My first summer in the Sierra vs The Land of Little Rain: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Natural history, Nature, Description and travel

My first summer in the Sierra John Reid Muir · 1911 ★★★★☆ 4.0 164 pages · ≈ 3 h 02 m · Challenging

Introduction by Mike Davis; Illustrated with photographs by Herbert W. Gleason and drawings by the author

Naturalists Agriculture Biography & Memoir History

The Land of Little Rain Mary Austin · 1903 ★★★★☆ 3.9 66 pages · ≈ 1 h 13 m · Challenging

“EAST away from the Sierras, south from Panamint and Amargosa, east and south many an acounted mile, is the Country of Lost Borders.”

Mary Hunter Austin (1868-1934) moved with her family from Illinois to the desert on the edge of the San Joaquin Valley in 1888. In the next fifteen years she moved from one desert community to another, working on her…

Northwest Zamorano 80 Pictorial works California

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
My first summer in the Sierra has the widest readership — 7680 ratings behind its score.

My first summer in the Sierra: Check price →The Land of Little Rain: Check price →

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How to choose

Want the crowd-tested pick? My first summer in the Sierra 7680 ratings vs 2123 for The Land of Little Rain

Scores by source

	My first summer in the Sierra	The Land of Little Rain
Goodreads	4.0 (7680)	3.9 (2123)
Hardcover	4.0 (19)	4.2 (5)
Apple Books	—	4.0 (5)
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Reception

	My first summer in the Sierra	The Land of Little Rain
Ratings	7680	2123
Editions	93	127
Film adaptations	—	1
Want to read	20709	4185
Reading it now	1577	456
Written reviews	761	248
Wikipedia attention	—	335
Pages	164	66
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: My first summer in the Sierra or The Land of Little Rain?

My first summer in the Sierra has the higher combined reader rating across sources (My first summer in the Sierra 4.0/5, The Land of Little Rain 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: My first summer in the Sierra or The Land of Little Rain?

The Land of Little Rain is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Land of Little Rain (66 pages, ≈ 1 h 13 m); My first summer in the Sierra (164 pages, ≈ 3 h 02 m).

Which is harder to read: My first summer in the Sierra or The Land of Little Rain?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — My first summer in the Sierra: Challenging; The Land of Little Rain: Challenging.