In the intimate language of one who watched birds daily, Karle 
Wilson Baker brought readers face to face with the wonders of the 
East Texas woods in the 1930s. She wrote about tiny warblers, 
industrious chickadees, and purple finches; the aery trills and 
tantalizing color flashes of the hummingbirds; the bell tones of the 
wood thrush; the daily visits and rare drop-ins of the prolific bird 
life of the region.

    In a daily diary she kept throughout her life, Baker recorded her 
observations of the many birds that lived in the heavily wooded 
setting of her Nacogdoches home, called Tanglewood. When her 
family moved from the house, she collected her essays on bird life 
into this volume, illustrated by her daughter Charlotte and published 
in 1930.

    Her little classic speaks with the voice of her times to readers 
today who enjoy their avian companions.

_________________________________________________________

KARLE WILSON BAKER, the third person to be named a Fellow 
of the Texas Institute of Letters, was the best-known and most 
frequently anthologized poet from Texas in her time. CHARLOTTE 
BAKER MONTGOMERY became a celebrated author and illustrator 
of books for children. She still lives in Nacogdoches. For more about 
the author of this charming volume, see Texas Woman of Letters, 
Karle Wilson Baker, a biography written by SARAH RAGLAND 
JACKSON and published by Texas A&M University Press.


Number Eleven: Sam Rayburn Series on Rural Life, sponsored by 
Texas A&M University–Commerce


What people are saying about this book

". . . this volume provides an opportunity to experience the vivid 
imagery, descriptive narrative, and subtle symbolism that 
distinguished the prize-winning verses of the first woman writer to 
be named a Fellow of the Texas Institute of Letters."—Texas 
Books in Review, Fall 2006

"For the experienced birder whose bookshelves may hold hundreds 
of volumes on ornithology, The Birds of Tanglewood should be 
enjoyed and placed on those shelves at eye level for convenient 
retrieval and set apart as one of the most enduring and endearing 
classics of bird lore. No birder should be without it. For those less 
experienced in the art of bird watching, this small volume holds 
enough inspirational material to launch a fascinating new hobby or 
at least an active consciousness of the birdfolk with whom we 
share this planet."—Texas Illustrated Magazine, May 2006

" Her . . . engaging interpretations of the behaviors of familiar 
feathered friends are a delight to read, and her philosophical 
musings are sure to awaken or renew in the reader a deeper sense 
of appreciation for our avian neighbors and the real reasons we 
take such pleasure in observing them. The delightful drawings 
contributed by the author's daughter, Charlotte Baker, add a 
sensitive charm to the work, providing a rare glimpse of days gone 
by."—Mimi Hoppe Wolf

"This elegant little tome is a must for anyone with more than a 
passing interest in the birds of Texas. . . . Today we have all of the 
technological advances of good optics and a plethora of field 
guides, but can we say that we truly enjoy the birds any more than 
this early observer?"—David E. Wolf

"Even though this book was written over 70 years ago, Karle 
Wilson Baker's acute powers of observation, combined with her 
unique ability to describe what she sees, miraculously transport her 
readers to the magical world of Tanglewood."—Andrena Brunotte