Encompassing Nature: A Sourcebook

Encompassing Nature is the first anthology of nature writing to include representative works from the world's myriad cultures Since ancient times, human cultures have invented literary forms and traditions to express the mysteries and delights of living on earth. Charting the history of these forms, Encompassing Nature reveals that nature writing as a literary genre predates the nineteenth- century influences we associate with Wordsworth and Thoreau. Encompassing Nature begins with the myths and songs of ancient civilizations. It concludes with writers in the Western tradition, such as Gilbert White, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and William Bartram-the historical moment where other anthologies of nature writing only begin. With broad vision and intellectual scope, Robert Torrance assembles a wealth of texts in an encyclopedic anthology that will stand both as an authoritative reference work and as an illuminating book of sheer joy.