Wilderness Essays [Hardcover]

Experience John Muir's wilderness essays spanning Alaska to Yellowstone—writings that not only celebrate America's natural beauties but also established his legacy as a pioneering conservationist whose name now graces forests, lakes, and trails.

Part of John Muir's appeal to modern readers is that he not only explored the American West and wrote about its beauties but also fought for their preservation. His successes dot the landscape and are evident in all the natural features that bear his name: forests, lakes, trails, and glaciers. Here collected are some of Muir's finest wilderness essays, ranging in subject matter from Alaska to Yellowstone, from Oregon to the High Sierra.

This book is part of a series that celebrates the tradition of literary naturalists—writers who embrace the natural world as the setting for some of our most euphoric and serious experiences. These books map the intimate connections between the human and the natural world. Literary naturalists transcend political boundaries, social concerns, and historical milieus; they speak for what Henry Beston called the “other nations” of the planet. Their message acquires more weight and urgency as wild places become increasingly scarce.Who was this man John Muirwhose words, written scores of years before, still had the power to move readers to try and appreciate the wonders of the world as he saw them?The Discovery of Glacier Bay 1

The Alaska Trip 35

Twenty Hill Hollow 70

Snow 89

A Near View of the High Sierra 103

Among the Animals of Yosemite 134

The Yellowstone National Park 178

A Great Storm in Utah 220

Wild Wool 227

The Forests of Oregon 243