The Pine Barrens

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Summary: Wonderful, accessible, insightful
Review: This classic wonderfully explores this hidden part of New Jersey.

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Summary: Charming and Informative
Review: This is not the kind of book I normally read but, since it is being promoted by the NJ Library Association and the NJ State Library as the One Book New Jersey selection for 2004, and I am a New Jersey librarian, I felt I ought to. Having said that, and having read the book, I must say that those librarians who lobbied for The Pine Barrens, certainly chose wisely. The book is utterly charming. Mr. McPhee's prose style is elegant in an unshowy way and thoroughly engaging. I felt as if I was gliding through the book and picking up the most interesting information about the Pine Barrens and its inhabitants along the way. I can't imagine anyone not liking this book.

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Summary: http://www.telson.net/nj_devil.htm
Review: This is the most fascinating book on perhaps one of the largest remaining unspoiled wilderness areas in the US. The New Jersey Pine Barrens, famous for The Jersey Devil - the monster of ill-repute for which the hockey team was named - I love the Pine barrens, and I love this book. Visit our web site for photos taken there, and to see preview of The MidAtlantic Trailblazer - a GPS Trail guide - a book I wrote which covers the Pine barrens as one of the topics in the TREK section --- http://www.telson.net

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Summary: The Biggest Secret Between NYC and Philly
Review: When I was growing up in New Jersey, people occasionally spoke of "The Pines", a mysterious forest to the south that was home to an asylum where escapees roamed and murdered unsuspecting travelers. McPhee not only explains the origins of this half-myth, he also divulges numerous other secrets about the the New Jersey pine barrens and their fascinating inhabitants, affectionately known as "Pineys." This remarkable and enormous wilderness area lies directly between New York and Philadelphia and, incredibly, remains undeveloped, but it's full of history and a wealth of extraordinary flora and fauna. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to New Jersey-ites and anyone else interested in unique natural places.

Rating:
Summary: A snapshot of nature, now passing
Review: While John McPhee's best known bit of nature writing is his tribute to Alaska, "Coming into the Country", before it he wrote "The Pine Barrens". The Pine Barrens were a chunk of New Jersey (!) that was mostly unspoiled sandy woodlands in 1968. Filled with colorful folks, and even more colorful tradition, the Barrens were a retreat for those who knew to escape to them from the cities that surrounded it. Now, alas, development has slunk deep into the Barrens, were there was once dirt roads and craftsmen still making bark canoes, now there are commuter suburbs with cutesy names like "Piney Haven". Please don't think that the book isn't worth your time, just because most of what it describes has passed. The genius of McPhee is that his prose is so wonderfull and timeless, that the people and places of the Pine Barrens still live in the book. Read it, and resolve to maintain the little slice of nature near you that is still there. Don't know where it might be? This book will inspire you to find it, around the corner and back behind something. When you find it, you'll know it, and you'll want to help it survive.

Rating:
Summary: A snapshot of nature, now passing
Review: While John McPhee's best known bit of nature writing is his tribute to Alaska, "Coming into the Country", before it he wrote "The Pine Barrens". The Pine Barrens were a chunk of New Jersey (!) that was mostly unspoiled sandy woodlands in 1968. Filled with colorful folks, and even more colorful tradition, the Barrens were a retreat for those who knew to escape to them from the cities that surrounded it. Now, alas, development has slunk deep into the Barrens, were there was once dirt roads and craftsmen still making bark canoes, now there are commuter suburbs with cutesy names like "Piney Haven". Please don't think that the book isn't worth your time, just because most of what it describes has passed. The genius of McPhee is that his prose is so wonderfull and timeless, that the people and places of the Pine Barrens still live in the book. Read it, and resolve to maintain the little slice of nature near you that is still there. Don't know where it might be? This book will inspire you to find it, around the corner and back behind something. When you find it, you'll know it, and you'll want to help it survive.

Rating:
Summary: A snapshot of nature, now passing
Review: While John McPhee's best known bit of nature writing is his tribute to Alaska, "Coming into the Country", before it he wrote "The Pine Barrens". The Pine Barrens were a chunk of New Jersey (!) that was mostly unspoiled sandy woodlands in 1968. Filled with colorful folks, and even more colorful tradition, the Barrens were a retreat for those who knew to escape to them from the cities that surrounded it. Now, alas, development has slunk deep into the Barrens, were there was once dirt roads and craftsmen still making bark canoes, now there are commuter suburbs with cutesy names like "Piney Haven". Please don't think that the book isn't worth your time, just because most of what it describes has passed. The genius of McPhee is that his prose is so wonderfull and timeless, that the people and places of the Pine Barrens still live in the book. Read it, and resolve to maintain the little slice of nature near you that is still there. Don't know where it might be? This book will inspire you to find it, around the corner and back behind something. When you find it, you'll know it, and you'll want to help it survive.