Also suggested by a friend from college, I decided to give Wallace Stegner a try.

Surprisingly, I hadn't ever read anything by him before. In fact, there are still some gaps in my reading list, and I'm determined to fill them.

After reading some of his works, I must say that he writes extremely well. For starters, his descriptions of the Southwest are vivid and engaging. I lived there for some time, and he truly captures the essence of the place - the unique geography, the way of life, and the differences from the East.

He also delves into how the East was attempting to replicate its own characteristics in the West, which is a fascinating aspect.

Some of his essays are better than others, and I'll admit that sometimes I get a bit bogged down in the conservation-related content. However, my favorite essays include the letter he writes to his mother, the one about George R. Stewart and America, and the exploration of the Names of America and the significance of naming.

I feel like I'm not doing justice to his words, but trust me, his writing is very good. He writes evocatively about the West and what Western literature, specifically in the Southwest, is like. It's all very interesting and has made me eager to read more of his stuff. I really liked it a lot.

I'm looking forward to exploring more of Stegner's works and seeing what else he has to offer.

Oh my, that was exquisite. What a fine, elegantly crafted, thought-provoking, and enjoyable collection of writings.

Whenever I read Stegner, I find myself thinking, afterwards, that I should read more Stegner, and there is much I haven't read. His works are like precious gems that deserve to be explored in-depth.

Conversely, at least for me, Stegner's work isn't what I want to be reading on airplanes or (jetlagged) in hotels. In those situations, greater momentum keeps the pages turning and less attention and concentration is required.

One doesn't (or shouldn't) skim Stegner. One savors Stegner. To me, Stegner is best consumed slowly, in relatively small doses. When one has the luxury of re-reading passages (sometimes aloud), tasting the lyricism, (closing your eyes and) inhaling the scents, taking off your shoes to curl your toes in the stream, or (metaphorically, thoughtfully, leisurely) staring out over an windswept plain or up at an endless sky (at least in your mind's eye).

Reviewers quirky perspective: I'm pleased and somewhat amused that, as fate would have it, I came upon and read McPhee's Encounters With The Archdruid before reading this. More broadly, in retrospect, despite that this has been on my to-read shelf for (gulp) more than a decade, I'm glad I finally picked this up now. It's as if the timing was perfect.

His journey was a remarkable one, and he was uniquely perceptive and clear about how a lifetime of influences and experiences and friendships (and, yes, losses) shaped his writing and his thinking and, well, his world.

And, at the margins, while this is not always the case, I found Watkins' Afterword a fitting coda. It's like the kind of icing on the cake that, whether one tends to lick their plate or not, it would be a shame not to consume. It adds an extra layer of depth and understanding to the whole experience of reading Stegner's works.

I’ve read a plethora of Stegner’s books. However, this particular one was not my favorite.

It was a compilation of essays that delved into the West. It explored various aspects such as the weather, the writers who have been influenced by the West, and the experience of living there.

While I have derived great enjoyment from his fiction, this collection of essays didn’t quite have the same allure for me.

Perhaps it was because I was more drawn to the fictional worlds he created and the characters that inhabited them.

Nevertheless, I still appreciate Stegner’s work and his ability to capture the essence of the West in different ways.

Even though this wasn’t my top pick, it has still added to my understanding and appreciation of his body of work.

Maybe on a different day, with a different mindset, I might view this collection of essays in a more favorable light.

But for now, I’ll continue to seek out his fictional works and see where they take me.

My father is Australian, and my mother hails from St. Louis. I spent my formative years in the Philippines. After attending college in Chicago for a few years, I had to drop out due to lack of funds. Currently, I reside in Atlanta, surrounded by immigrants and refugees. When I delved into Wendell Berry's essays on a sense of place, his ideals kindled a genuine longing within me to feel a sense of belonging. However, his example seemed absurd for me to attempt to emulate.

Stegner, who instructed Wendell Berry at Stanford, read all of his work with great seriousness and corresponded with the Kentucky farmer. He appears to share my admiration for Berry as well as my struggle with the concept of an inherited place, or a fixed piece of land or town that is passed down from one generation to the next. This is precisely why Stegner's ideas about story and place appealed to me so strongly.

He is a thinker and writer who grew up without the sort of academic or cultural foundation that would typically support his intellectual endeavors. Nevertheless, he accepted his heritage as it was, developed his identity as a thinker and storyteller, and then confronted his own history and region with clarity and elegance. I sense that the tension introduced by Berry has been somewhat alleviated in Stegner's work. This made this collection of essays, assembled late in Stegner's career, an extremely satisfying read.

Of course, aside from my personal yearning for a sense of place, there is much to admire here. Stegner's prose is beautiful, impartial, and understated, yet he manages to introduce these rich, profound ideas as he reflects on his life, the American West, and the literature that has influenced him.

This is a must-read book for those who reside in the American West. The essays within have truly broadened my perspective on the diverse cultures that exist in the West. They have allowed me to gain a more profound appreciation for the magnificent landscape. Moreover, they have affirmed my belief that perhaps not every individual who desires to live in the American West should do so. The author's connection to and admiration for Wendell Berry add an extra layer of depth and authenticity to the work. It is as if this connection seals the deal, making the book even more captivating and engaging. Whether you are a long-time resident of the American West or simply have an interest in its culture and landscape, this book is sure to provide you with valuable insights and a newfound understanding.

Stegner's writing, as always, is truly compelling and beautiful. It has a unique charm that draws readers in and keeps them engaged from start to finish. The book's primary focus is on "a sense of place" and the West. Stegner's migrant childhood, with its continual family moves, instilled in him a deep desire for settlement and stability. He found solace in his writing, using it as a means to create both. His letter to his dead mother was so moving that it brought tears to my eyes.

"Habitat," the middle portion of the book, delves into the settlement of the dry west by homesteaders in search of new lives. It not only traces his own family's mobile history but also the troubled story of the historical misuse of water and land, picking up on the works of John Wesley Powell, Marc Reisner, and many others. This section provides a fascinating look into the past and the challenges faced by those who sought to make a life in the west.

The final section contains essays about writing and writers of the western landscape and persona. It differentiates them from their eastern counterparts who lean toward European views. Stegner's insights into the unique qualities of western writing and writers are both perceptive and thought-provoking. Overall, this is another wonderful, thought-provoking Stegner masterpiece that is sure to be cherished by readers for years to come.

More excellent works come from Stegner. His writing is constantly of high quality. My interest fluctuated based on the content of each essay. The chapters about Wendell Berry were particularly enjoyable. The autobiographical aspects were revealing and captivating. I have added George R. Stewart, Walter Clark, and Steinbeck's The Long Valley to the pile.

Stegner's works offer a rich tapestry of ideas and emotions. Each essay presents a unique perspective, making it a diverse and engaging read. The Wendell Berry chapters stand out for their charm and the insights they provide into Berry's life and work. The autobiographical elements add a personal touch, allowing the reader to connect with the author on a deeper level.

Adding George R. Stewart, Walter Clark, and Steinbeck's The Long Valley to the stack only enriches the reading experience further. These works bring different voices and styles to the table, expanding the literary landscape and offering new opportunities for exploration and discovery.

This work serves as a truly tremendous leaping off point for delving into Stegner's towering meditations on the West.

It offers a profound exploration of the region, encompassing not only its people but also their troubles and the opportunities that lie before them.

What makes this even more valuable is the volume of other worthy voices that Stegner introduces to the reader.

Through his work, we are exposed to a rich tapestry of perspectives and ideas that further enhance our understanding of the West.

Whether you are a scholar of Western history or simply someone with an interest in the region, this book is an essential read.

It will take you on a journey through the heart of the West and leave you with a deeper appreciation for its complexity and beauty.

I’ve said this before, but Stegner has lines that make me say “yes, yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to say for my whole life.” His words have a profound impact on me.每当我读到他的作品，那些文字仿佛能直击我的灵魂深处。

Stegner's writing is like a mirror that reflects my own thoughts and feelings. It's as if he has tapped into the essence of what it means to be human and has expressed it in the most beautiful and poignant way.他的文字就像是一面镜子，映照出我内心深处的想法和感受。他似乎触及到了人类存在的本质，并以最美丽、最深刻的方式表达了出来。

His lines are not just words on a page; they are a source of inspiration and a reminder of the power of language.每当我读到他的那些句子，我都会被深深打动，仿佛从中汲取了无尽的力量。

Stegner's works have taught me that the written word can have a lasting impact and can touch the hearts of readers across generations.他的作品让我明白，文字的力量是无穷的，它可以跨越时空，触动每一个读者的心灵。

Stegner is truly one of my most cherished novelists. This happens to be the first collection of essays by him that I have delved into, and I was most pleasantly surprised. It bears a resemblance to Wendell Berry's "What are People For?" but with a distinct western slant. The value of this work lies not only in his letter to Berry, which is alone quite captivating, but also in his incisive analysis of "A River Runs Through It" and how the aridity of the west and the complex issue of water rights have had a profound impact on shaping the people who call that region home.

Undoubtedly, this collection may not be to everyone's taste. However, if you have an affinity for Stegner or Berry, or perhaps both, I highly recommend giving it a try. You are likely to discover a wealth of insights and perspectives that will enrich your understanding of the west and its people.

It offers a unique blend of literary prowess and social commentary, making it a worthwhile read for those interested in exploring the intersection of literature and the human experience in the western context.

This collection of essays begins with great strength, similar to any remarkable book I've come across recently.

The Introduction and the initial section of essays are extremely sharp and deeply moving, making you feel as if a new door is opening up to your understanding of America. Truly. My lifetime coincided with Wallace Stegner's for approximately 35 years, and I've lived in the same country, sometimes just miles away from where he lived.

Yet, his experience is so distinct, so intense, so lonely at times, and filled with awe of nature at other times, that it's difficult for me to believe we occupied the same space and era. His writing makes you long to live in a cabin in Montana or eastern Oregon, or wherever, if those open places still exist.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't maintain that high level throughout. Each essay is indeed very good, but there is a significant amount of repetition as he delves into his commentaries about the West and how it shaped its people.

Over and over, we read about its aridity, about the long distances visible in the clear air. About how people have to live in relatively low density due to the lack of abundant water to sustain them, and this low density means they don't develop communities in the same way as Europeans or East Coast Americans.

These are very interesting observations, but I didn't need to read them 5 or 6 times, often with the exact same phrasing. And I'm not even certain if those observations are true, despite their interesting nature. Are cities in the West really less community-oriented than those in the East? I have no idea, and I would have liked it if Stegner had quoted some actual research to prove or disprove his provocative idea.

Nonetheless, his comments are prescient in many ways. His discussions of water waste, the harm of industrial farming, the indifference of large segments of our citizens and politicians to the environment - those statements are as relevant today (or even more so) than when he wrote them 30 and 40 years ago.

It angers me that his words weren't heeded by enough people in those days to address the types of problems we still face. And when you consider our current leader, President Trump, you know it's only getting worse, as even something as mild as designations of wildlife areas are being overturned.

As Stegner would say, what's the need for coal mining or oil drilling that would bring a negligible amount of fossil fuel to the surface, in exchange for ruining an irreplaceable desert?

In the final section, Stegner writes about writers. All of these essays are enlightening, and in some cases about authors I'm not familiar with. There is again too much repetition, as Stegner repeatedly laments that "Western" writers are dismissed as cliched hacks telling cowboy tales.

But that doesn't detract from his treatment of writers from Willa Cather to Henry David Thoreau to Norman McLean to Wendell Berry and Walter Clark (I hadn't heard of those last two). And along the way, he makes some interesting and humorous observations, such as how he thinks that Cowboy Poetry, which is a "thing" in itself, is probably mostly written by non-Cowboys, but occasionally by a guy with such deep calluses that he can't make a fist.

And he writes about the environmentalist sensibilities of people like Thoreau, decades ahead of his time, or how McLean "broke every rule" of writing short stories, and yet it worked. Stegner was a rule-breaker too, and it worked for him.

So, for a good introduction to the West, the "real" West, not the fake cowboy West, this is a great place to start. And then go and pick up more of Stegner's amazing works. You'll never view the West in the same way after reading his stuff.

This lovely book reads like a love letter to the West.

Stegner vividly talks about his early years of growing up in the west. He shares the details of his education in that region and the reasons that led him to return to the west.

Moreover, he delves into the significant changes that have occurred to the vast plains due to the transient populations.

He also engages in discussions with numerous writers and artists who reside in and vividly depict the West.

Surprisingly, Charles Russell was not mentioned in the book.

Even thirty years after this book was published, unfortunately, we are still mercilessly exploiting the land.

However, Mother Earth, although patient, is slow to retaliate.

It is high time we should wake up and start treating our planet with the respect and care it truly deserves.

We need to learn from the past and take immediate actions to protect our environment for the sake of future generations.

Otherwise, we may face the severe consequences of our actions in the not-too-distant future.