A Sand County Almanac
A Sand County Almanac
A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, Aldo Leopold’s superbly crafted collection of essays focusing on ecology, natural esthetics and environmental ethics has delighted and enthralled readers since its publication in 1949. A Sand County Almanac is often heralded as one of the most important books ever written about humans and the environment.
Combining his scientifically based ecological understanding of the land with his esthetics and passion for nature, Leopold provided us an ethical and philosophical basis for conserving, protecting and restoring our natural resources.
Based on his scientific understanding of land as a community, Leopold realized that if properly cared for, land could provide cultural and esthetic benefits beyond the usual economic harvest. In defining the “land ethic” he reasoned that for humankind to achieve all these benefits from land, people must not only know, but also love and respect the land as an extension of our ethics. His explanation of the need for an ecological conscience and the development of a land ethic is such a captivating and compelling way that A Sand County Almanac has inspired people around the world for over 50 years.
Reading "A Sand County Almanac"
Leopold also sensed that certain places had the capacity to quicken the pulse. One of his biographers, Dr. Susan Flader, explains in her introduction to The Sand County of Aldo Leopold:
“His acquisition of a worn out, abandoned sand farm in 1935 initiated a different relationship with the land, at once more personal and more universal. From his own direct participation in the life of the land he came to a deeper appreciation of the ecological, ethical and aesthetic dimensions of the land relationship, and from that experience evolved a sense of place that required a word richer than land. He called it country.”
In his writing and philosophy Aldo Leopold left us a legacy that has the capacity to strengthen the commitment of people to care for their “country.” Thanks to the generous support and cooperation of the Leopold family, the Aldo Leopold Foundation and Oxford University Press we can provide copies of A Sand County Almanac to educators at reduced prices for educational use.
We encourage you to read and enjoy A Sand County Almanac, to strive for a land ethic and to care for your “country”.
