The Pine Barrens

By: John McPhee

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Most people think of New Jersey as a suburban-industrial corridor that runs between New York and Philadelphia. Yet in the low center of the state is a near wilderness, larger than most national parks, which has been known since the seventeenth century as the Pine Barrens.

The term refers to the predominant trees in the vast forests that cover the area and to the quality of the soils below, which are too sandy and acid to be good for farming. On all sides, however, developments of one kind or another have gradually moved in, so that now the central and integral forest is reduced to about a thousand square miles. Although New Jersey has the heaviest population density of any state, huge segments of the Pine Barrens remain uninhabited. The few people who dwell in the region, the "Pineys," are little known and often misunderstood. Here McPhee uses his uncanny skills as a journalist to explore the history of the region and describe the people—and their distinctive folklore—who call it home.

©1967, 1968 John McPhee (P)2023 Tantor

Great book, well read

John McPhee’s work is always good (better than good: amazing), and the reader of this volume does a great job: easy to understand, with good cadence and clear pronunciation.

Intriguing early John McPhee work

This 1960s work on a large region in New Jersey called the "Pine Barrens" has all the best characteristics of McPhee's later writings: careful research, surprising facts, dry humor, and eccentric characters. Narrator Grover Gardner does a meticulous job of presenting the book.

Top notch

I love McPhee’s writing and Gardner’s narration on this and other books is always excellent

Lovely

Of course it’s lovely—it’s John McPhee. It’s interesting, and somewhat surprising, to compare his fears for the Pine Barrens back in the 60s and 70s with the current state of the place.

Informative

A 10th generational piney learned a lot from this book. I wish there were more on this special area of New Jersey.