At the Field’s End is an exploration and celebration of Pacific Northwest literature. In their own words, twenty-two of the finest and best-known writers in America discuss their work and the region’s influence on it. Interviews with Denise Levertov and John Haines have been added since the publication of the first edition in 1987, and the author introductions have been updated.

At the Field's End: Interviews with 22 Pacific Northwest Writers, Revised and Expanded

Literature & Fiction

O’Connell, Nicholas

United States

University of Washington Press

On Sacred Ground explores the literature of the Northwest, the area that extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and from the forty-ninth parallel to the Siskiyou Mountains. The Northwest exhibits astonishing geographical diversity and yet the entire bioregion shares a similarity of climate, flora, and fauna. For Nicholas O’Connell, the effects of nature on everyday Northwest life carry over to the region's literature. Although Northwest writers address a number of subjects, the relationship between people and place proves the dominant one, and that has been true since the first tribes settled the region and began telling stories about it, thousands of years ago. Indeed, it is the common thread linking Chief Seattle to Theodore Roethke, Narscissa Whitman to Ursula K. Le Guin, Joaquin Miller to Ivan Doig, Marilynne Robinson to Jack London, Betty MacDonald to Gary Snyder. Tracing the history of Pacific Northwest literary works--from Native American myths to the accounts of explorers and settlers, the effusions of the romantics, the sharply etched stories of the realists, the mystic visions of Northwest poets, and the contemporary explosion of Northwest poetry and prose--O’Connell shows how the most important contribution of Northwest writers to American literature is their articulation of a more spiritual human relationship with landscape. Pacific Northwest writers and storytellers see the Northwest not just as a source of material wealth but as a spiritual homeland, a place to lead a rich and fulfilling life within the whole context of creation. And just as the relationship between people and place serves as the unifying feature of Northwest literature, so also does literature itself possess a perhaps unique ability to transform a landscape into a sacred place.

On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature

On Sacred Ground explores the literature of the Northwest, the area that extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, and from the forty-ninth parallel to the Siskiyou Mountains. The Northwest exhibits astonishing geographical diversity and yet the entire bioregion shares a similarity of climate, flora, and fauna. For Nicholas O'Connell, the effects of nature on everyday Northwest life carry over to the region's literature. Although Northwest writers address a number of subjects, the relationship between people and place proves the dominant one, and that has been true since the first tribes settled the region and began telling stories about it, thousands of years ago. Indeed, it is the common thread linking Chief Seattle to Theodore Roethke, Narscissa Whitman to Ursula K. Le Guin, Joaquin Miller to Ivan Doig, Marilynne Robinson to Jack London, Betty MacDonald to Gary Snyder. Tracing the history of Pacific Northwest literary works―from Native American myths to the accounts of explorers and settlers, the effusions of the romantics, the sharply etched stories of the realists, the mystic visions of Northwest poets, and the contemporary explosion of Northwest poetry and prose―O'Connell shows how the most important contribution of Northwest writers to American literature is their articulation of a more spiritual human relationship with landscape. Pacific Northwest writers and storytellers see the Northwest not just as a source of material wealth but as a spiritual homeland, a place to lead a rich and fulfilling life within the whole context of creation. And just as the relationship between people and place serves as the unifying feature of Northwest literature, so also does literature itself possess a perhaps unique ability to transform a landscape into a sacred place.

History & Criticism

At the Field's End: Interviews With Twenty Pacific Northwest Writers

Gathers interviews with Jean Auel, David Wagoner, Ursula K. LeGuin, A.B. Guthrie, Ernest Gann, and Raymond Carver

Madrona Pub

Gathers interviews with Jean Auel, David Wagoner, Ursula K. LeGuin, A.B. Guthrie, Ernest Gann, and Raymond Carver

Beyond Risk: Conversations With Climbers

Interviews with seventeen of the world's most accomplished climbers describe the influences, events, and philosophies that have shaped their personal approaches to climbing

Biographies & Memoirs

MOUNTAINEERS BOOKS+

In-depth interviews with 17 renowned climbers reveal the ethics, motivations, and future direction of mountaineering.

Sports & Outdoors

Hiking & Camping

The Storms of Denali

Reaching 20,320 feet into and above the clouds, the peak of Denali is the highest and coldest summit in North America. In this novel of adventure, adversity, and ambition by renowned mountaineer and writer Nicholas O’Connell, four men set out to conquer it. Among the sharply drawn team members is narrator John Walker, a family man trying to choose between domestic stability and mountaineering’s uncertain glory. In the course of their ascent the group battles avalanches, fierce winds, and mind-numbing cold before their bond begins to splinter, leading inexorably to tragedy.Throughout the book, the author’s first-hand experience lends vivid reality to the formidable challenges of the mountain and to the bonds formed and broken in the pursuit of its summit. Beyond the physical tolls, O’Connell presents in stark relief the internal debate about the price of success—all the more urgent at the earth’s extremes.

University of Alaska Press

Reaching 20,320 feet into and above the clouds, the peak of Denali is the highest and coldest summit in North America. In this novel of adventure, adversity, and ambition by renowned mountaineer and writer Nicholas O'Connell, four men set out to conquer it. Among the sharply drawn team members is narrator John Walker, a family man trying to choose between domestic stability and mountaineering's uncertain glory. In the course of their ascent the group battles avalanches, fierce winds, and mind-numbing cold before their bond begins to splinter, leading inexorably to tragedy. <div>Throughout the book, the author's first-hand experience lends vivid reality to the formidable challenges of the mountain and to the bonds formed and broken in the pursuit of its summit. Beyond the physical tolls, O'Connell presents in stark relief the internal debate about the price of success--all the more urgent at the earth's extremes.</div>

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by O’Connell, Nicholas. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by O’Connell, Nicholas

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by O’Connell, Nicholas. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

At the Field's End: Interviews with 22 Pacific Northwest Writers, Revised and Expanded

On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature

On Sacred Ground: The Spirit of Place in Pacific Northwest Literature

At the Field's End: Interviews With Twenty Pacific Northwest Writers

At the Field's End: Interviews With Twenty Pacific Northwest Writers

Beyond Risk: Conversations With Climbers

Beyond Risk: Conversations With Climbers

The Storms of Denali

The Storms of Denali