The Land of Little Rain (Classic, Nature, Penguin)

A stunning tribute to the savage beauty of the area known as Death Valley. To most travelers it is a parched, empty territory, unwelcoming and forgiving. In a collection of essays that date back almost a century, naturalist and writer Mary Austin (1868-1934) breathes life into the desert landscape, describing its savage beauty, its plants and animals, and the occasional human visitor. Between the high Sierras south from Yosemiteeast and south over a very great assemblage of broken ranges beyond Death Valley, and on illimitably into the Mojave Desert is the territory that Mary Austin calls the Land of Little Rain. In this classic collection of meditations on the wonders of this region, Austin generously shares such news of the land, of its trails and what is astir in them, as one lover of it can give to another. Her vivid writings capture the landscapefrom burnt hills to sun-baked mesasas well as the rich variety of plant and animal life, and the few human beings who inhabit the land, including cattlemen, miners, and Paiute Indians. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Mary Hunter Austin (1868-1934) moved with her family from Illinois to the desert on the edge of the San Joaquin Valley in 1888. In the next fifteen years she moved from one desert community to another, working on her sketches of desert and Indian life. Spending the last years of her life in Santa Fe, Austin remained a lifelong defender of Native Americans and was recoginzed as an expert in Native American poetry. The land of little rain (1903), Austin's first book, focuses on the arid and semi-arid regions of California between the High Sierras south of Yosemite: the Ceriso, Death Valley, the Mojave Desert; and towns such as Jimville, Kearsarge, and Las Uvas. She writes of the region's climate, plants, and animals and of its people: the Ute, Paiute, Mojave, and Shoshone tribes; European-American gold prospectors and borax miners; and descendants of Hispanic settlers. “Between the high Sierras south from Yosemite—east and south over a very great assemblage of broken ranges beyond Death Valley, and on illimitably into the Mojave Desert” is the territory that Mary Austin calls the Land of Little Rain. In this classic collection of meditations on the wonders of this region, Austin generously shares “such news of the land, of its trails and what is astir in them, as one lover of it can give to another.” Her vivid writings capture the landscape—from burnt hills to sun-baked mesas—as well as the rich variety of plant and animal life, and the few human beings who inhabit the land, including cattlemen, miners, and Paiute Indians. This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the original 1903 edition. Mary Austin - Land of Little Rain 1406806781......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 4 PREFACE......Page 5 THE LAND OF LITTLE RAIN......Page 7 WATER TRAILS OF THE CERISO......Page 15 THE POCKET HUNTER......Page 27 SHOSHONE LAND......Page 34 JIMVILLE A BRET HARTE TOWN......Page 41 MY NEIGHBOR'S FIELD......Page 48 THE MESA TRAIL......Page 54 THE BASKET MAKER......Page 61 THE STREETS OF THE MOUNTAINS......Page 68 WATER BORDERS......Page 75 OTHER WATER BORDERS......Page 82 NURSLINGS OF THE SKY......Page 88 THE LITTLE TOWN OF THE GRAPE VINES......Page 96 Beautiful, poetic study of the Southwestern desert. Fourteen sketches describe plants, animals, mountains, birds, skies, Indians, prospectors, towns, other features in serene, beautifully modulated prose. Desert seen as a place of rare, austere beauty that weaves a lasting spell over its inhabitants. Preface.

The first work examining life in the deserts of the American West by this well-known chronicler of Native American culture.

beautiful, Poetic Study Of The Southwestern Desert. Fourteen Sketches Describe Plants, Animals, Birds, Mountains, Indians, Prospectors, And Other Features In Serene, Beautifully Modulated Prose. Preface.

EAST away from the Sierras, south from Panamint and Amargosa, east and south many an acounted mile, is the Country of Lost Borders.