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The Wilderness World of John Muir
by John Muir
Edwin Way Teale, editor
The Wilderness World of John Muir
Edited by Edwin Way Teale
Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin
352 pages, 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
Paperback
ISBN: 0618127518
Release Date:
August 20, 2001
Publisher's Press Release
"No one can read this Muir anthology without becoming conscious of a
quickening revelation of new aspects of the world's old beauty." — New
York Times
"Reading that is often magnificent, thrilling, exciting, breathtaking,
and awe-inspiring." — Kirkus Reviews
"This admiringly edited volume is especially welcome . . . Here is a
substantial selection including many of his greatest passages." — The
Nation
Introduction
Travel in any part of the great American wilderness, and you are sure to
come across the name of John Muir, whether pitching your tent at Camp Muir
in Washington's Mount Rainier National Park, fishing in Muir Lake in Wisconsin,
or hiking the John Muir Trail in the Sierras. California's national parks
often boast the name Muir, from Muir Gorge in Yosemite to Muir Grave and
Muir Crest in the Sequoia National Park.
What made John Muir so popular? Was it his work as one of the most noted
conservationists in American history? His influence in convincing President
Theodore Roosevelt to establish a national park system? His discovery of Alaska's
Glacial Bay, as well as new species of plants and insects? His explanation
of how glacial activity shaped the Yosemite Valley? His role as founder and
president of the Sierra Club from 1892 until his death in 1914?
Undoubtedly, Muir's influence in ecology and conservation has been as far-reaching
as his love of the outdoors, which was, for him "at once a laboratory
for research and a temple for worship." Muir let very little interfere
with his desire to spend time in nature. He wrote, "I have not yet in
all my wanderings found a single person so free as myself. When in the woods
I sit at times for hours watching birds or squirrels or looking down into the
faces of flowers without suffering any feeling of haste." Indeed, he did
not allow haste to diminish his enjoyment in studying and exploring his environment.
The Wilderness World of John Muir is a collection of Muir's best writings,
covering the impressions he gained through years of travel and research. Beginning
with his life as a child in Scotland, his essays cover his boyhood in the Wisconsin
woods, his friendship with the aging Ralph Waldo Emerson in Yosemite, and his
exploration of the icy regions of Alaska. Rich in detail, these writings describe
not only the events that shaped him but also his philosophies.
During his life, Muir traveled through most of the American wilderness, without
an overcoat, a blanket, or a gun. In his journal, he once wrote, "I only
went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going
out, I found, was really going in." The Wilderness World of John
Muir is an invitation to "go in" with John Muir, so that you too will
want to stay until sundown.
About the Author
John Muir (1838–1914) was one of the most influential conservationists
and nature writers in American history.
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