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| The Last Prairie: A Sandhills Journal | 
| Author: Stephen R. Jones
Publisher: Bison Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
Buy New: $10.02
You Save: $5.93 (37%)
New (16) from $10.02
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 374035
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 244
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 0803276303
Dewey Decimal Number: 508.782
EAN: 9780803276307
ASIN: 0803276303
Publication Date: March 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 6 | | NEXT » |
Leaves of grass . . . September 5, 2008
I grew up in Nebraska and return to the Sandhills whenever I can. Unlike nearly every other part of the US, this area is not crossed by an interstate highway, and the resulting isolation allows you to feel a little of the vast distances that used to be the West. To experience these rolling hills of grass, with not a tree in sight, especially in stormy weather, is to feel yourself totally absorbed in a great sweep of landscape - a living carpet of flora and mostly unseen fauna. Jones' book does much to recreate that experience in words. And he deepens the experience with his knowledge of geology and history, explaining how the Sandhills came into existence and in more recent times became peopled by the Plains Indians, cattle ranchers, and homesteaders.
Jones is especially knowledgeable about the birds that inhabit the Sandhills - noting those that are long-time residents and those that have been introduced over time with the changing ecology. It is amazing, as I have heard it myself, to hear a chorus of birds from every direction, all hidden by the grass and not a tree in sight. He also provides an accounting of the white-tail deer and pronghorn that range across this land, undeterred by barb wire fences. His stories of the Indians, the Pawnee, Lakota, Cheyenne, and Ponca are respectful and poignant. He also takes time to visit the grave of writer Mari Sandoz and to describe her life as the daughter of a Panhandle homesteader. This is a fine collection of essays for anyone who enjoys good nature writing. Readers may also enjoy Ian Frazier's "Great Plains."
Essays for laying on a hill January 21, 2008
When I read this for the first time, I said "I've read this before....". Then I realized it's very much in the style of William Least Heat Moon. Good for laying on a hill, watching the clouds, listening to the birds and animals.... and that's just what the book is!
A lyrical book about a fragile habitat June 26, 2001
Mr. Jone's admiration, appreciation and concern for this very special ecosystem shines through this lovely book. In it, he intertwines Native American myth, Plains history and well researched scientific data into a cohesive and readable overview of the Sandhills of Nebraska. Through his eyes, we visit and experience a landscape of beauty, solitute, history and rich wildlife. It is, in turns, thought provoking, humourous, enlightening, yet never preachy. Steve is most respectful of the current private owners of these lands, and integrates their ongoing stewardship into well reasoned suggestions to insure the long-term integrity of this fecund habitat for posterity.
Sandhills Classic July 12, 2000
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
The Last Prairie: A Sandhills Journal is an astonishing blend of nature, myth, and love of the land--richly textured with wry wit and something very close to wisdom. It's so deeply rooted in love and its own particular landscape that it transcends locality and becomes universal. In other words, it's a classic, akin to Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Writing, details, and a sensibility to treasure.
A lovesong to an alluring, little-known place June 16, 2000
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Stephen Jones notes in the book that the Sand Hills of Nebraska make up one of the few "dark spots" on those wall posters featuring a satellite view of the United States at night. It is, truly, a wide open space, and he does the landscape great justice with his evident love for the land, its wildlife, its people and history.For those who think Nebraska is simply home to a football team and endless acres of corn, "The Last Prairie" should open some eyes. Jones is a prose poet. He makes the Sand Hills live and breathe right there on the page. An excellent, deeply-felt homage to one of America's little-known (thankfully?)great natural treasures.
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Wildlife, nature and the Environment
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