Created by former Texas Tech University Regent James Sowell, this collection contains the personal papers of some of the country’s most prominent writers on the natural world. Writing with a profound respect for the grandeur and fierceness of the land, these writers are deeply engaged with questions of land use and the nature of community, the conjunction of scientific and spiritual values, and the fragility of wilderness. Included in the collection are the literary archives of writers including Rick Bass, Max Crawford, David James Duncan, William Kittredge, Barry Lopez, Walter McDonald, Bill McKibben, Doug Peacock, David Quammen, Pattiann Rogers, and Annick Smith. In addition to published books, materials available for research purposes include correspondence, drafts of manuscripts, research notebooks, diaries, calendars, and photographs, as well as computer files and film.