Riverby cover

Riverby

Rating 4.0
Word count
480K words
Chapters
48

Tags

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Riverby by John BurroughsAuthor: Burroughs, John, 1837-1921,Language: English, Class: QH: Science: Natural history, Release Date: Apr 2, 2014

Editor's review

Riverby is a collection of essays by John Burroughs on natural history, titled after his home on the Hudson River. Burroughs excelled at recording the birds, animals, plants, and seasonal changes around him in meticulous, unhurried prose, turning naturalist observation into essays both informative and literary. Classified under natural science, the book does not pile up terminology; instead it leads readers into riverside daily life through a firsthand observer's eyes and conveys the pleasure of observation itself. For today's readers it is both an entry into the nineteenth-century American nature-writing tradition and a slow form of nature education: a reminder to notice seasons, sounds, and signs of life close at hand. Best read in quiet sessions, ideally paired with outdoor walks or a nature journal.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers who enjoy nature essays and naturalist writing
  • Those hoping to cultivate habits of everyday nature observation
  • Readers interested in nineteenth-century American nature literature
  • Bedtime readers seeking quiet, soothing material

Not a good fit for

  • Readers expecting a systematic natural science textbook
  • Readers who prefer fast-paced plot-driven works
  • Readers needing abundant illustrations and field-guide comparisons

Reading tips

  1. Read in scattered pieces, one essay a day, without forcing continuous completion.
  2. When you encounter a bird or plant, look up local species information for comparison.
  3. Keep a nature journal noting similarities and differences between the book's descriptions and your own observations.
  4. Read alongside a walk or window-side observation to connect textual experience with firsthand feeling.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48

FAQ

Can I read this book without a natural science background?
Yes. Burroughs's writing centers on observation and feeling and does not depend on specialized knowledge. Readers need only curiosity about nearby nature to follow his narrative into the riverside world; terminology is a minor obstacle.
What does "Riverby" refer to?
Riverby is the name of Burroughs's home on the Hudson River, and the book centers on this place and its surrounding nature. Knowing this helps in understanding the recurring riverside scenery and seasonal observations.
Is this book suitable for reading in one sitting?
Not really. It is a collection of essays, relatively independent in pieces and leisurely in pace. Slow, segmented reading better suits the nature essay's character and makes it easier to combine reading with field observation.

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About the author

John Burroughs (1837-1921) was an American nature writer. A lifelong observer of rural plants, birds, and animals, he recorded the changing seasons and his experiences in the field in essays and sketches. His style is plain and delicate, combining the accuracy of natural history with literary readability. The library holds 25 of his works, including Wake-Robin, A Year in the Fields, Riverby, Ways of Nature, Fresh Fields, Birds and Bees, Sharp Eyes, and Other Papers, and Camping with President Roosevelt. These works mostly concern birds, insects, country life, and nature observation. He often begins with ordinary natural scenes and blends personal experience with reflection on nature, in language that is simple yet warm. His writing has influenced later nature essays and ecological writing. Public information on his education, posts, and specific experiences is limited, so no speculation is offered here.

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