According to his obituary in the "New York Times", the feeling and philosophical motivation of the entire body of Eiseley's work was best expressed in one of his essays, "The Enchanted Glass:" "The anthropologist wrote of the need for the contemplative naturalist, a man who, in a less frenzied era, had time to observe, to speculate, and to dream." Shortly before his death he received an award from the Boston Museum of Science for his "outstanding contribution to the public understanding of science" and another from the U.S. Humane Society for his "significant contribution for the improvement of life and environment in this country."