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Edwin Way Teale (June 2, 1899 - October 18, 1980) was an American naturalist,
photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...
and writer. Teale's works serve as primary source material documenting environmental conditions across North America from 1930–1980. He is perhaps best known for his series ''The American Seasons'', four books documenting over of automobile travel across North America following the changing seasons.


Early years and education

Born Edwin Alfred Teale in
Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County, Illinois, Will County. It had a population of ...
, to Oliver Cromwell Teale and Clara Louise (Way) Teale, his interest in the natural world was fostered by childhood summers spent at his grandparents' "Lone Oak" farm in
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
's dune country—experiences recalled in his book ''Dune Boy'' (1943). At the age of nine, Teale declared himself a naturalist and at 12 changed his name to Edwin Way Teale.Edward H. Dodd Jr., ''Of Nature, Time and Teale: a biographical sketch of Edwin Way Teale'', 1960, Dodd, Mead, & Company, New York He received a B.A. from
Earlham College Earlham College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quake ...
in English literature in 1922, then took a job at
Friends University Friends University is a Private university, private Nondenominational Christianity, nondenominational Christian university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It was founded in 1898. The main building was originally built in 1886 for Garfield Uni ...
in
Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...
. Teale taught at Friends from 1922–1924 and served as men's and women's debate coach, yearbook adviser and chairman of the campus Peace Contest. In 1923 he married Nellie Imogene Donovan, also on the Friends faculty, whom he had met while at Earlham College. In 1924, Edwin and Nellie moved to New York City so Edwin could pursue his education at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
. Teale chose Columbia in part
... because it was in New York and it wouldn't take two months to get a manuscript back from a magazine.
In 1926 he received his
Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degree from Columbia University.


Career

In
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, Teale spent 13 years in his first full-time writing job, as a staff writer for ''
Popular Science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...
'', working on a wide variety of assignments. In 1937, Teale's first photographic nature study, ''Grassroots Jungle'', was published from among 200 of Teale's insect photographs, many of which were taken on a plot of land near his home on Park Avenue in Baldwin,
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
This was followed, in 1941, by ''The Golden Throng'', a combination of text and photographs on bees. At the age of 42, Teale left ''Popular Science'' to become a freelance photographer and nature writer. In 1942 he wrote ''Byways to Adventure: A Guide to Nature Hobbies'' as well as ''Near Horizons'', which received the 1943 John Burroughs Medal for distinguished natural history writing. In March 1945 Edwin's son David was killed in action in Germany. The Teales began a series of trips across the country, in part to deal with their grief. That same year, ''Lost Woods'' was published and received positive reviews. On February 14, 1947, the Teales set off in their black
Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...
for a roadtrip. They headed first to the Florida
Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of flooded grasslands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the K ...
, then zigzagged northward following the advance of spring. Teale wrote about the adventure in '' North with the Spring''. The book was followed by three others on the North American seasons: '' Journey Into Summer'', '' Autumn Across America'', and '' Wandering Through Winter'', which won the
Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are awarded annually for the "Letters, Drama, and Music" category. The award is given to a nonfiction book written by an American author and published du ...
in 1966. Teale served as president of the New York Entomological Society from 1944–1949 and the Brooklyn Entomological Society (later incorporated into the New York Entomological Society) from 1949–1953. Teale worked as a co-writer for a segment titled "Vernal Equinox" on the March 20, 1955 episode of ''Omnibus'', a TV-Radio Workshop of the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...
produced by
Robert Saudek Robert Saudek (21 April 1880 – 15 April 1935) was a Czech-born graphology, graphologist, diplomat, and writer of novels, stories, poems and plays. He had considerable influence on the content and standing of graphology worldwide. He also publi ...
and hosted by
Alistair Cooke Alistair Cooke, Order of the British Empire, KBE (né Alfred Cooke; 20 November 1908 – 30 March 2004) was a British-American writer whose work as a journalist, television personality and radio broadcaster was done primarily in the Unite ...
on the
CBS Television Network CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
.United States Library of Congress Online Catalog
Author Search for Edwin Way Teale
accessed 3/2/2008
Teale became president of the
Thoreau Society Founded in 1941, the Thoreau Society is the oldest and largest organization dedicated to an American author. It is based in Concord, Massachusetts, Concord, Massachusetts, United States, at Wheeler-Minot Farmhouse, the house where Henry David Th ...
in 1958, the same year that ''Autumn Across America'' was presented to the White House Library. He received an Indiana Author's Day award in 1960 and the Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD) honorary degree from
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
in 1970.
Earlham College Earlham College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quake ...
honored Teale with an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree. In 1959, the Teales left the increasing suburbanization of their
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
home for a farm in
Hampton, Connecticut Hampton is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The populatio ...
, which they named "Trail Wood", and which Teale chronicled in ''A Naturalist Buys an Old Farm'' (1974). The property was further described in ''A Walk through the Year'' (1978). Situated next to the Natchaug State Forest, Trail Wood is now managed as a nature preserve by the
Connecticut Audubon Society The Connecticut Audubon Society, founded in 1898 and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "conserving Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s b ...
. In 1975, Teale received the Ecology Award from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Conservation Medal from th
New England Wildflower Society
Teale was an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the New York Academy of Sciences, and an associate of the Royal Photographic Society.


