AMERICAN NATURE WRITING 1994 edited by...

AMERICAN NATURE WRITING 1994 edited by John A. Murray (Sierra Club Books: $12; 229 pp., paperback original). This volume marks the debut of an annual collection of essays “by new and distinguished voices.” The most resonant entries are from familiar authors: Rick Bass calls for a ban on logging in the Yaak Valley of Montana with his familiar, eloquent passion; Barry Lopez deftly juxtaposes memories of apartment life in Manhattan and camping trips near the Grand Canyon. Among the new contributors, Sherry Simpson vividly describes the fear she felt watching a biologist tag anesthetized bears in Alaska. On the down side, Russell Chatham’s account of salmon fishing in Iceland conflicts with spirit of the anthology, while Jennifer Brice’s attempt to mythologize her pregnancy seems pretentious and artsy.