Editor John A. Murray has drawn together 29 excellent selections for this book. He begins with a piece of his own on an oasis in the Mojave which could be nicely coupled with Terry Tempest Williams on canyon frogs. Brenda Peterson marvels at whales in a nursery near Hawaii while Robert Finch ponders the mystery of stranded pilot whales on the East Coast. Three exquisite essays center on the poetics of place: Rick Bass writes about Montana, Barry Lopez about Oregon, and Deborah Tall about upstate New York. Two of the best pieces are by Richard Nelson on Native American names for places and Kate Boyes on a close encounter with a bear. All of these selections are evidence of the spiritual practice of attention.