Death

In 1980 while working with author Ann Zwinger on the book ''A Conscious Stillness: Two Naturalists on Thoreau's Rivers'', Teale died. Teale's portion of the book was nearly complete at the time of his death, and he was included as co-author when the book was published in 1982. Nellie Teale died in July, 1993 at the age of 92.


Recognition

In 2009, the Indiana Historical Bureau installed a historic marker in
Porter County, Indiana Porter County is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 173,215, making it the 10th most populous county in Indiana. The county seat is Valparaiso, Indiana, Valparaiso. The county is part of ...
, near Teale's grandparents’ farm where he spent summers. Teale wrote that his interest in nature was inspired during his stays at the farm.


Archives

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
library director John P. McDonald's longstanding friendship with Teale was instrumental in the eventual addition of many of Teale's papers to UConn's special collections. Teale's papers consume in the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center in Storrs, Connecticut and include:
... field notes and drafts for each of his books, early childhood writings, professional writings for magazines, newspapers and book reviews, correspondence- both personal and professional, personal and family documents, scrapbooks, and memorabilia, as well as his photographs (prints, negatives, and transparencies) and his personal library. There is also one box of original
John Burroughs John Burroughs (April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921) was an American naturalist and nature essayist, active in the conservation movement in the United States. The first of his essay collections was ''Wake-Robin'' in 1871. In the words of his bi ...
material Teale collected over the years.
Teale's last will and testament of September, 1980, bequested to The Concord Free Public Library,
Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is n ...
, his
... collection of Henry Thoreau books, letters, correspondence, momentos icand any other material dealing with Henry Thoreau, all ... material dealing with Ralph Waldo Emerson and all other material ... dealing with or relating to Concord, Massachusetts. The collection consumes including 12 containers, plus 108 printed books and pamphlets.


Bibliography

*''The Book of Gliders'' (1930) *''Grassroot Jungles'' (1937) *''The Boys' Book of Insects'' (1939) *''The Boys' Book of Photography'' (1939) *''The Golden Throng'' (1940) *''Byways to Adventure: A Guide to Nature Hobbies'' (1942) *''Near Horizons'' (1942) *''Dune Boy: The Early Years of a Naturalist'' (1943) *''The Lost Woods'' (1945) *''Walden'' – Introduction, commentary, photographs (1946) *''Days without Time'' (1948) *''The Insect World of J. Henri Fabre'' (1949) *''Green Mansions'' – Introduction, captions (1949) *''North With The Spring: A Naturalist's Record of a 17,000 Mile Journey with the North American Spring'' (1951) *''Green Treasury'' (1952) *''Circle of the Seasons'' (1953) *''The Junior Book of Insects'' (1953) *''Exploring The Insect World With Edwin Way Teale'' (1953) *''The Wilderness World of John Muir'' (1954) *''Omnibus III'' vol. 23 / TV-Radio Workshop of the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...
/
CBS Television Network CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
(1955) *''Insect Friends'' (1955) *'' Autumn Across America: A Naturalist's Record of a 20,000 Mile Journey through the North American Autumn (1956)'' *''Adventures In Nature'' (1959) *''Journey Into Summer: A Naturalist's Record of a 19,000 Mile Journey Through the North American Summer'' (1960) *''The Lost Dog'', (1961) *''The Bees'' adapted from material by Edwin Way Teale (1961) *''The Strange Lives of Familiar Insects'' (1962) *''The Thoughts of Thoreau'' (1962) *''Audubon's Wildlife: With Selections from the Writings of John James Audubon'' Editor (1964) *'' Wandering Through Winter: A Naturalist's Record of a 20,000 Mile Journey Through the North American Winter'' (1965) *''Springtime in Britain: An 11,000 Mile Journey Through the Natural History of Britain from Land's End to John O'Groats'' (1970) *''Photographs of American Nature'' (1972) *''A Naturalist Buys An Old Farm'' (1974) *''The American Seasons'' (1976) *''A Walk through the Year'' (1978) *''A Conscious Stillness: Two Naturalists on Thoreau's Rivers'' (1982, published posthumously) Books About Edwin Way Teale *''Of Nature Time And Teale: A Biographical Sketch of Edwin Way Teale'' by Edward H. Dodd Jr., Dodd, Mead, & Company, New York, 1960.


References


External links

*
Naturewriting.com: Edwin Way Teale Biography from University of Connecticut
*[http://www.wnyc.org/story/edwin-teale-sigmund-spaeth-and-agnes-de-mille/ Edwin Way Teale speaking before ''The New York Herald Tribune Book and Author Luncheon'' January 20, 1952 about his book ''North With the Spring'' as broadcast by WNYC Radio.]
Edwin Way Teale Research Summary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teale, Edwin Way 1899 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers American conservationists American nature writers American male non-fiction writers Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction winners John Burroughs Medal recipients Columbia University alumni Earlham College alumni Friends University people Writers from Joliet, Illinois