When I first read this book I was in Sata Fe, New Mexico's public library looking for some other poetry book. When I cam across it I thumbed through it at first but then a few poems just grabbed me and I ended up reading the entire thing there in the public library. The poems are real. I like Edward Abbey's poetry because it is not so flowery and wordy that you lose the point, but just enuff. His metaphores and style of writting truley capture the sense of whatever momment he may be writting about.

After reading this collection, which serves as a retrospective of the writin career of one of the better SW writers, I was left with a feeling that the selection could have been better, but this probably reflects my own eclectic readings of his work. Abbey's writings always seemed uneven, particularly in his fiction. His comments about the role of the independent writer versus that of the commercial hired of the establishment press seems right on. In spite of his many years of part-time non-writing service to various agencies he still managed to maintain his freedom to say what he wished about the rot he saw in the management of public lands. I suspect that he was always a bit shocked about how cheaply managers of public linds could be bought off. As a review of his lifetime of writing the book is excellent. McCrae includes some of his fiction, both the excellent ("The Brave Cowboy") and only fair (The Monkey Wrench Gang"). The sampling from his writings might be occasionally dated, but are still mostly relevant to the problems of the SW. His polemic about the cowboy ("Free Speech - The cowboy ans his cow") clearly points to the problems of allowing anything like an unrestricted use of and romanticism about what can easily become an extractive industry. At the same time Abbey's followers should have a difficult time justapositionng his sense of anarchy with this complaints about the institutional anarchy of commercial capitalism. To finish. A good read and certainly worthwhile for someone new to Abbey's work while being a fair sample of his writings for a person with only a passing acquaintance with the writings of one of the West's best essayist. The closing comments in Wendell Berry's poem about his friend are most appropriate.

I've read alot of Abbey's books. His Essays are great, as are his fictional stories. HOWEVER, this novel falls far short of Abbey's earlier works. I found it to be very crude in most places, And chock full of the [people] that helped create the conditions that burned my house down this last summer.

I've met too many eco-radicals to find them amusing. I will hand it to Abbey, though - he did a great job of describing how these [people] act.

In my virulent opinion, skip this book and read ANYTHING ELSE he wrote. This book is bad.

Much as I enjoy Edward Abbey's work, I was very disappointed by this book. True, the characters are there, but nothing much happens to them. And sure, there is some monkey wrenching in defense of what is really important, but the story itself is barely there at all -- a succession of small and extraordinarily repetitive vignettes. There are humorous moments, mostly when he is poking fun at himself, but they're few and far between. Lots of sexual meandering, natural description of the Four Corners area, the usual avalances of wordplay, and some violence (most corporate, but a final Lone act that seems gratuitous). It's still Ed Abbey, but he's nowhere near his best. Given that it's only available in a pricey trade paperback, I'd skip it. The two stars are relative to his other work, not to books in general.

Abbey's final novel is a worthy sequel to the Monkey Wrench Gang. Hayduke's stunts are the most outrageous Ed has cooked up by far. The climax and the grand finale should win the approval of any true Abbey fan. HAYDUKE LIVES!

This was my first introduction to the well known author, Edward Abbey. My impression was that Abbey wrote with a strong environmental voice and was an advocate of wildlands. Instead, I read about a man who kicks animals that don't get out of his way, who drags trashed cars through the Australian outback, who tosses his empty wine bottles into remote canyons,and who expresses a superior attitude to just about everybody. His writing style is highly variable, ranging from sophomoric (usually) to pure Americana (very occasionally). When he hits the latter, he can rival Mark Twain, which is probably why he enjoys the reputation he does. However, this reputation obviously wasn't made with the essays contained in this anthology. Folks looking for an introduction to Abbey are advised to try another book.

Do not let this book be your introduction to Edward Abbey. There is plenty of brilliance here, but an established fan will be able to appreciate that brilliance best.

This collection of previously published magazine articles is vintage Abbey, alternatively moving and funny, sacred and profane, flip and dead serious (well almost) and at all times entertaining. Divided into three categories - Travel, Polemics and Sermons, and Personal History - the subjects range from the Great Barrier Reef to technology to women to Winnebagos to hallucinogenic drugs - with many stops in between. The introduction, wherein Abbey comments on nature writing - and various nature writers - is itself worth the price of admission.

The small book devotes two pages each to about three dozen authors, spiritual seekers and fictional characters. One page briefly describes the person and something about their life and philosophy; the second provides a supposedly complete list of the small number of items each person lived with or took on a trip. It's thought provoking as to how much - or how little - stuff we really need to live a good life. At the same time it's a VERY brief book that can be read in about 30 minutes. Because there is a bibliography listing one or more sources for or about each person this book might best be considered an introduction/reference for those wanting to study the philosophy of simplicity. It's also a good inspirational gift for someone who wants to simplify their life. Too bad publishers don't provide little books like this for a more reasonable price.