Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work

Preface to the 1988 Edition

Preface to the 1988 Edition I FIRST learned of Aldo Leopold the same way so many others have: a friend told me that I ought to read A Sand County Almanac. I did not know at the time that the book was considered a classic in environmentalliterature , nor was I aware of Leopold's considerable fame and accomplishments within the conservation movement. I never did finish the book that first time around. I was impressed by Leopold's obvious skills as a naturalist, and I sympathized in a vague way with his outlook, but his writing was just not of the sort that appealed to me at the time. I returned to the book in a roundabout fashion. My latent interest in the outdoors had led me into graduate studies in the history of conservation . When the time came for me to choose a thesis topic, I decided to investigate the development of Leopold's oft-quoted essay "The Land Ethic." That thesis led, in turn, to an opportunity to write a full biography of Leopold. Although long revered as one of conservation's foremost figures, Leopold has not until now been the subject of a comprehensive biography. Because this is the first such attempt, I have tried to present a solid account of Leopold's life and work that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike. For forty years Leopold has been known to the public mainly as the poet of Sand County fame. This is appropriate enough, but relatively few realize that behind the poetry there was a man whose deeds were at least as noteworthy as his words. Accordingly, I have tried to present the whole Leopold: wordsmith, scientist, activist, thinker, outdoorsman, and family man. The range of Leopold's experience was immense, and I cannot claim to have explored every corner and covert of his life in ultimate detail, but I have tried to tell his story as fairly, accurately, and completely as possible. A biography of Leopold must, as a matter of course, be more than just one man's story. It must also, by virtue of Leopold's deep involvement in so many phases of twentieth-century conservation, be a personal history of the conservation movement in America. At every juncture, it seems, we XXXlll Preface to the I988 Edition find Leopold at the cutting edge of conservation activity and environmental thought. His actions and ideas defined the basic issues that challenged conservation in his time-and continue to do so in ours. Still, I hope the reader will remember that there were many others at work in these fields, and that a biography can necessarily focus on only One. For those interested in further exploration, the bibliography may provide some starting points. Every biographer faces the challenge of maintaining a critical view of one's subject. Fortunately, I have been able to turn to Leopold's own high standards of critical thought for assurance. He, of all people, would have protested a study that was either too hard or too soft on its subject. Leopold once defined an ecologist as one who is "skillful in seeing facts, ingenious in forming hypotheses, and ruthless in discarding them when they don't fit." Those criteria suffice, I think, to define successful scholarship in any field, in history as well as science. I hope the reader will come away from this book with a greater understanding of a man whose work has enriched us all, and whose legacy grows only more important with time. I hope, too, that the reader will gain, through Leopold's experience, a deeper appreciation of the changes that have taken place, and continue to take place, on the face of the American land - across the breadth of the continent as well as in our own backyards. His was only one life, but it contained significant passages from the American drama, and exemplified that creative tension between the Old World and the wilderness which has played such a crucial role in the formation of our nation's character. The history and geography of this continent shaped Leopold's life unmistakably; his life, in turn, tells us much about how we have defined ourselves, and our land. As we continue that process of definition, perhaps Leopold's insights may add to our understanding , our appreciation, and our sense of wonder. June 3, I987 Madison, Wisconsin XXXiV ...