Skip to Main Content

English: Nature & Travel Writing

Some Useful Terms and Their Meanings:

Travel literature: a genre which includes outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms

Travel narratives: "first-hand accounts of observations made while voyaging." Encyclopedia.com

Travel writing: "a form of creative non-fiction in which the narrator's encounters with foreign places serve as the dominant subject." Thoughtco

A sample of possible periodicals from Murray Library.  Consider browsing the print issues for natural discovery of unique articles.

Audubon

China Today

Mother Earth Living

  • Library Print Periodicals: 2016-2020

National Geographic

Pennsylvania Birds

Pennsylvania Heritage

  • Library Print Periodicals: 1974-present

Pennsylvania Magazine

  • Library Print Periodicals: 1994-present

Finding books and articles on nature writing and ecocriticism can be overwhelming. Try a combination of keywords and subject headings in the library catalog and various databases. 

Subject headings may include*:
Ecocriticism
Ecology
Natural history
Forests
Landscapes
Nature
Outdoor life
Wilderness
Conservation or conservationists
Environmental protection

Naturalism or naturalists

Subject headings for books on travel writing, memoirs:

  • [geographic location] -- Description and travel
  • Travelers writings -- [nationality of writer or geographic location]
  • [geographic location] -- Discover and exploration -- sources
  • Travelers writings, [nationality of authors]
  • Voyages and Travels
  • Travel writing
  • Travelers writings -- History and criticism
  • Women travelers

To find travel literature, use the phrase "description and travel" in your search. For example, do a subject search for "india description and travel" or "south africa description and travel" to retrieve accounts of travel in those countries.