Sky Island, by Weldon F. Heald. Princeton, New Jersey: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1967. 166 pages, 65 photographs, 16 line drawings, and 2 sketch maps on inside covers. Price: $5.95.

This book will appeal to mountain climbers and others who, nature lovers at heart, have toyed with the idea of living full-time in the wilds. Weldon Heald has told the story of life at Painted Canyon Ranch in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, where he and his wife Phyllis spent several happy and productive years. In this, his last book before his death, Mr. Heald tells in conversational style of his home world at 5300 feet, and of the life zones below and above, from desert to near timberline. His descriptions include the natural world of animals, birds, plants and rocks, and the human world of Indian, outlaw, settler and scientist. Mr. Heald’s conviction that the unique mountain “islands” of the Arizona desert are the best possible place to live, is expressed so enthusiastically that the reader feels an urge to rush off to see. Rock climbers will especially appreciate the chapter on the Wonderland of Rocks.

Beneath the narrative, the essential theme of the book is for preservation of wild country. Conservation per se, however, is never overemphasized at the expense of personal pleasure in the natural order undisturbed by “man, the all-consuming animal.” Rather, the joyous tone of the book convincingly backs up the quietly expressed plea: “Much has been said and written about the importance of preserving a few remnants of America’s rapidly dwindling original wilderness. No people ever fell heir to a more magnificent natural heritage. Saving some undisturbed open spaces, green spots, mountains, deserts, and ocean shores is becoming increasingly necessary for the revitalization of us …moderns. Renewed strength and mental energy pour into us from the wilderness…”

Ruth D. Mendenhall