Driftwood Valley: A Woman Naturalist in the Northern Wilderness

by Theodora C. Stanwell-Fletcher

Book Overview

A pioneering woman naturalist recounts a magnificent story of adventure and survival in northern British Columbia. Winner of the John Burroughs Medal for excellence in nature writing, the book reveals... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870715240
• ISBN13: 9780870715242
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Oregon State University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Driftwood Valley ? Worth Re-Reading

I have an autographeed copy the ©1946 edition of Driftwood Valley. I had the privilege of growing up in the same rural Pennsylvania town as Ms. Fletcher. When I was a teenager, I was employed by Ms. Fletcher to clean house for her one summer while she was away. She is a very nice woman with a remarkable background. She has set aside a nature conservatory in Northeast Pennsylvania which is open to the public. She has always been active in protecting the environment and wildlife. I re-read Driftwood Valley every couple of years and just love the adventure and challenges of this true-life story. What made it even more exiting for me is that the author was from my hometown.

A Field Naturalist's Classic

I am pleased to see this book has recently been reissued. I have an old, but treasured paperback copy. The author is observant of, informative about, and acutely responsive to the environment she describes. Having experienced winters in that region I would say she is especially adept at rendering the harsh, but radiant winters.

Driftwood Valley

I read this book after finding it in a box in my parents attic at the age of ten. I have been trying to remember the title or author for years so I could read it again! This book is a magical read for anyone familiar with the ebb and flow of life in the wild. It inspired me to move to the Pacific Northwest and I am now planning my own trip to the Driftwood Valley. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors and reading about nature! Top notch!

awesome

This book is an amazing journey into the frontiers of nature, exploration and science in the 1930's.

Move Over Annie and Tell Henry David the News

Do not buy one copy of this book! When you finish you will press it on a friend, who in turn will press it on another. In a month it will be out of the county; in two out of the state. You will not see the book again and you will sorely miss it. So buy two copies: one for re-reading, one for evangelism.Driftwood Valley is easily the best book written on an outdoor theme by a woman. Why it remains buried in obscurity is a wonder. The best contemporary writing in the genre connot match it. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek comes close; but to read the two books successively is to realize the limitations of Annie Dillard. Stanwell-Fletcher stands in better company with Thoreau. In her depictions of winter life in particular she approaches the master. One is reminded constantly of "The Pond in Winter", "Brute Neighbors", and "Winter Animals". There is some of the grandeur of Thoreau's contemporary, Francis Parkman, in her prose, too, when she lifts her eye to sweep the horizens of the immense British Columbian landscape.Ultimately, this is a big, confident, heroic book. No trembler in the world's genetically reductionist sphere is Theodora Stanwell-Fletcher. She sees Heaven's glory shine, and revels in it. So will you when you read this most neglected of American masterpieces!A last note: Ms Stanwell-Fletcher is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College. I learned this from the bookjacket of the original edition I picked up for a dime at a yard sale. Having spent a year at Mount Holyoke as an exchange student, I took special heed of this and called their library seeking information. Was she still alive, etc. But no one there had heard of her! Later, a friend in South Hadley went to the alumni office, learned that she is indeed still with us, and was able to forward a fan letter to which she received a gracious thank you. I would suggest that any Holyoke grad reading this get the book, read it, contact your alma mater, and demand that they honor this lady. Ms Stanwell-Fletcher deserves it!