John Muir : his Life and letters and other writings

Format:

Book

Title:

John Muir : his Life and letters and other writings

Other title(s):

Life and letters and other writings

Life and letters

Uniform Title:

Works. Selections. 1996

Author:

Muir, John, 1838-1914.

ISBN:

9781898573074

9780898864632

Publication Information:

London : Bâton Wicks ; Seattle : Mountaineers, 1996.

Physical Description:

912 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Contents:

The life and letters of John Muir -- Letters written during a trip to Scotland -- Studies in the Sierra -- Essays from 'Picturesque California' -- The proposed Yosemite National Park -- Alaska days with John Muir -- Stickeen -- Notes on the Pacific Coast glaciers -- The cruise of the Corwin -- Edward Henry Harriman -- John Muir as others saw him.

Summary:

"The Life and Letters of John Muir (originally published in 1923), the biography of the world's most celebrated and influential conservationist, forms the principal book in this omnibus of Muir's writings. The Life and Letters, compiled posthumously by Muir's literary executor, William Frederic Bade, was originally published in 1924 in two volumes. It combines elements of John Muir's unfinished autobiography with letters selected from the voluminous correspondence between Muir and his many collaborators and admirers, all linked by Bade's restrained but perceptive commentary. The result is a vivid portrayal of John Muir the explorer, naturalist, correspondent, polemicist, writer, lobbyist, geographer, and family man. It shows clearly how his crusading passion for the outdoors projected him to the forefront of the American conservation movement and formed a critical element that led to the establishment of the first National Parks."--Pub. desc.

Personal Subject:

Muir, John, 1838-1914.

Muir, John, 1838-1914. (OCoLC)fst00039248

Subject(s):

Natural history -- United States.

Nature conservation -- United States.

Naturalists -- United States -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Added Author:

Gifford, Terry.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Dallas Public Library	508.7809 Muir	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Author Notes

The naturalist John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland. When he was 11 years old, he moved to the United States with his family and lived on a Wisconsin farm, where he had to work hard for long hours. He would rise as early as one o'clock in the morning in order to have time to study. At the urging of friends, he took some inventions he had made to a fair in Madison, Wisconsin. This trip resulted in his attending the University of Wisconsin. After four years in school, he began the travels that eventually took him around the world.

Muir's inventing career came to an abrupt end in 1867, when he lost an eye in an accident while working on one of his mechanical inventions. Thereafter, he focused his attention on natural history, exploring the American West, especially the Yosemite region of California. Muir traveled primarily on foot carrying only a minimum amount of food and a bedroll. In 1880 Muir married Louie Strentzel, the daughter of an Austrian who began the fruit and wine industry in California.

One of the first explorers to postulate the role of glaciers in forming the Yosemite Valley, Muir also discovered a glacier in Alaska that later was named for him. His lively descriptions of many of the natural areas of the United States contributed to the founding of Yosemite National Park in 1890. His urge to preserve these areas for posterity led to his founding of the Sierra Club in 1892.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

This volume of Muir's letters, essays, and lesser-known books begins with early biographer William Frederic Bade's The Life and Letters of John Muir (1924), with four other letters taken from the Muir Papers at the University of the Pacific. In addition, there is Muir's Studies in the Sierra (1950), with four other Muir pieces; three essays from Picturesque California (1888), with two Muir addenda; The Discovery of Glacier Bay (1895), incorporating S.H. Young's Alaska Days with John Muir (1915), a version of Muir's essays about his dog Stickeen, and his notes concerning Pacific Coast glaciers; Bade's 1917 edition of Muir's The Cruise of the Corwin; Muir's essay concerning Edward H. Harriman; and eight essays about Muir from the Sierra Club Bulletin (1916 and 1928) and a recent one from Alpine Journal in 1994. Editor Gifford (English, Leeds Univ.) provides a general introduction, and notes that most of Muir's Picturesque California appeared in a 1992 compilation, The Eight Wilderness Discovery Books. Nowhere, however, does Gifford indicate precisely how he has edited the books and articles appearing in this volume, though he does state that Bade's book is abridged. The index includes the Bade biography, but also includes "selected references from the rest of the omnibus." Black-and-white photos of Muir, friends, and colleagues; other photos in color. Taken together, this book and its 1992 predecessor constitute an excellent library of Muiriana for high school and college students and general readers. K. B. Sterling formerly, Pace University