Of Woods & Waters (eBook)

Since the opening of the American frontier, Kentucky's vast wilderness has cast a spell over those who have walked among the trees of its majestic forests or alongside its creeks and rivers brimming with catfish, bass, and trout. The influence of the land and the outdoors has had a significant impact on the course of the history and culture of the Bluegrass State, from the rugged mountains in the east to the calm deep waters of the western part of the state. Kentucky's forests and streams are some of the most pristine in the nation, and they have inspired artistic and literary works by such famous Americans as Daniel Boone and John James Audubon. Similarly, Kentucky writers have often expressed their attachment to their native or adopted state through their love of the land. Bringing together fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from many of the state's most famous writers, Of Woods and Waters is the first book of its kind to celebrate the Kentucky outdoors. It collects the authentic written and visual experiences of Wendell Berry, Bobbie Ann Mason, Barbara Kingsolver, Thomas D. Clark, Jesse Stuart, James Still, Harriette Arnow, Harry Caudill, Silas House, George Ella Lyon, and Robert Penn Warren, among others. A number of the pieces are original to this volume, which also includes art by Harlan Hubbard, Rick Hill, and Paul Sawyier. Featuring both established and emerging authors, Of Woods and Waters blends a range of writing styles and outdoor experiences to create a truly unique vision of Kentucky's land and life.

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"e;An insightful and varied view of Kentucky's lush landscape. . . . [Will] appeal to hunters, anglers, environmentalists."e; -Kentucky MonthlyFrom the moment Daniel Boone first "e;gained the summit of a commanding ridge, and . . . beheld the ample plains, the beauteous tracts below,"e; generations of Kentuckians have developed rich and enduring relationships with the land that surrounds them. Of Woods & Waters: A Kentucky Outdoors Reader is filled with loving tributes offered in celebration of Kentucky's widely varied environmental wonders that nurture both life and art.Ron Ellis, an outdoors enthusiast and noted writer, has gathered art, fiction, personal essays and poetry from many of Kentucky's best-known authors for this comprehensive collection. Beginning with famed illustrator John James Audubon's eloquent account of extracting catfish from the Ohio River and progressing through over fifty contributions by both established and emerging writers, Of Woods & Water covering two hundred years of hunting, fishing, camping, cooking, hiking, and canoeing in Kentucky's wilderness.With contributions from Barbara Kingsolver, Wendell Berry, Janice Holt Giles, Bobbie Ann Mason, Jesse Stuart, James Still, Robert Penn Warren, James Baker Hall, Silas House, and other esteemed authors."e;No other state offers such a variety of topics for its writers and this [anthology], which incorporates love of the land and the love of nature, is special."e; -James C. Claypool, Northern Kentucky University, author of Our Fellow Kentuckians"e;Takes your mind outside. Read enough of it and you might get out of the chair and follow."e; -Lexington Herald-Leader"e;A superb collection."e; -Louisville Courier-Journal"e;Reading Of Woods & Waters is a sensory experience. Its fine, down-home musings stay with you long after the last page is turned."e; -Murray Ledger and Times