Aldo Leopold's odyssey /

Conservationist Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) is revered for his gorgeous prose, deep appreciation for the beauty and rightness of the living world, and profound moral sense of how we should live on the land. But the story of how this Yale-educated midwesterner become one of the nation's first professional foresters and a groundbreaking environmental educator, and developed his commonsensical land ethic, has not been fully studied until now. Ecologist Newton offers not a biography but, rather, an exacting chronicle of Leopold's intellectual and professional odyssey. Leopold conceived of the land as a fountain of energy flowing through soil (soil conversation was a primary mission), plants, waterways, animals (Leopold was an avid hunter and the nation's leading wildlife expert), and humans. He knew that to sustain land health we needed to develop an ecological conscience and fend off the industrial juggernaut. Newton's compelling and elucidating close reading of Leopold's keystone works greatly enhances our understanding of his scientific rigor, philosophical valor, and abiding sense of wonder. If only we would take his conservation ethic to heart. --Donna Seaman Copyright 2006 Booklist

Newton (research associate, dept. of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) uses past scholarship and unpublished archival materials to tell the intriguing story of how conservationist Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) formulated his philosophy of a land ethic, a concept that forms the basis of today's environmental movement. Beginning as a dissertation, the text is rich with Leopold's own words describing the people, books, and work/life experiences that molded him. Leopold learned to view the land as a dynamic operating system and recognized that all humankind must adopt this view in order to conserve resources and preserve life. He believed that wild things are important for a full life and that knowing nature transforms individuals and their relationships with the land. These ideas evolved into his seminal work, A Sand County Almanac. Although not a traditional biography, Newton's volume places Leopold in his time and discusses his roles as author, professor, father, and Wisconsin landowner. Of special interest to those already familiar with Leopold and an important addition for all environmental collections. Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley Coll., Mt. Carmel, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.