the john muir exhibit - bibliographic_resources - press_releases - a passion for nature
A Passion for Nature :
The Life of John Muir
by Donald Worster
( from the publisher's press release; October 16, 2008 )
A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir
by Donald Worster
2008
New York: Oxford University Press
Contact: Betsy
DeJesu, Publicity Manager
212/726-6111
Betsy.DeJesu@oup.com
See also:
When Writing About John Muir,
I Had to See What He Saw By Donald
Worster (Off-site link)
On John Muir's Trail by Donald Worster. Presented to University of California, San Diego, April 23, 2018
Oxford proudly
presents the most comprehensive biography of America’s greatest conservationist
ever written
A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir by Donald Worster
(Oxford | October 16, 2008 | $34.95 | 535 pages | 30 halftones & 5 maps
| 6-1/8 x 9-1/4 |
ISBN: 978-0-19-516682-8)
“As
far as the American environment is concerned, few figures have wielded
more influence than John Muir. How appropriate, then, that one of America’s
most noted environmental historians, Donald Worster, should now present
John Muir in all his complexity and achievement in this authoritative and
lively biography.” —KEVIN STARR, University of Southern California
John Muir was a man. This simple statement may seem banal, however, this
one man had humble beginnings and a “regular” life: a family,
and work, and an unreserved respect for the natural world. Mere mention
of his name invokes a literal and figurative legacy that has branched out
to nearly all areas of our society. As the father of environmentalism,
he is an icon; to young men and women of a certain mind, his is an idol;
even to those who know only his name and not his many great pursuits he
holds the reputation of genius. John Muir was not just a man; he was a
major catalyst in a heroic and vital movement.
Donald Worster has written
the first comprehensive biography of Muir’s life in nearly sixty years,
A PASSION FOR NATURE: The Life of John Muir. Based on Muir’s full private
correspondence, Worster delves into the life of a struggling writer, a
self-made man, a world traveler, a father and husband, a scientist, great
thinker, a champion for natural wonders like Yosemite, and the founder
of the Sierra club, in a textured and wholly complete look at his brilliant
and often solitary life.
Drawing on his own great expertise in the emerging
field of environmental history (the changing perception of nature, the
rise of conservation and environmentalism), Worster retraced Muir’s
footsteps as his research for this book took him to the very same places
that the great man himself tread upon – Scotland,
Finland, the fishing village of Cedar Key in Florida, a cemetery in Savannah,
Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, and New Zealand.
Muir’s inspiration
has left an indelible mark on the landscape of the United States and the
minds of all who wish to see its beauty preserved in the face of constant
jeopardy. Donald Worster's biography offers a wealth of insight into the
passionate nature of a man whose passion for nature remains unsurpassed.
About the author:
Donald Worster is Hall Distinguished Professor of American
History at the University of Kansas. His books include The Wealth
of Nature,
Under Western Skies, and the Bancroft Prize-winning Dust
Bowl. He lives
in Lawrence, Kansas.
**Donald Worster is available for interviews. To schedule
an interview or for review copies, please contact: Betsy DeJesu, Publicity
Manager | 212/726-6111 | Betsy.DeJesu@oup.com
A PASSION FOR NATURE: The
Life of John Muir by Donald Worster will be published by Oxford on October
16, 2008 ($34.95 | 535 pages | ISBN: 978-0-19-5
Also Available:
Home
| Alphabetical Index
| What's New & About this Site