Gary Snyder is one of the most significant American environmental writers of the twentieth century and a central figure in American environmental activism. Through his intelligent and provocative writing, he has contributed to both a greater knowledge of and a greater respect for the natural world. Although Snyder is primarily regarded as an environmental poet, his prose pieces powerfully convey his ecological attitudes. Snyder's environmental philosophy is influenced by Western, Eastern, and Native American cultures and traditions. This accumulation of various sources has led to, as he describes his work in the "Author's Note" to The Gary Snyder Reader (1999), a "mix of ideas, images, meters, archetypes, and propositions" that represents the "deliberate life I put myself to, all in the spirit of quest, of making art, seeking knowledge, courting wisdom, and nourishing home place Dharma practice and community." This "deliberate life," as reflected in his works, makes Snyder...