brower.
Science Meets Nature (and Poetry)
While the holdings above are particularly rich in nonfiction, as is the case among so much of environmental literature where the essay often is celebrated, there is also a rich tradition within poetry. Some poets best known for focusing on the natural world include: Wendell Berry, James Galvin, Robert Haas, Mary Oliver, and Gary Snyder.
Finding lyricism from within more strenuous scientific pursuit also offers a mainstay within the body of this literature. More traditional yet eloquent and accessible writers who offer visions deeply informed by scientific pursuit include the likes of: David Bus with The Evolution of Desire, Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature, and E.O. Wilson’s landmark text The Diversity of Life.
Often among serious scientists there are also books that offer wonderful queries about ethics and human relationships with natural communities. These are vitally important books that explore the interconnectedness of the world and of the human role within ecosystems. Two not to be missed are: Wendell Berry’s The Unsettling of America, which examines the shift from agri-culture to agri-business, and David Orr’s Earth in Mind, a marvelous, comprehensive ecological book that identifies truly sustainable systems. Berry, while not a trained scientist, offers richly knowledgeable and highly visionary insights from years of deeply intimate relationship with the land. Orr matches his experience as an ecologist with a layered and lyrical prose style.
Contemporary Authors
These are but two of so many notable contemporary writers actively examining the balancing act of the human animal and the rest of the natural world. Here are just a few of the names to watch for when scouring bookstore shelves for vital, and wonderful, living authors who have devoted their literary careers to close examination of nature:
- Annie Dillard (virtually all of her work, but a must have is Pilgrim at Tinker Creek)
- John Elder
- Robert Finch
- Barbara Kingsolver
- Gary Paul Nabham
- Robert Michael Pyle
- Michael Pollard
- David Quammen
- Scott Russell Sanders
- Terry Tempest Williams
There are dozens upon dozens more authors and titles every serious reader of environmental literature should read, but these lists offer a rich starting point.
