Where the Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie

Since its publication in 1982, Where the Sky Began has become a landmark in environmental literature. Much of today's interest in the preservation of native grasslands was sparked by this classic work. In it author John Madson celebrates the tallgrass prairies that built some of the world's richest soils. He evokes brilliantly "this light-filled wilderness of sky and grass, " the flowers that bloom head-high, the large and small creatures living in and on the grass, and the "great weathers." Today, wild prairie is the rarest of all original landscapes - and one of the most beautiful. In this revised edition, John Madson has expanded his account of "People Pastures" to include studies of prairie restorations. "Be patient, " he advises, "have faith, and don't mind the dirt under your fingernails." New appendixes give sources for prairie seeds, plants, and restoration expertise. They also list existing and projected tallgrass prairies.