Written and published over a period of forty years, the essays in Phillip Sterling's Lessons in Geography chronicle how his formative years in Northwest Lower Michigan not only inspired him to be a writer but also profoundly influenced his creative and critical perspectives. Diverse in form, the essays are nonetheless unified in theme: how the geography of a place-the forests, shores, and lakes of Michigan-plays a role in one's education, imparting knowledge of the wider, human world.