Description
By: Mary Hunter Austin (1868-1934)
The Land of Little Rain is a beautifully written and vividly descriptive book that paints a vivid picture of the harsh yet awe-inspiring landscape of the American Southwest. Mary Hunter Austin’s lyrical prose captures the rugged beauty of the desert, its flora and fauna, and the people who make their homes in this challenging environment.
The book is a love letter to the land, celebrating its resilience and diversity. Austin’s deep connection to the natural world shines through on every page, as she explores the interplay between humans and nature, and the ways in which they shape each other.
The Land of Little Rain is not just a work of natural history, but a reflection on the human experience and our place in the world. Austin’s keen observations and poetic insights invite readers to see the desert in a new light, to appreciate its unique beauty and importance.
Overall, The Land of Little Rain is a timeless classic that celebrates the enduring power and beauty of the natural world. It is a must-read for anyone who appreciates nature writing and wants to deepen their understanding of the American Southwest.
Book Description:
The Land of Little Rain is a book of sketches which portray the high desert country of southern California, where the Sierras descend into the Mojave Desert. Mary Austin finds beauty in the harsh landscape: “This is the sense of the desert hills–that there is room enough and time enough. . . The treeless spaces uncramp the soul.” Her story begins with the water trails that lead toward the few life giving springs–the way marked for men by ancient Indian pictographs. Life and death play out at these springs. Rabbits fall prey to the coyote; buzzards hang heavily in the sky above. She then writes of individuals who eke out their living in this land of scarce resources–an itinerant gold prospector, a sheepherder, a blind Indian basket maker. Austin’s spare prose creates unforgettable vignettes: “Choose a hill country for storms. . . I remember one night of thunderous rain made unendurably mournful by the houseless cry of a cougar whose lair, and perhaps his family, had been buried under a slide of broken boulders . . .” Anyone who sees beauty in the Southwestern deserts, or who just enjoys good nature writing, will savor The Land of Little Rain. (
