▁works ▁designed ▁to ▁memor ialize ▁life ▁in ▁the ▁Wisconsin ▁he ▁knew . ▁Der le th ▁can ▁also ▁be ▁considered ▁a ▁pione ering ▁natural ist ▁and ▁conservation ist ▁in ▁his ▁writing . ▁ ▁Life ▁The ▁son ▁of ▁William ▁Julius ▁Der le th ▁and ▁Rose ▁Louise ▁Volk , ▁Der le th ▁grew ▁up ▁in ▁Sau k ▁City , ▁Wisconsin . ▁He ▁was ▁educated ▁in ▁local ▁par och ial ▁and ▁public ▁high ▁school . ▁Der le th ▁wrote ▁his ▁first ▁fiction ▁at ▁age ▁ 1 3 . ▁He ▁was ▁interested ▁most ▁in ▁reading , ▁and ▁he ▁made ▁three ▁tri ps ▁to ▁the ▁library ▁a ▁week . ▁He ▁would ▁save ▁his ▁money ▁to ▁buy ▁books ▁( his ▁personal ▁library ▁exceed ed ▁ 1 2 , 0 0 0 ▁later ▁on ▁in ▁life ). ▁Some ▁of ▁his ▁biggest ▁influ ences ▁were ▁Ralph ▁Wal do ▁Em erson ' s ▁ess ays , ▁W alt ▁Whit man , ▁H . ▁L . ▁Men cken ' s ▁The ▁American ▁Mercur y , ▁Samuel ▁Johnson ' s ▁The ▁History ▁of ▁R ass el as , ▁Prince ▁of ▁Ab iss in ia , ▁Alexandre ▁Dum as , ▁Ed gar ▁All an ▁Po e , ▁Walter ▁Scott , ▁and ▁Henry ▁David ▁Th ore au ' s ▁Wal den . ▁ ▁Fort y ▁rejected ▁stories ▁and ▁three ▁years ▁later , ▁according ▁to ▁anth ologist ▁Jim ▁Steph ens , ▁he ▁sold ▁his ▁first ▁story , ▁" B at ' s ▁B elf ry ", ▁to ▁We ird ▁T ales ▁magazine . ▁Der le th ▁wrote ▁throughout