essays

The voice is silent now, but the echoes will remain. This was Edward Abbey's last book, published the same year that he died. It's a very brief book, containing a short introduction followed by a collection of personal quotes and sayings from the private journal (in 21 volumes) that Abbey had kept since 1948. These fragments, as Abbey calls them, vary in quality from the brilliant to the not quite so insightful. They are divided into 13 chapters: Philosophy, Religion, and So Forth; Good Manners; Government and Politics; Life and Death and All That; On Writing and Writers, Books and Art; Sport; Music; On Women, Love, Sex, Et Cetera; On Nature; Science and Technology; Money, Et Cetera; On Cows and Dogs and Horses; and Places.
For me, the first chapter, on religion and philosophy, contained by far the best material. Chapter three, on government and politics, wasn't bad either, and there were some gems scattered in most of the other chapters as well. One chapter were Abbey's wisdom failed, however, was the one on science and technology. Abbey, like the "desert philosopher" that he was, couldn't, unfortunately, like so many others, see that the only hope for nature and the environment is the continued use of science and the continued development of future technology, so that the need for the exploitation of nature will at some point disappear. People will always be consumers, which is why the "back to nature" idiocy could never work, not to mention that very few sane people would really want to live like animals, in "harmony" with nature, when the going starts getting tough. So the thing to do is to find a way for people to continue being consumers without harming the environment. And this can, and will, be accomplished only through science and future technology.
Back to the book. A Voice Crying is an absolute treasure trove for people looking for Edward Abbey quotes. There are many memorable one-liners, and some longer quotations as well (to about half a page in length). Abbey's atheist and libertarian anarchist opinions make his thoughts all the more enjoyable for those few people in this world who are still sane and rational. Recommended.
The book is illustrated by Andrew Rush.

A great service was provided Edward Abbey fans with the publication of this marvelous little tome. Now we anarchists have a handy source of short bits by Abbey to plaster on our webpages, our mail, and even our car bumpers! Up with nature, down with Empire!

This is not Abbey's grand work nor was it intended to be. This is a small collection of one-liners and pithy observations of a highly talented, self-admitted misanthrope. "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell" is a prime example.

Abbey was a truck riding good ole boy and was about as politically correct as a punch to the head. His backpack was not designed by Gucci and his boots were mostly army surplus but he spent a life time outdoors, not behind a desk finding fault. His writings, his actions and his public appearances brought more awareness of nature and its plight to the public than did the combined number of his critics by a factor of 1000.

Borne just before the depression, he did not see all wild game as Bambi or Thumper but, as a child, watched as his father hunted for the table. Abbey may not be for everyone, but, by the same token, neither is Mr. Rogers.