A naturalist travels to the homes and landscapes associated with American writers and poets, combining topographic sketches, personal observation of flora and fauna, and biographical anecdotes about their haunts. Chapters range from coastal marshes and island retreats to inland woods, lakes, and historic towns, describing scenes at Whittier’s birthplace, Thoreau’s Walden, the Isles of Shoals, Plymouth and Concord, and other New England locales. Evocative nature writing pairs keen bird and plant notes with reflections on literary memory, rural life, and seasonal change, illustrated with photographs and local vignettes that link specific places to the authors who lived or were inspired there.