Texas Natural History: A Century of Change

Texas Tech University Press, 2002. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. Association copy, inscribed on the title page: "To Barry Lopez, who knows the true meaning of natural history, in appreciation of your effort on behalf of Texas Tech. David J. Schmidly, 23 April 2002." A tome of a book at 460 pages plus appendices about environmental transformation in Texas in the 20th century. A nice association, because Barry Lopez truly was a catalyst at Texas Tech (see Kristina Butler's article for the university, "BARRY LOPEZ: LEAVING A LEGACY," May 4, 2009). Along with E.O. Wilson, he developed the university's Bachelor of Arts in Natural History and the Humanities, and in 2001 he gave his papers to the university, laying the foundation of the James E. Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community and the Natural World. He encouraged other contemporary writers to do the same, and Sowell Collection is now standout in the field of environmental literature. He was a regular and frequent visitor to Texas Tech as a visiting scholar and champion of the collection. Thus a fitting inscription. A near fine book with a gentle crease that runs across the upper corner of about the first 30 pages, otherwise fine. In a very near fine jacket with light edge wear. // Wood (+) River (=) Books specializes in ecology, natural history, nature writing, the environment, and environmental literature, with a special passion for association copies and notable inscriptions.