author
Mary Austin
1868–1934
Best known for The Land of Little Rain, this early American nature writer brought the deserts and mountains of the Southwest vividly to life. Her work also explored Native American cultures and the social questions of her time.
10 Audiobooks
The Land of Little Rain
by Mary Austin
California: The Land of the Sun
by Mary Austin
The Arrow-Maker: A Drama in Three Acts
by Mary Austin
The Land of Little Rain
by Mary Austin
The Lovely Lady
by Mary Austin
The Basket Woman: A Book of Indian Tales for Children
by Mary Austin
The Land of Little Rain
by Mary Austin
Outland
by Mary Austin
The Trail Book
by Mary Austin
A Woman of Genius
by Mary Austin
About the author
Born in Carlinville, Illinois, in 1868, she later moved to California and drew deeply on the landscapes of the Owens Valley, the Mojave Desert, and the wider Southwest. She became known for lyrical, observant writing about place, especially in The Land of Little Rain (1903), a book often remembered as a classic of American nature writing.
She wrote novels, essays, plays, and criticism, and her subjects went beyond scenery alone. Major reference sources describe her as a writer who also focused on Native American life and on social problems, and her reputation has remained tied to both her literary style and her engagement with the culture of the American West.
Mary Austin died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1934. Today she is often remembered as one of the early distinctive voices of Southwestern literature and environmental writing.