John Burroughs

John James Audubon by John Burroughs

Cold as the day was (many degrees below freezing), I heard and saw bluebirds, and as we passed along, every sheltered tangle and overgrown field or lane swarmed with snowbirds and sparrows, --the latter mainly Canada or tree sparrows, with a sprinkling of the song, and, maybe, one or two other varieties. The birds are all social and gregarious in winter, and seem drawn together by common instinct. Where you find one, you will not only find others of the same kind, but also several different kinds

In the early spring, the blooming of the wildflower trillium — also known as "wake-robin" — heralds the return of migrating birds. In Wake-Robin: A Collection of Essays About the Birds, John Burroughs offers absorbing reading for birdwatchers, nature lovers, and anyone interested in ecology and conservation. This 1871 collection of essays by the distinguished naturalist showcases his special gift for combining scientific accuracy with a grand poetic expression. These essays particularly focus on birds of the Adirondacks and the Washington, D.C. region. "What I offer, in fact, is a careful and conscientious record of actual observations and experiences, and is true as it stands written, every word of it. But what has interested me most in ornithology is the pursuit, the chase, the discovery," he notes, adding that "I have tried to present a live bird, a bird in the woods or the fields, with the atmosphere and associations of the place, and not merely a stuffed and labeled specimen." Although scrupulously factual, Burroughs' investigations are less those of a scientist and more in the nature of an experienced and articulate observer who delights in sharing the timeless joys of birdwatching and the outdoors.

Wake-Robin - The Writings of John Burroughs. Volume I. John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the U.S. conservation movement. The first of his essay collections was Wake-Robin in 1871. In the words of his biographer Edward Renehan, Burroughs' special identity was less that of a scientific naturalist than that of "a literary naturalist with a duty to record his own unique perceptions of the natural world." The result was a body of work whose resonance with the tone of its cultural moment explains both its popularity at that time, and its relative obscurity since. Burroughs had his first break as a writer in the summer of 1860 when the Atlantic Monthly, then a fairly new publication, accepted his essay Expression. Editor James Russell Lowell found the essay so similar to Emerson's work that he initially thought Burroughs had plagiarized his longtime acquaintance. Poole's Index and Hill's Rhetoric, both periodical indexes, even credited Emerson as the author of the essay. In 1864, Burroughs accepted a position as a clerk at the Treasury; he would eventually become a federal bank examiner, continuing in that profession into the 1880s. All the while, he continued to publish essays, and grew interested in the poetry of Walt Whitman. During the Civil War Burroughs met Whitman in Washington DC, and the two became close friends. Whitman encouraged Burroughs to develop his nature writing as well as his philosophical and literary essays. In 1867, Burroughs published Notes on Walt Whitman as Poet and Person, the first biography and critical work on the poet, which was extensively (and anonymously) revised and edited by Whitman himself before publication. Four years later, the Boston house of Hurd & Houghton published Burroughs's first collection of nature essays, Wake-Robin.

Fresh Fields by John Burroughs

Riverby by John Burroughs

In the Catskills: Selections from the Writings of John Burroughs by John Burroughs

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

The Breath of Life by John Burroughs

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Excerpt: ...when to be silent,

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