Great Russian author Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev (1818-1883) was an avid hunter and nature lover and used his own experiences in the woods of his native Russia to pen A HUNTER'S SKETCHES (written in the period of 1852-1874). This work established his reputation as a foremost writer of his time. 'Do you know, for instance, the delight of setting off before daybreak in spring? You come out on to the steps. . . . In the dark-grey sky stars are twinkling here and there; a damp breeze in faint gusts flies to meet you now and then; there is heard the secret, vague whispering of the night; the trees faintly rustle, wrapt in darkness. And now they put a rug in the cart, and lay a box with the samovar at your feet.' -- from 'The Forest And The Steppe'