Wolves and honey : a hidden history of the natural world

A journey through upstate New York’s Finger Lakes: “One of those rare nature books that mix a perfect combination of personal insight and historical depth” (USA Today). “The Finger Lakes region of western New York is remote from much of the state, and, unlike the Hamptons, the Catskills, and the Adirondacks, was never really settled by summer people. It is nevertheless a beautiful and somewhat mysterious part of America—with long, clean lakes, hidden valleys, and towns bearing Greek names like Hector and Ithaca—and was the birthplace of Mormonism, spiritualism, and the American women’s-suffrage movement. Morrow grew up in Geneva, at the north end of Seneca Lake (where F. Scott Fitzgerald’s doomed Dick Diver ended up). Her short, affecting book is partly a memoir recalling the habits of bees, the return of wolves, and ‘a life spun together through layers of sense impressions,’ and also a meditation on the outdoors that evokes ‘the smell of damp earth, the sweetness of maples and pines . . . as though it were freedom itself.’” —The New Yorker “Her ruminations are loosely based on her memories of two men—one a trapper, the other a beekeeper—whose ability to connect with nature had a profound influence on the way she views the world. In a poetic narrative, she contemplates the natural history of the area and tells of the people who have inhabited it—the Seneca, spiritualists, fur traders, artists, scholars, scientists and nurserymen . . . Morrow’s language is rich and sensuous.” —Publishers Weekly “A riveting compendium of observations from a very curious, very interesting mind.” —The Boston Globe

one Seeks For Words Worthy Of The Authenticity And Intimacy Of This Beautiful Book. It Is A Treasury Of Perceptions, Tender And Unsparing, Of Our Planetary Existence; A Sensual Affinity With All That Grows, Flourishes, And Dies—conveyed In A Clear Voice Unlike Any Other.—shirley Hazzard

an Arresting Reflection On The Human Relationship With Nature, Wolves And Honey Is Grounded In The Exploration Of Two Eccentric Personalities—one A Trapper, The Other A Beekeeper—and Their Very Different Attitudes Toward The World. While Illuminating Her Own Poignant Relationships With These Men Who Deeply Influenced Her, Susan Brind Morrow Offers A Meditation On The Land Itself—specifically, The Rich And Storied Finger Lakes Region Of New York. Keenly Attuned To Unexpected Scientific, Historical, And Metaphorical Connections, Morrow's Writing Provides A Strikingly Original Perspective On The Fine But Resilient Threads That Bind Us All To The Natural World.

beautifully Crafted Prose . . . Trac[es] The Rich Histories Of Two Men—one A Beekeeper, The Other A Trapper . . . One Of Those Rare Nature Books That Mixes A Perfect Combination Of Personal Insight And Historical Depth.—usa Today

a Riveting Compendium Of Observations From A Very Curious, Very Interesting Mind . . . Morrow Manages Paragraphs As Poets Manage Line Breaks.—boston Globe

a Meditation On The Outdoors That Evokes 'the Smell Of Damp Earth, The Sweetness Of Maples And Pines . . . As Though It Were Freedom Itself.'—the New Yorker

so Venerably Beautiful It Makes Your Teeth Ache.—kirkus Reviews

susan Brind Morrow Is The Author Of The Names Of Things.

Susan Brind Morrow brings her singular sensibility as a classicist and linguist to this strikingly original reflection on the fine but resilient threads that bind humans to the natural world. Anchored in the emblematic experiences of a trapper and a beekeeper, Wolves and Honey explores the implications of their very different relationships to the natural world, while illuminating Morrow’s own poignant experience of the lives and tragic deaths of these men who deeply influenced her.
Ultimately for Morrow these two—the tracker and trapper of wolves, the keeper of bees—are a touchstone for a memoir of the land itself, the rich soil of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York. From the ancient myth of the Tree of Life to the mysterious reappearance of wolves in the New York wilderness, from the inner life of the word “nectar,” whose Greek root (“that which overcomes death”) reveals our most fundamental experience of wonder, to the surprising links between the physics of light and the chemistry of sweetness, Morrow’s richly evocative writing traces startling historical, scientific, and metaphorical resonances.
Wolves and Honey, attuned to the connections among various realms of culture and nature, time and language, jolts us into thinking anew about our sometimes neglected but always profound relationship to the natural world.

Susan Brind Morrow brings her singular sensibility as a classicist and linguist to this strikingly original reflection on the fine but resilient threads that bind humans to the natural world. Anchored in the emblematic experiences of a trapper and a beekeeper, Wolves and Honey explores the implications of their very different relationships to the natural world, while illuminating Morrow's own poignant experience of the lives and tragic deaths of these men who deeply influenced her. Ultimately for Morrow these two - the tracker and trapper of wolves, the keeper of bees - are a touchstone for a memoir of the land itself, the rich soil of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York. From the ancient myth of the Tree of Life to the mysterious reappearance of wolves in the New York wilderness, from the inner life of the word “nectar," whose Greek root (“that which overcomes death") reveals our most fundamental experience of wonder, to the surprising links between the physics of light and the chemistry of sweetness, Morrow's richly evocative writing traces startling historical, scientific, and metaphorical resonances. Wolves and Honey, attuned to the connections among various realms of culture and nature, time and language, jolts us into thinking anew about our sometimes neglected but always profound relationship to the natural world Susan Brind Morrow brings her singular sensibility as a classicist and linguist to this strikingly original reflection on the fine but resilient threads that bind humans to the natural world. Anchored in the emblematic experiences of a trapper and a beekeeper, the book explores the implications of their very different relationships to the natural world, while illuminating Morrow's own poignant experience of the lives and tragic deaths of these men who deeply influenced her. Ultimately for Morrow these are a touchstone for a memoir of the land itself, the rich soil of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York. From the ancient myth of the Tree of Life to the mysterious reappearance of wolves in the New York wilderness, from the inner life of the word "nectar," to the surprising links between the physics of light and the chemistry of sweetness, Morrow's evocative writing traces startling historical, scientific, and metaphorical resonances A stirring, insightful memoir of a beekeeper and a trapper explores the fragile relationship between humanity and the natural world, taking readers deep into the heart of the Finger Lakes Region of New York.