The Land of Little Rain (Modern Library Classics)

“Between the high Sierras south from Yosemite—east and south over a very great assemblage of broken ranges beyond Death Valley, and on illimitably into the Mojave Desert” is the territory that Mary Austin calls the Land of Little Rain. In this classic collection of meditations on the wonders of this region, Austin generously shares “such news of the land, of its trails and what is astir in them, as one lover of it can give to another.” Her vivid writings capture the landscape—from burnt hills to sun-baked mesas—as well as the rich variety of plant and animal life, and the few human beings who inhabit the land, including cattlemen, miners, and Paiute Indians. This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the original 1903 edition.

Robert Hass is the author of Sun Under Wood, Human Wishes, Praise, and Field Guide. He served as poet laureate of the United States from 1995 to 1997 and is currently a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. He teaches at the University of California at Berkeley.