One of nineteenth-century Russia's finest prose writers, Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov's "Notes of a Provincial Wildfowler" is companion to his popular "Notes on Fishing" and a classic of nature writing.
"Notes of a Provincial Wildfowler" is filled with precise descriptions of bird behavior, observations of their life cycles, and lyrical discourses on the habitats of the Russian steppe. Aksakov's nostalgic fondness for his homeland permeates his "Notes, " and his passion for the habits of his subjects provides a stark contrast with his enthusiasm for the shooting--and eating--of his...

"Notes on Fishing "was Sergei Aksakov's first book and Russia's first angling treatise. It presents a Russian gentleman's observations on the fishing tackle, angling techniques, and fish species he came to know during five decades of adventure-filled fishing in the vast Russian steppe and the environs of Moscow. But it is goes beyond a mere discourse on angling, offering philosophical, literary, linguistic, ethnographic, biological, and conservationist observations. Aksakov has imbued his notes with a deep fondness for the land and an expertly conveyed atmosphere of personal and national...