Jack Nisbet

Jack Nisbet, the author of Sources of the River (Sasquatch Books, 1994), is back with a collection of essays about the landscape and natural history of the Northwest. Each chapter tackles a different topic, united by the central theme of humans interacting with natural forces and natural landscapes. The book includes the story of one man’s effort in 1902 to salvage the 15-ton Willamette Meteorite and the subsequent battle over its ownership. There are also discussions about the quiet discovery of a rich Eocene fossil bed in the Okanogan Highlands, the cataclysmic Ice Age Lake Missoula floods, Native American artifacts, mining tramways, a terra-cotta plant, the big 1872 central Washington earthquake, and several other tales from the geological, botanical, and biological history of the Northwest.

Nisbet draws from his own experiences, field work, and explorations. He often writes himself into the investigations for first-hand perspectives. Each essay is told in a loosely meandering narrative style similar to oral storytelling. Nisbet often gives no clear indication at the start where his tale will lead and does not necessarily arrive at any particular conclusions. Along the way, however, he manages to steer his way through interesting material about our interesting region. The essays are more about the journey than the destination.

Shelf Appeal: This book will appeal to amateur naturalists and anyone interested in the natural history of the Northwest. It also makes a fine companion to Nisbet’s earlier book Visible Bones: Journeys Across Time in the Columbia River Country (Sasquatch Books, 2003).

-- I wrote this review for the Books section of the Washington state website: http://www.WA-List.com… (mehr)

There is a lot of interesting information here, but I found this to be a very frustrating book. It is a collection of essays about the Pacific Northwest - geology, botany, art history. What aggravated me is that none of the essays have an argument or a thesis - they just ramble on about some stuff. Maybe this is my academic background biting me in the rear, but when I'm reading non-fiction, I need an argument (or at least a question!) to guide me through the writing. I need to know where the author is going and what they are trying to say. As far as I can tell, all Nisbet is trying to say is "there's some interesting stuff in the Pacific Northwest."

One of the essays particularly encapsulates this point: he is talking about a plant that has roots that Native Americans eat in various forms. He talks about working with a biologist who is trying to answer questions about these plants. The problem is that he never really explains what the question is. Apparently botanists find these plants to be really mysterious... but he doesn't say why.

I learned some interesting things from this book, but it just felt like a random string of facts.… (mehr)

Vicky was the one who picked this book up at the Waucoma Bookstore in Hood River, Oregon. It tells of the travels of the Scottish naturalist David Douglas, as he saw and collected plant, mineral, and animal samples in the American Northwest, Hawaii, and even the Galápagos Islands (which he visited before Darwin's famous trip) between 1824 and 1834 for the London Horticultural Society. It was fascinating to think of this man traveling to so many places that were barely, if ever, seen by white men before. He was heavily dependent upon the friendships that he made with the native tribes, traders, and others who knew where to go to find the species and sites he sought.

Personally, I find myself pulling back at times from these early narratives that describe a very different time and sensitivity, when maybe shooting a bald eagle or some seals for dinner was just fine in everyone's mind. My hairstyle helps me take the pose of a "sensitive ponytailed man".

Our visit to the Northwest was over before we got to see much of the region, but I was starting to get a sense of the wildness ... somewhat like the backwoods of my native Vermont, but with larger mountains, trees and 100% more ocean waters. Without the white men who explored and collected all those samples, our country's advancement and growth would have taken so much longer. If I had a glass of libation, I would raise it to these brave men that boldly went where men of their complexion had never gone before. Remember, many of these men were lost and never heard from again, or, like Douglas, died traveling the wilderness in search of knowledge, and a little fame.… (mehr)