On the Edge of the Wild: Passions and Pleasures of a Naturalist

Steve Bodio is one of my favorite nature writers, so I'll say I'm prejudiced. Yet the reason I am so impressed by his writing is that, besides his great love and knowledge of his subject, and the beautiful balance between his scientific, non-anthropomorphic attitude and touchingly personal bits,- Steve is a lyrical, artistic writer. What an exceptional combination! He is not afraid to deliver his Self, across the board, as far as I can tell. He's not writing for anyone but himself, really. And maybe the animals,or rather Nature. This book, like his others, does not fail to deliver the full banquet of naturalist type info, history, geography, and whatever else touches him most deeply, be it in the heart or mind or soul. You will come away with some of Steve's inspiration on reading this book; that's what I consider to be the true objective for producing art,to spread the inspiration. The world rarely sees such effective rendering in the genre Steve writes in.

Stephen Bodio presents a compelling,thoughtful series of essays mostly about New Mexico and the western backcountry. This is the southwest one does not learn about from the tourist guides, nor the resort towns. I have walked thousands of miles of "Bodio Country" and his insights of the land and its people are quite poignant.