Mason Augustus Walton

Born in 1838, Mason Augustus Walton was an American author remembered chiefly for A Hermit's Wild Friends; or, Eighteen Years in the Woods, published in 1903. The book draws on long firsthand experience in the outdoors and is closely associated with Maine, where he spent much of his life.

Available library and catalog records confirm him as the author of that work, and biographical directories describe a varied life that included hunting, lumbering, teaching, farming, journalism, and political lecturing before his later literary reputation took hold. That background helps explain the practical, observant tone of his writing.

Walton is most appealing today as a storyteller of close attention: he wrote about wildlife not as scenery, but as living neighbors with habits worth studying. For listeners who enjoy classic nature writing, his work offers a mix of solitude, curiosity, and quiet wonder.