"A lyric reflection on the nature of landscape and its power to shape the lives and syntax of men and women. Examines the work of American writers Barry Lopez, Peter Matthiessen, Terry Tempest Williams, and James Galvin, looking at how their landscapes--the Cascades, Long Island, the Colorado Plateau, and the high prairies of the Rocky Mountains--have shaped them"--Provided by publisher. Profiles of four American writers showing how they interact with the landscapes they live and write in Acknowledgments ix The Wild Music of Places: An Introduction 1(21) Blue Plateau, New South Wales The Essential Prose of Things 22(17) The Edge of the Trees 39(63) Barry Lopez McKenzie River Valley, Oregon The Long Coastline 102(48) Peter Matthiessen Sagaponack, New York The Heart of an Arid Land 150(50) Terry Tempest Williams The Colorado Plateau The Real World 200(129) James Galvin Boulder Ridge and Sheep Creek, Wyoming-Colorado Border; Iowa City, Iowa Catching the Lyric of the Country: A Conclusion 278(29) Lavender Bay and the Blue Plateau, New South Wales Bibliography Nature Writing, Other Prose, and Poetry 307(10) Scholarly Works, Texts, Guides, and References 317(12) Index 329