Nature Beyond Solitude

Notes from the Field

By: John Seibert Farnsworth

Narrated by: John Patrick Walsh

John Seibert Farnsworth's delightful notes are not only about nature but from nature as well.

In Nature Beyond Solitude, he lets us peer over his shoulder as he takes his notes. We follow him to a series of field stations where he teams up with scientists, citizen scientists, rangers, stewards, and grad students engaged in long-term ecological study, all the while scribbling down what he sees, hears, and feels in the moment. With humor and insight, Farnsworth explores how communal experiences of nature might ultimately provide greater depths of appreciation for the natural world.

In the course of his travels, Farnsworth visits the Hastings Natural History Reservation, the Santa Cruz Island Reserve, the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, the North Cascades Institute's Environmental Learning Center, and more.

©2020 Cornel University (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Camp is a four letter word!

I like nature. I like to look at nature through the glass of my car window or from a lovely hotel room. Yet, I was captured by Farnsworth‘s dedication and curiosity in the field. Thank God he ventured into the poison oak for me, because (even though to an outdoor-wimp like me, parts of it seemed like a horror movie), it felt like I was the one making some of these fascinating discoveries!

Inspiring story and informative narrative

I love how John wove his deep knowledge of nature into a compelling story. Clearly demonstrated how the more you know the greater the appreciation of our natural world. I will definitely be paying more attention to birds and their behaviors.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who appreciates nature and will enjoy the journey that John takes us on.