The Clerk of the Woods

audiobook

The Clerk of the Woods

by Bradford Torrey

EN·~4 hours·35 chapters

Chapters

35 total

PREFATORY NOTE

1:36

A SHORT MONTH

8:25

A FULL MIGRATION

8:11

A FAVORITE ROUND

8:32

IN THE CAMBRIDGE SWAMP

9:19

A QUIET AFTERNOON

8:26

POPULAR WOODPECKERS

8:06

LATE SUMMER NOTES

10:12

WOOD SILENCE

7:32

SOUTHWARD BOUND

7:08

Description

A gentle narrator, who styles himself as a modest “clerk of the woods,” keeps a daily ledger of the natural world, turning brief newspaper columns into a continuous, lyrical chronicle. Each entry captures the fleeting beauty of a season—May’s brief, bright scherzo, the first crocuses pushing through thawing soil, the chorus of migrating birds. The prose balances careful observation with personal reflection, offering both factual notes on plants and animals and a poet’s wonder at their fleeting performances.

Listeners will be guided through a year’s worth of woodland life: the sudden burst of forsythia blossoms, the quiet patience of a swamp at dusk, the playful chatter of woodpeckers, and the soft hush that settles over trees in winter. The book’s pace mirrors the natural rhythms it describes, inviting a calm, contemplative mood that feels like a walk through a living museum. It’s an ideal companion for anyone who loves to hear the forest speak in quiet, thoughtful verses.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~4 hours (277K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Release date

Mar 6, 2021

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

Bradford Torrey

Bradford Torrey

1843–1912

A gentle New England nature writer, he turned close attention to birds and everyday outdoor life into essays that helped popularize bird study for general readers.

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