Aldo Leopold is widely admired for his contribution to the modern conservation movement and his seminal work, "A Sand County Almanac." In my own profession (wildlife ecology and management), it seems like a Leopold quotation carries the ultimate weight of authority (and they're much more common, since Meine and Knight's collection, "The Essential Aldo Leopold," came out).

For many years I admired the wise, kind-hearted old man who wrote The Almanac. Aldo Leopold became the most exalted member of my personal pantheon of saints. Aldo Leopold became inspiration incarnate, but lost his humanity in the process. He could do no wrong.

Then I read Curt Meine's biography. Leopold's famous essay, "Thinking Like a Mountain," chronicles only one of the many lessons learned in a life filled with equal parts reckless bravado and deep introspection. Leopold launched his career as a fortunate son, cocksure and itching to change the world, only to learn that real change takes patience, commitment, hard work, compassion, and an open mind willing to learn. Sound familiar?

I read Curt Meine's biography before I read Marybeth Lorbiecki's "Fierce Green Fire." To be honest, I enjoyed both, but found Meine's biography to be more fulfilling. If you want to understand where the Land Ethic really came from, pick up "His Life and Work."

If "Sand County Almanac" was your first taste of Leopold, you'll want to read Curt Meine's book. It's one of those books that you can't put down (if you are a true Leopold fan - if you're not - don't bother, you wouldn't appreciate it!

In The Conference Board's magazine, "Across the Board," in a Nov/Dec 2000 article on the best business books read over the past year, I wrote:

"Over the past couple of years, I must have read 10 to 20 management books every month. Unfortunately, before long, many of these titles start reading the same, hoping to capitalize on the management trend of the moment. But every once in a while a book comes along that includes unique and clear-headed thinking and writing. When I was working on an article about environmental ethics in business, I came across a new collection of the writings of Aldo Leopold, the legendary conservationist of the 1930s and 1940s perhaps best known for A Sand County Almanac. Edited by Curt Meine and Richard L. Knight, The Essential Aldo Leopold: Quotations and Commentaries is not, strictly speaking, a business book, but contained here in many previously unpublished observations are the thoughts and ideas of a natural (in all senses of the word) manager. Leopold was a rare combination of someone who saw the need for conserving nature, but who also understood and encouraged experiencing the beauty and functionality of the outdoors." --Across the Board, Nov/Dec 2000

One of my favorite quotes of Leopold's from this collection:

"Relegating conservation to government is like relegating virtue to the Sabbath. Turns over to professionals what should be daily work of amateurs."

Aldo Leopold was the author of "A Sand County Almanac" and one of the most influential conservationists of his day. In The Essential Aldo Leopold, Curt Meine and Richard Knight have collaborated to assembled a comprehensive collections of quotations from Leopold's extensive and diverse writings. These gems of wisdom, insight, and encouragement are organized in twenty-one chapters under the broad themes of conservation science and practice, conservation policy, conservation and culture. Each chapter begins with an introductory essay by a prominent conservation scholar to provide the reader with perspective on Leopold's numerous and varied contributions. The Essential Aldo Leopold is an essential, core title for any personal, academic, and professional environmental and conservation studies collection, and highly recommended reading for all Aldo Leopold admirers within the modern conservation movement.

... Most of us, having reached seventy plus find it easy to remember details half a century earlier even when we can't remember where we put our glasses five minutes ago... so it was with Joseph DeVivo when he sat down at a picnic table in the garage of his New Castle, Pennsylvania home to remember his youth for grandson Curt Meine,, In great and vivid detail he described his life as a little Italian mountain boy, up to and including the touching farewell to his village as he headed for Naples and a ship to America...this narrative is simple and straightforward and the reader gets a feel for what life was like for this little boy so very long ago.. De Vivo died in 1993 at the age of 90.. You sense the joy of the interviewer for taking the time to sit and listen and record the memories of his grandfather..after finishing this very small book, the reader wishes, too, he had taken the time to listen and record memories of his elders.

From the beautifully designed cover, to the many stories of wonder, adventure, and hardship, "Peppino" takes you into the intimate theatre of Joseph Devivo's memory. Before you've reached the end, you've grown protectively close to 'lilla' Peppino. And, the nostalgic scenes from his boyhood in rural Italy and industrial America have filled your heart.

I think it's a great gift book and a great quick read. The only problem is that you'll find yourself wanting more.

It has inspired me to record the stories of my own grandparents.

This book is a treasure. Congratulations to Curt Meine for his decision as a young student to interview his grandfather for an oral history project and then to put Peppino's endearing stories together in this beautifully illustrated and handsomely produced slim volume. I am a native of New Castle, Pa., and even though I
haven't lived there for years, I make periodic visits to relatives and still know the DeVivo family, so a reader might assume my comments are biased. But I believe Peppino surely has popular appeal, and anyone reading it will love it as I did.