[ebooks] Fingerpicking Gospel by Hal Leonard Corp. at Arts-Photography

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Peter W.Fascinating10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Rambles in The Wildest Place on EarthBy Thomas ConuelJohn Hanson Mitchell has spent the past two decades prowling a square mile or so of suburban woods and fields in Eastern Massachusetts; searching for its past and speculating on its future; and in the process producing 4 books (Ceremonial Time; Living At the End of Time; Walking Toward Walden; and Trespassing) dealing with the nature of place and its affect on the people who live there. His latest book; The Wildest Place on Earth; may at first glance seem; if not exactly a detour; at least a stroll down a side street; away from his favorite square mile of land known as Scratch Flat; but read on and you will find that Mitchell is once again exploring in small spaces.In The Wildest Place on Earth; Mitchell sets out to discover the nature of the American wilderness and the influence of Italy�s tamed landscapes on the American experience. In a series of rambles that span decades and move effortlessly from the history of Renaissance gardens to American conservationists; and the Hudson River school of landscape painters to encounters in America�s overcrowded and over-loved wilderness parks; Mitchell pokes and prods and writes of the past. This book is part travelogue; and part informed speculation as Mitchell comes to realize that wilderness is perhaps more a concept than a true reality for most of us; and that the wildest place on earth may be his own somewhat haphazardly planned backyard garden that has grown over the past decade into a lush and relaxing presence.Mitchell writes much in this book about the Greek and Roman myths and how they influence; even to this day; what we see and feel as wilderness. The god Pan is always present; and the history of mazes and labyrinths makes for some fascinating side trips through Italy. If you are looking for a few good modern-day gardening stories; he supplies those as well.The editor of the Massachusetts Audubon magazine Sanctuary and the winner of the 1994 John Burroughs essay award and the 2000 New England Bookseller�s Award; Mitchell is a graceful stylist who will win you over as he rambles an speculates�much like a close friend who you may not always agree with; but you can�t stop listening to those provocative opinions.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. In search of the spirit of the wildernessBy Valerie Fletcher AdolphThis book is a pilgrimage. Not a linear pilgrimage that sets off from a given point and progresses towards a distant goal; but a pilgrimage through a labyrinth or maze - a circular pilgrimage; if you will.The writer; a naturalist with a home and garden in eastern Massachusetts; is at home also in the wilderness of the western United States as well as in thr historic gardens of Italy. He traces for the reader the influence that the great gardens of Italy; part cultivated; part bosky wilderness; have had on the development of both the gardens and the wilderness of the U.S. But the book is not so simple and direct. Through it runs the theme of the labyrinth; its symbolism of the complexities of nature; its paradoxes; twists and turns.The true spirit of wildness is seldom to be found; the writer says; in our large "wilderness" parks polluted by ATVs; rangers and over-run camp sites. Human connection with the land is most strongly felt in our gardens - not the front yard with its neatly mowed lawn and well-pruned foundation planting but a truly creative garden with wild spaces and vistas that welcome wild creatures. We can save some land from developers; build small parks; add in gardens with their boskyness (lovely word; that) and create our own web of wilderness even in our most built up areas;Did the nature god Pan die with the birth of Christianity and the idea of dominion over all the creatures of the earth? The writer is optimistic that he did not and that the true spirit of nature can be revived; one natural garden space at a time.This is the work of a respected nature writer who is stringing together ideas about wilderness and gardens loosely and creatively. It is both evocative and provocative; a mental ramble for an open and enquiring mind.