Book Descriptions

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The Singing Wilderness

is Sigurd Olson’s first, and perhaps best, book. For 30 years Sigurd had been writing reflective essays about his experiences in the wilderness and trying unsuccessfully to publish them. When Albert Knopf offered him a book deal, it didn’t take him long to put together his best writings. Essays such as “No Place Between” or “The Loons of Lac La Croix” narrate short trips where the author’s exuberance practically jumps off the page, while “The Way of the Canoe” and “Silence” establish wilderness as a vital connection to our past. The Singing Wilderness is Sigurd’s most energetic and poetic book, establishing him among America’s best outdoor writers. Listening Point is titled after Sigurd Olson’s retreat on Burntside Lake near Ely. Sigurd Olson considered Listening Point more than just a piece of land; it was a “composite picture” of the northern wilderness he knew and loved. As he built a road and moved a cabin to the point, though, he faced a problem that our generation continues to struggle with: How do we simultaneously access and preserve wilderness? Listening Point is an eloquent exposition of the dilemma from one of America’s most poetic conservationists; it is philosophy grounded in the richness of Sigurd’s everyday experiences at Listening Point.

Listening Point

is titled after Sigurd Olson's retreat on Burntside lake near Ely, MN. Sigurd Olson considered Listening Point more than just a piece of land; it was a "composite picture" of the northern wilderness he knew and loved. As he built a road and moved a cabin to the point, though, he faced a problem that our generation continues to struggle with: How do we simultanieously access and preserve wilderness? Listening Point is an eloquent exposition of the dilema from one of America's most poetic conservationists; it is philosophy grounded in the richness of Sigurd's everyday experiences at Listening Point.

The Lonely Land

is a book about Sigurd Olson’s canoe trip on the Churchill River in the Canadian wilderness with a group of friends. It is an interesting travel account and describes the growing friendship, forged in the wilderness, between Sig, the Bourgeois, and his friends, the Voyageurs, but The Lonely Land is much more. This book is full of reflections on what we’ve lost as a people since the day we lived among what Sigurd calls the “great silences.”

Runes of the North

is a collection of essays that go beyond good outdoor nature writing and venture more clearly into philosophy. Sigurd Olson’s earlier books had evoked a conservation ethic and pointed to a wilderness philosophy that is more consciously developed in Runes of the North. The title, and even the choice of topics, such as “The Dream Net,” “The Sauna” and “Wild Rice,“ suggest a search for meaning in ancient traditions, but Runes of the North is also a song of praise for what the Voyageurs called Le Beau Pays, The Beautiful Land.

Open Horizons

sets the tone for Sigurd Olson’s biography in the essay, “The Pipes of Pan.” Some of his earliest memories are being enthralled by small, wild places and experiences that would shape his life and writings. As an adult he continued to listen for the loons, wolves, the singing wilderness and the voices of the voyageurs. Open Horizons tells the story of Sigurd Olson’s life, from his childhood to his discovery and exploration of the Quetico-Superior country near Ely. The later chapters become increasingly philosophical, as he offers reflections on his work as a conservationist and environmentalist and wonders about the future of wilderness.

Reflections from the North Country

Sigurd Olson establishes himself among Thoreau and Emerson as one of America’s great philosophers. His earlier books were full of wilderness experiences and reflections that had clear philosophical implications, but in this book, the last published in his lifetime, Sigurd concentrates on the philosophy of wilderness. “It is more than wilderness, beauty, or piece of mind; it is the survival of man and his culture.” Reflections from the North Country is a reflection on Sigurd’s own experiences and ideas, but is also a response to the many philosophers and theologians that he had read, ending with a hopeful discussion of an “emergent God.”

Of Time and Place

Sigurd Olson finished writing shortly before he died and it was published posthumously. It is a wistful book, a look back at a “lifetime of searching for meaning.” One chapter in particular, “Momentos,” describes various articles in his cabin and what memories they hold for him. Of Time and Place ends, appropriately, with Sigurd’s reflections while watching the sunset from Listening Point.