THE EDGE OF APRIL

Teacher, essayist and naturalist, John Burrough's life story unfolds at the Burroughs family farm in Roxbury, N.Y., where he developed that affinity for nature which matured to bring him recognition as the leading naturalist-essayist of his day. He turned his back on school teaching for work as a government clerk in Washington to satisfy the material demands of Ursula, his competent but unsympathetic wife. Here he formed the friendship with Walt Whitman which inspired him and lasted through ensuing days of literary success. His articles and journals appeared in foremost publications. The arrival of a son blessed golden years spent in the home he and Ursula built on the Hudson River. Although one might wish for more excerpts from Burrough's writings, the years which formed the character of the dreaming nature lover are communicated here with a style which is folksy, elemental and sometimes lyrical. The distinguished illustrator, Lynd Ward, interprets an honest biography with his handsome, seasoned and sensitive woodcuts.