A SAND COUNTY ALMANAC

'''A Sand County Almanac''' is a 1949 book by American ecologist and environmentalist Aldo Leopold. It was edited and published by his son, Luna, a year after Leopold's death from a heart attack. It is considered to be a landmark book in the conservation movement, describing the lands around Leopold's home in Sauk County, Wisconsin, and his thoughts on developing a "Land Ethic."
The book has had over 2 million copies printed and has been translated into nine languages.^[1]

Contents

Overview

References

Overview

In the original publishing, the books begins with the actual "Sand County Almanac," which is divided into twelve segments -- one for each month. There are anecdotes and observations about flora and fauna's reactions to the seasons as well as mentions of conservation topics. The second section of the book, "Sketches Here and There," discusses a few other wildernesses in the Canada, Mexico, and the United States and how conservation, or lack thereof, affects them.
The book ends with "Land Ethic," which is Leopold's plan for conservation. Leopold's idea is that that land is not a commodity to be possessed; rather, humans must have mutual respect for Earth in order to not destroy it. He also puts forth the idea that humans will never be free if they have no wild spaces in which to roam.

References

1. The Aldo Leopold Foundation's site on the ''Almanac''