In the Mind's Eye

In this collection of exquisite essays, Elizabeth Dodd explores the natural and human history of sites in the American Southwest, the caves of southern France, the Kansas grasslands, and the forests of the Pacific Northwest. In the Mind's Eyeconsiders the artistic and creative impulses of those who preceded us, making sense of the different ways in which they--and we--express our experiences of landscape in words and images. Hiking to find ancient petroglyphs in the American Southwest, canoeing black-water rivers to reach ancient trees in the coastal Southeast, and considering artists as varied as Georgia O'Keeffe and the poet of Beowulf, Dodd discerns the nature of place as well as our place in nature. Combining lyrical narrative, reflection, history, and science, Dodd invites readers to consider their aesthetic ancestors and connect with the legacies of these landscapes.

Elizabeth Dodd is a professor of English at Kansas State University.