Book excerpt: In the tradition of his well-loved The Outermost House, Henry Beston's Northern Farm captures the elusive magic of a year on a Kennebec farm ... in truly beautiful prose ( Kirkus Reviews ). Among the blue-white shadows and graceful curves of freshly fallen snow, the first rains of spring, and the quiet green of an early summer morning, Beston brings the reader into an inescapable alliance with the natural world. He translates the philosophy of the Maine farmer into terms as applicable in Manhattan as on the Kennebec. One of the great classics of American nature writing, Northern Farm is inspiring reading and ranks as one of Beston's most memorable and lyrical works.