Lost Woods: The Discovered Writing of Rachel Carson

By Rachel Carson

Discover the previously uncollected works of the author of the environmental classic  Silent Spring—considered one of the best nature writers of the 20th century.

"Lyric, descriptive, informative, and moving."—The New York Times

When Rachel Carson died of cancer in 1964, her four books, including the environmental classic Silent Spring, had made her one of the most famous people in America. This anthology of previously uncollected writings is a priceless addition to our knowledge of Rachel Carson, her affinity with the natural world, and her life. 

Featuring nature writing, speeches, field notebook passages, and letters, this collection is an invaluable insight to Carson's thought and philosophy and a treasure trove for environmentalists.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9780807095447

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson (1907–1964) spent most of her professional life as a marine biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. By the late 1950s, she had written three lyrical, popular books about the sea, including the best-selling The Sea Around Us, and had become the most respected science writer in America. She completed Silent Spring against formidable personal odds, and with it shaped a powerful social movement that has altered the course of history.

Reviews for Lost Woods

[bezoar44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A well-chosen collection of writings of Rachel Carson, spanning her career and offering insight into her development as an ecologist, writer, and advocate. The selections include articles, personal letters, book prefaces, public speeches, and excerpts from Carson's field notebooks. Many of the pieces themselves are slightly formal in style - the descriptions of natural habitats are lyric; virtually all offer incisive observations about the natural world. Editor Linda Lear, who has published a biography of Carson (Witness for Nature), prefaces each selection with an explanatory note; these are thoughtful and nuanced, and place the collected passages in their historic and biographical contexts. It's amazing and somewhat distressing to realize how many of the warnings Carson offered (about the destruction of habitats, the indiscriminate release of man-made chemicals into the environment, and the danger of relying on industries to fund or disclose research into the impacts of their products) remain as sharply relevant now as when she wrote or said them 50+ years ago.