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Wheaton College professor John Kricher presents an absorbing analysis of the diverse ecosystems that exist on Planet Earth. He provides a factual study of the many fragile and threatened portions of our biosphere while describing the interaction between each system and the effect of man's presence in these ecosystems. Professor Kricher also explains the amazing variety of flora and fauna that inhabit the individual ecosystems and addresses current ecological issues facing mankind.

This essay was presented as a lecture by Thoreau in his later years, but only published after his death. It's best known for its quote "In wildness is the preservation of the world", which has become a rallying cry of the environmental movement. But Thoreau means much more by the phrase then most of his modern admirers realise. "Wildness" is Nature itself, and humankind is seen as an aspect or manifestation of Nature; the rules that apply to one apply to the other.

The Blazed Trail is the story of early lumbermen in the northern woods of Michigan. The novel portrays the challenges faced by the workers focusing on one, Harry Thorpe, as he endeavors to be successful though completely unskilled when he enters the woods. The author mixes the splendor of nature with suspense, danger, and romance and provides glimpses into corrupt practices in the lumber industry at the time.