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Aldo Leopold's Odyssey: Rediscovering the Author of A Sand County Almanac
A household icon of the environmental movement, Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) may be the most quoted conservationist in history. A Sand County Almanac has sold millions of copies and his lyrical writings are venerated for their perceptions about land and how people might live in concert with the whole community of life.
But who is the man behind the words? How did he arrive at his profound and poetic insights, inspiring generations of environmentalists? Building on past scholarship and a fresh study of Leopold's unpublished archival materials, Julianne Lutz Newton retraces the intellectual journey that generated such passion and intelligence.
Aldo Leopold's Odyssey illuminates his lifelong quest for answers to a fundamental how can people live prosperously on the land and keep it healthy, too? Leopold's journey took him from Iowa to Yale to the Southwest to Wisconsin, with fascinating stops along the way to probe the causes of early land settlement failures, contribute to the emerging science of ecology, and craft a new vision for land use.
More than a biography, this articulate volume is a guide to one man's intellectual growth, and an inspirational resource for anyone pondering the relationships between people and the land.
But who is the man behind the words? How did he arrive at his profound and poetic insights, inspiring generations of environmentalists? Building on past scholarship and a fresh study of Leopold's unpublished archival materials, Julianne Lutz Newton retraces the intellectual journey that generated such passion and intelligence.
Aldo Leopold's Odyssey illuminates his lifelong quest for answers to a fundamental how can people live prosperously on the land and keep it healthy, too? Leopold's journey took him from Iowa to Yale to the Southwest to Wisconsin, with fascinating stops along the way to probe the causes of early land settlement failures, contribute to the emerging science of ecology, and craft a new vision for land use.
More than a biography, this articulate volume is a guide to one man's intellectual growth, and an inspirational resource for anyone pondering the relationships between people and the land.
504 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 4, 2010
I found this book inspiring and I learned more about land health. Leopold was a voice in the wilderness and his ideas are important to all of us. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in conservation and wants a healthy future for the world.
August 31, 2017
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
I'm actually rather flummoxed on what to say in this review...I've been staring at a blank page for half an hour, not quite sure how to start.
This is a biography of conservationist, writer Aldo Leopold.
If you don't already know who Aldo Leopold is, then you probably picked up this book by mistake. Leopold is the author of A Sand County Almanac - perhaps the most important literary work espousing the need for environmental concerns and the need to understand and conserve our land.
What is most interesting about this book is getting a sense of how Leopold grew into the role as the voice of environmental conservation. His interests in the outdoors led him to outdoor, conservation jobs right at the beginning of his career. Because of his moral (a term used in the book) persuasion, and his certainty that he was on the right path, Leopold persevered and kept reaching out to make sure his voice was heard. He seemed to be a natural leader, but declined leadership roles on boards and in companies that recruited him. He was the sort who rolled up his sleeves and got to work, rather than making policies.
But what I found interesting about this book and my connection to it, was that I didn't need this.
Sometimes a biography will enhance my understanding of someone and make their work a little more enjoyable. Or sometimes a person's life is interesting enough to be an interesting story in itself. But this was really neither on the one hand and just a little bit of both on the other hand - which is why it's so difficult to review it.
Author Julianne Lutz Warren has done an incredible amount of research and told the story smoothly and has made it about as interesting as one could expect. And still ... it doesn't enhance my appreciation for Leopold's seminal work.
As mentioned, the work is so thorough and well-researched that this sometimes feels like an autobiography, rather than a biography. And though the book comes in at over 500 pages, nearly a third of that is end-notes and bibliography.
I'm glad to have read this, but I could recommend it only to those who are already fans of Leopold's work (as opposed to people who generally like biographies) and even at that, I wouldn't push too hard.
Looking for a good book? Aldo Leopold's Odyssey, Tenth Anniversary Edition: Rediscovering the Author of A Sand County Almanac by Julianne Lutz Warren is a thorough, moderately interesting look at Aldo Leopold, but takes a special dedication to the subject matter to be truly interesting.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
I'm actually rather flummoxed on what to say in this review...I've been staring at a blank page for half an hour, not quite sure how to start.
This is a biography of conservationist, writer Aldo Leopold.
If you don't already know who Aldo Leopold is, then you probably picked up this book by mistake. Leopold is the author of A Sand County Almanac - perhaps the most important literary work espousing the need for environmental concerns and the need to understand and conserve our land.
What is most interesting about this book is getting a sense of how Leopold grew into the role as the voice of environmental conservation. His interests in the outdoors led him to outdoor, conservation jobs right at the beginning of his career. Because of his moral (a term used in the book) persuasion, and his certainty that he was on the right path, Leopold persevered and kept reaching out to make sure his voice was heard. He seemed to be a natural leader, but declined leadership roles on boards and in companies that recruited him. He was the sort who rolled up his sleeves and got to work, rather than making policies.
But what I found interesting about this book and my connection to it, was that I didn't need this.
Sometimes a biography will enhance my understanding of someone and make their work a little more enjoyable. Or sometimes a person's life is interesting enough to be an interesting story in itself. But this was really neither on the one hand and just a little bit of both on the other hand - which is why it's so difficult to review it.
Author Julianne Lutz Warren has done an incredible amount of research and told the story smoothly and has made it about as interesting as one could expect. And still ... it doesn't enhance my appreciation for Leopold's seminal work.
As mentioned, the work is so thorough and well-researched that this sometimes feels like an autobiography, rather than a biography. And though the book comes in at over 500 pages, nearly a third of that is end-notes and bibliography.
I'm glad to have read this, but I could recommend it only to those who are already fans of Leopold's work (as opposed to people who generally like biographies) and even at that, I wouldn't push too hard.
Looking for a good book? Aldo Leopold's Odyssey, Tenth Anniversary Edition: Rediscovering the Author of A Sand County Almanac by Julianne Lutz Warren is a thorough, moderately interesting look at Aldo Leopold, but takes a special dedication to the subject matter to be truly interesting.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2014
The myth of resource inexhaustibility reigned. It was the era of railroads and land grants, the hoof and the homestead. Leopold brought the criticalness of the long term view when the short term view reigned. Deforestation and overgrazing were ruining the land. Factory farms, reduction of native diversity, and the juggernaut of powerful new farming technology led to soil erosion and destruction. The nation suffered from an "undiagnosed cultural disease". His goal was of building "a new kind of people" who would see the wolf, the mountain and the land with new eyes. In the heat of the conflict between expansionism and conservation, he believed we should be guided by a moral responsibility to the land and to learn to live harmoniously with it. "Odyssey" is well written and meticulously researched. It offers a glimpse into the cognations and development of Leopold through a close examination of his writings. A glimpse into the heart of a great man.
April 23, 2012
I'm sure if you are super obsessed with the language of ecology, this would be a terrific book. It's very academic and quite dry. I couldn't even get through the introduction. A swing and a miss for me.
March 17, 2017
Classic "master naturalist" reading. "Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land". Written by Conservationist, Aldo Leopold, while living off the land at "the shack" near Madison Wisconsin.
December 13, 2010
Aldo shares my love of Mother Nature and all her beauty.
March 1, 2012
I wanted to read it to learn more about Leopold's life but it really didn't give much of that. It was interesting to have a fairly in depth synthesis of the writings and ideas of Leopold. Newton also did a pretty nice job of putting the development of Leopold's ideas in context of his life and demonstrating how he evolved in his beliefs and ideas.
March 14, 2017
A character study about Aldo Leopold and his leadership as a conservationist and preservationist, a man clearly ahead of his time.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews