This book marks the first-ever history of the Gulf, and Davis, an environmental historian, more than does the narrative justice. The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea by Jack E. In her accompanying text, Sleigh traces the story of the art of natural history from the Renaissance through the great age of exploration and into the nineteenth century, offering insight into the changing connections between the natural and human worlds.” It’s filled with beautiful drawings by some of the world’s most renowned natural history illustrators (including John James Audubon himself.)įrom University of Chicago Press: “Gathering together a breathtaking range of nature illustrations from manuscripts, prints, drawings, and rare printed books from across the world, Sleigh brings us face to face (or face to tentacle) with images of butterflies, beetles, and spiders, of shells, fish, and coral polyps. The Paper Zoo: 500 Years of Animals in Art by Charlotte SleighĪ book for the coffee table that you’ll want to look at every time you sit down.

As Maclear studies the birds of her city, she learns to connect her hobby to larger ideas about art, love, and life.įrom Scribner: “If Birds Art Life was sprung from Maclear’s sense of disconnection, her passions faltering under the strain of daily existence, this book is ultimately about the value of reconnection-and how the act of seeking engagement and beauty in small ways can lead us to discover our most satisfying and meaningful lives.” If you loved H is for Hawk, then you’ll love this book. ”īirds Art Life: A Year of Observationby Kyo Maclear They reveal Emerson to be not only a master of the written word, but one of the world’s first environmentalists.įrom University of Virginia Press: “As we watch him grapple with what he called the “book of nature,” a more environmentally connected thinker emerges–a “green” Emerson deeply concerned with the physical world and fascinated with the ability of science to reveal a correspondence between the order of nature and that of the mind. Kicking off this list is a collection of little-known essays by one of the greatest nature writers of all time. The Best Read Naturalist: Nature Writings of Ralph Waldo Emersonīy Ralph Waldo Emerson Edited by Michael P. What they all share is terrific writing and fascinating insights into the natural world. Many of these works, in the great tradition of nature writing, are told in the first person.

Whether you’re looking for in-depth examinations of plants and animal species, or something more global writing that tends toward the scientific, or essays that verge into the philosophical you’ll find it on this list. In the face of some of the worst wildfires, droughts, and climate change-related devastation on record, the publishing world-including many indie and university presses-have responded with an incredible amount of nonfiction nature writing in the first half of 2017.

The Gulf by Jack Emerson Davis