Heinrich has developed a wide following with such classics as "Ravens in
Winter" and "Bumblebee Economics." "A Year in the Maine Woods" is a more
personal book, propelled by the kind of restlessness that usually sends
writers trekking across continents. Rather than hitting the open road,
though, Heinrich looks for answers to life's questions in the unexpected
richness of one small place, a few green acres along Alder Brook just
east of the Presidential Mountains, which he intends to discover in
exquisite detail.