One Life at A Time, Please

From stories about cattlemen, fellow critics, his beloved desert, cities, and technocrats to thoughts on sin and redemption, this is one of our most treasured writers at the height of his powers.

Warhorse, gadfly, storyteller, naturalist -- there is no simple category to contain the vibrant prose voice of Edward Abbey. And this snappy collection of essays displays the author of Desert Solitaire and The Monkey-Wrench Gang at the height of his curmudgeonry.

From stories about cattlemen, fellow critics, his beloved desert, cities, and technocrats to thoughts on sin and redemption, this is one of our most treasured writers at the height of his powers.

Library Journal

In this collection of previously published essays, Abbey writes on topics as diverse as immigration law, the nature of femininity, and the philosophy of Emerson. The book is divided into three sections: Politics, Travel, and Books and Art. Marvelous portraits of the Rio Grande and the Salmon rivers showcase Abbey's ability to evoke a feeling for the majesty of these places. His political essays are lively and provocative; those discussing books and art reveal him as one who has thought deeply about his craft. An original writer with strong convictions whose latest book is recommended for most collections. -- Randy Dykhuis, Grand Rapids P.L., Mich.

Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was born in Home, Pennsylvania. He received graduate and postgraduate degrees from the University of New Mexico, and attended the University of Edinburgh. He worked for a time as a forest ranger and was a committed naturalist and a fierce environmentalist; such was his anger, eloquence, and action on the subject that he has become a heroic, almost mythic figure to a whole host of environmental groups and literally millions of readers.

Abbey's career as a writer spanned four decades and encompassed a variety of genres, from essays to novels to this volume, which was completed two weeks before his death. One of his early successes was the novel The Brave Cowboy, which was made into the movie Lonely Are the Brave. His 1968 collection of essays, Desert Solitaire, became a necessary text for the new environmentalists, like the group 'Earth First,' and his rambunctious 1975 novel The Monkey Wrench Gang, a picaresque tale of environmental guerillas, which launched a national cult movement and sold over half-a-million copies. Other titles include The Journey Home, Fool's Progress, and the posthumously released Hayduke Lives!