Rachel Peden (1901–1975) was a newspaper columnist and author of The Land, The People and Speak to the Earth.
To all who care about nature and the changing seasons, reading it will be a satisfying experience. Harper's Magazine How much finer our lives would be if we were as attentive to our surroundings as Rachel Peden was to her family, farm, neighbors, and neighborhood. Her ear was equally attuned to rural speech and the grammar of cows, to the creaking of an old house and the chirring of crickets. She rejoiced in every phase of the turning year, every hatching and harvest, every birdsong and blossom, every kind of weather and useful work. Now we can rejoice in the reprinting of this marvelous book. Scott Russell Sanders, A Conservationist's Manifesto , IUP, 2009 Before I knew it, the year had passed, and I felt energized, optimistic, and entertainedoas if I had spent the period actually in the company of Rachel Peden. Janice Stillman, editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac