Loren Eiseley challenges us to this day with his uneasy interpretation of humanity's place in the world. The haunting melancholy that pervades much of Eiseley's work grew out of a loveless childhood in which he spent much time alone in the natural world. His mother was mentally ill and his father, a singularly unsuccessful traveling salesman, spent little time at home. Perhaps in an effort to compensate, Eiseley drove himself relentlessly to succeed. Gale E. Christian-son's biography offers an unexpurgated evaluation of a man whose difficult past helped shape the brilliant essays that continue to dazzle new audiences.
"A literate, well-documented chronicle."—New York Times Book Review
"A revealing, gracefully written biography."—Publishers Weekly
"Meticulous and intelligent."—Booklist
"The saving grace of this troubled, complex man's unhappy passage through the world was that his work as a writer ultimately transcended the walls his personality placed before it—and it is the triumph of Christianson's melancholy but impeccably fair biography that we are never tempted to forget it."—Washington Post Book World
"A well-researched, compassionate volume . . . by far the best biography of Eiseley."—Kansas City Star
"The best preparation a devoted reader could have for rereading the works of this author. . . . Provide[s] depth, substance, and plenty of room for further exploration."—Bloomsbury Review