Round River

If your only other exposure to Aldo Leopold is through his Sand County Almanac, this book will likely be a departure from your perception of him. Aldo Leopold was a practicing conservationist; he sustainably extracted valuable things from the land, and gave back to the land in other ways to repay his debt. With the possible exception of wilderness protection, he didn't subscribe to the "hands-off" approach of environmentalism that is often advocated today. He used to say any experience that reminded us of our "dependency on the soil-plant-animal-man food chain" was a valuable one. Through his journal entries, the reader will follow Aldo on hunting and fishing trips. His entries here are more direct and less philosophical than his Almanac entries. They are the sharp and admiring field observations of a man taking part in all that the land has to offer. It is campfire talk with the most influential conservationist of our time.

Leopold's essay, "Goose Music" is a classic must read. Too bad this chapter was left out of the anniversary edition of Leopold's Sand County Almanac.