Nature

The natural world, and humanity's relationship with it, is the primary focus of the collection as a whole, with each essay exploring a different aspect of that relationship.

History

Several of the essays are concerned with not so much the big events of human history, but of the evolving relationship between humanity, nature and the landscape over time.

Wild Animals

Throughout the collection, the author portrays different aspects of the relationship between humanity and wild animals, all essentially grounded in the contention he makes in "The Passing Wisdom of Birds" (Part 10), where he suggests that in spite of humanity's (best? worst?) efforts, nature will survive and ultimately thrive.

Intaglio

An intaglio is a two-dimensional representation of an animal or human created on a canvas of land. The representation can be created by carving out trenches on the land, by painting, by the placement of stones in the...