"Essays and excerpts that highlight the spiritual, literary, and political daring so crucial to Matthiessen's vision"--Page 4 of cover.

"A Vintage original"--Title page verso.

Excerpts: Wildlife in America -- The cloud forest -- Under the mountain wall -- The shorebirds of North America -- Sal Si Puedes : Cesar Chavez and the New American revolution -- Blue Meridian -- The tree where man was born -- The snow leopard -- Sand rivers -- Indian country -- Men's lives -- African silences -- In the spirit of Crazy Horse.