Ann Haymond Zwinger (1925–2014) was the author of many natural histories noted for detail and lyrical prose.

Biography

Ann Haymond Zwinger was born March 12, 1925, in Muncie,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, the daughter of William and Ann Haymond. While young, she lived along the White River. She studied art history and was awarded two degrees, an A.B. in Arts in 1946 by

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

with the designation "Wellesley College Scholar," now considered roughly equivalent to "cum laude," and an A.M. in Fine Arts by

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

in 1950. She married Herman H. Zwinger, a pilot, in 1952. In 1960, Zwinger moved to Colorado Springs with her husband and began to study Western

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

. In 1970, her first book was published, ''Beyond the Aspen Grove. S''he and co-author Beatrice Willard were finalists for the 1973

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

in science for ''Land Above the Trees.'' ''Run, River, Run'' was another distinguished book published in 1975. It received glowing reviews by ''The New York Times,'' the John Burroughs Memorial Association Gold Medal for a distinguished contribution in natural history,'''' and the Friends of American Writers Award for non-fiction. Her more than 20 books on natural history often featured her own illustrations. She taught Southwest Studies and

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at Colorado College. Zwinger died in

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on August 30, 2014.

Bibliography

* ''Beyond the Aspen Grove'', 1970 * ''Land Above the Trees: A Guide to American Alpine Tundra'', 1972 * ''Run, River, Run: A Naturalist's Journey Down One of the Great Rivers of the West'', 1975 * ''Wind in the Rock: The Canyonlands of Southeastern Utah'', 1978 * ''A Conscious Stillness: Two Naturalists on Thoreau's Rivers'', 1982 * ''A Desert Country near the Sea: A Natural History of the Cape Region of Baja California'', 1983 * ''John Xantus: The Fort Tejon Letters, 1857-1859 (editor)'', 1986 * ''The Mysterious Lands: A Naturalist Explores the Four Great Deserts of the Southwest'', 1989 * ''Aspen: Blazon of the High Country'', 1991 * ''Writing the Western Landscape'', 1994 * ''Downcanyon: A Naturalist Explores the Colorado River Through Grand Canyon'', 1995 * ''Women in Wilderness: Writings and Photographs'', 1995 * ''The Nearsighted Naturalist'', 1998 * ''Nature's Fading Chorus: Classic And Contemporary Writings On Amphibians'', 2000 * ''Shaped by Wind and Water: Reflections of a Naturalist'', 2000 * ''Spanish Peaks: Land and Legends'', 2001 * ''Fall Colors Across North America'', 2001 * ''Yosemite: Valley of Thunder'', 2002 * ''Grand Canyon: Little Things in a Big Place'', 2006 * Introduction to ''The Sea Around Us'' by Rachel Carson, 1979 * Foreword to ''The Forgotten Peninsula'' by Joseph Wood Krutch, 1986 e. * Foreword to ''The Naturalist's Path; Beginning the Study of Nature,'' by Cathy Johnson, 1987, 1991 * Foreword to ''On Becoming Lost; A Naturalist's Search for Meaning,'' by Cathy Johnson, 1990 * Introduction to ''The Walker's Companion'' by Bill and Margaret Forbes, illustrated in part by Cathy Johnson, et al., 1995 * Introduction to ''Into the Field: A Guide to Locally Focused Teaching'' by Clare Walker Leslie, 1999 * Epilogue to ''Nature's Fading Chorus: Classic and Contemporary Writings on Amphibians'' by Gordon L. Miller (editor), 2000 * Foreword to ''Profitably Soaked'' by Robert Lawrence France, 2003 * Foreword to ''River And Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon'' by Kristin Huisinga, 2006 * Foreword to ''America: A Photographic Journey'' by Suzan Hall, Fred Hirschmann, 2007

References

* Wild, Peter (1993). ''Ann Zwinger''. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University "Western Writers Series" (#111). pp. 51.

External links

Our Land, Our Literature

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zwinger, Ann 1925 births John Burroughs Medal recipients Wellesley College alumni 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 2014 deaths Women science writers American nature writers American women non-fiction writers