A Sand County Almanac

And Sketches Here and There

By: Aldo Leopold, Barbara Kingsolver - introduction

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's Summary

First published in 1949 and praised in the New York Times Book Review as "full of beauty and vigor and bite", A Sand County Almanac combines some of the finest nature writing since Thoreau with an outspoken and highly ethical regard for America's relationship to the land. As the forerunner to such important books as Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire, and Robert Finch's The Primal Place, this classic work remains as relevant today as it was more than 70 years ago.

©1949 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Great in some ways; in others, wtf!

First off, after I finished Sand County Almanac, I told my son, who’d recommended it to me, “I have a new favorite book.” I love the way Leopold writes, at all times mindful of the smallest details as well as how those fit into a much larger and longer story. Some have compared his writing to Thoreau’s. Nah, it’s much better than that. It’s Thoreau without the (sorry, Thoreau fans - I’m actually one of you) pretentiousness.

I do have a bone to pick though. While Campbell does a fine job reading the story, it just sounds weird coming out in a woman’s voice. It’s not just all the parts - and there are many - where Leopold is clearly expressing a man’s perspective; the whole sensibility of the book is a male perspective. I’m honestly surprised Campbell agreed to do the project.

OK, now for the wtf. As I said, this is my new favorite book, so naturally I wanted to get it in print. Just arrived today and I opened it at random to see if I recognized an old friend. I was in a section called “Arizona and the New World “. Huh? There was no such section in the book I listened to. Guess what: the current version on Audible is abridged. But wait! Doesn’t it say in the description “Unabridged Audiobook”. Yep, it sure does. Are you sitting down? Of the 224 or so pages in the printed book, about 95 are not included in the audiobook.

Want another wtf? When I told my son about all this, he was mystified. We checked his version of the book he had downloaded from Audible.com. It’s all there, the entire text. And, his version is read by Mike Chamberlain. It also turns out that version is “no longer available”.

What the heck happened? Contract dispute? Who knows? But I do know this really is not acceptable.

This is not unabridged

This is an important book. Leopold's prose is crisp and eloquent. The performance is easy to listen to. But, very disappointing, this is not an unabridged version of the book. Important and classic chapters, such as "Thinking Like a Mountain," are absent.

Missing essays!?

Disappointed after discovering several essays missing...I also found the narrator, for this particular book, an ill fit. Wish I would have found a different version, because the book itself is amazing.

Warning: Missing Important Chapters

Unfortunately this version of A Sand County Almanac is missing some of the most important parts of the original book. When I reached the end and realized that I never heard “Thinking like a mountain” I was flabergasted and confused. Why Audible would sell a version of the book that’s missing a large portion of some of the most important content is beyond me. I’m very disappointed.

This introduction ruined it

This book, the original version is one of the most important books ever written for conservation in America. This introduction shed a highly biased, highly politicized light over what was a great lesson by Aldo Leopold. Also I can't stand this woman's voice. I wish there was a different option to listen to this book on audible.

No reason for other writers intro

Why did Amazon put up a version with a high school essay on the front? The sand county almanac is great. The long intro on front written by someone else adds nothing and frames the book very poorly.

Good reader but does not include Part 2

This version does not include the second part of the book “Sketches Here and There” and skips from Part 1 straight into Part 3.

Great Book

This is missing a large section of the book. How does this happen? I would absolutely recommend this book.

One of the best books I have ever read

An important portrayal of how important and beautiful nature is. I would suggest that this book be read by every person to help them better understand and appreciate the world around them.

Great book! Bad intro

This is a great book! One that everyone needs to read. What turned me off was the political rant at the beginning, if it wasn’t for that it would have gotten a full 5 stars. LEAVE POLITICS OUT OF OUR RELAXATION TIME!