Nature Literature

I have compiled and categorized some of my favorite literature on wilderness philosophy, natural history and the outdoors. I have also added a section that includes many of my favorite field guides. While this list has many of my favorites it is not exhaustive. If you have any questions about any of these books please leave a comment or send me a message! Enjoy!

Non-Fiction List

I have divided the non-fiction list into three general categories. However, these categories are not exclusive and as a result there undoubtedly is overlap in many books. For example, many books that tell stories of people in the wild must venture into wilderness philosophy at some level because it is essential to the story in and of itself (e.g. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer). Nonetheless I believe the categories are helpful in delineating the general themes and content in these writings.

Nature & Wilderness Philosophy 

1. A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
2. The Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv
3. One Man’s Wilderness by Dick Proenneke
4. The Nature Principle by Richard Louv
5. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
6. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
7. The Singing Wilderness by Sigurd Olson
8. Reflections on the North Country by Sigurd Olson
9. Listening Point by Sigurd Olson
10. The Art of Seeing Things by John Burroughs
11. Walking (an essay) by Henry David Thoreau
12. Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
13. Of Wolves and Wilderness by Paul Errington

Experiences with the Wild & Natural History

1.  Into the Wild by John Krakauer
2. A Decade of the Wolf by Doug Smith
3. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
4. Journal of a Trapper by Osborne Russell
5. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
6. My First Summer in the Sierras by John Muir
7. More Readings from One Man’s Wilderness: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke by John Branson
8. The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species by L. David Mech
9. Runes of the North by Sigurd Olson
10. The Lonely Land by Sigurd Olson
11. Wild Mammals of North America : Biology, Management and Conservation by George Feldhamer, Bruce Thompson and Joseph Chapman
12. A Natural History of North American Trees by Donald Peattie
13. The Wolves of Mount McKinley by Adolph Murie
14. The Golden Spruce by John Valiant
15. Wolves on the Hunt: The Behaviors of Wolves Hunting Wild Prey by L.D. Mech, D.W. Smith and D. R. MacNulty.

Biographies

1. A Passion for Nature : The Life of John Muir by Donald Worster
2. A Wilderness Within: The Life of Sigurd F. Olson by David Backes
3. Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work by Curt Meine
4. The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley
5. Wilderness Son: A Lifetime of Experiences by Marlette Kielczewski

Fiction List

1. White Fang by Jack London
2. Call of the Wild by Jack London
3. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
4. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
5. Jim Harrison novels

*Disclaimer: I do not read much fiction so this list is small. I prefer non-fiction but am open to any works of fiction that share the sentiments and ideas that I am interested in.

Poetry

1. The Best of Robert Service by Robert Service
2. A Timbered Choir by Wendell Berry
3. The Works of T.S. Eliot – especially the Four Quartets
4. Several Poems by Robert Frost
5. New Collected Poems by Wendell Berry

Field Guides*

1. Mammal Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch
2. Animal Skulls: A Guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch
3. The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley
4. Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora
5. A Field Guide to Mushrooms by the National Audubon Society
6. Edible Wild Plants: Eastern/Central North America by Lee Allen Peterson
7. Field Guide to Wild Flowers: Eastern Region by the National Audubon Society
8. Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America by David Brandenburg and Craig Tufts
9. Eastern Trees by George Petrides, Roger Peterson and Janet Wehr

*Disclaimer: I have spent almost my entire life in the Great Lakes Region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, etc.) in North America. As such many of the field guides I use are specifically for this area. I have tried to make it clear which guides are for this particular region or for the entire North American continent.