Nature writings : the story of my boyhood and youth ; My first summer in the Sierra ; The mountains of California ; Stickeen ; Selected essays

Cover image for Nature writings : the story of my boyhood and youth ; My first summer in the Sierra ; The mountains of California ; Stickeen ; Selected essays

Format:

Book

Title:

Nature writings : the story of my boyhood and youth ; My first summer in the Sierra ; The mountains of California ; Stickeen ; Selected essays

Other title(s):

Story of my boyhood and youth

My first summer in the Sierra

Mountains of California

Stickeen

Uniform Title:

Works. Selections. 1997

Author:

Muir, John, 1838-1914.

ISBN:

9781883011246

Publication Information:

Physical Description:

888 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Series title(s):

Library of America ;

Number in series:

92.

Contents:

The story of my boyhood and youth -- My first summer in the Sierra -- The mountains of California -- Stickeen -- Selected essays. Yosemite glaciers ; Yosemite Valley in flood ; A geologist's winter walk ; Wild wool ; Flood-storm in the Sierra ; Living glaciers of California ; God's first temples : how shall we preserve our forests? ; Snow-storm on Mount Shasta ; Alaska ; Features of the proposed Yosemite National Park ; The American forests ; The wild parks and forest reservations of the West ; The Yellowstone National Park ; The forests of the Yosemite Park ; The Grand Canon of the Colorado ; Hetch Hetchy Valley ; Cedar Keys ; Save the redwoods.

Summary:

"In a lifetime of exploration, writing, and passionate political activism, John Muir made himself America's most eloquent spokesman for the mystery and majesty of the wilderness. A crucial figure in the creation of our national parks system and a visionary prophet of environmental awareness, he was also a master of natural description who evoked with unique power and intimacy the untrammeled landscapes of the American West. Nature Writings collects his most significant and best-loved works in a single volume." "The Story of My Boyhood and Youth (1913) is Muir's account of growing up by the sea in Scotland, of coming to America with his family at age eleven, and of his early fascination with the natural world. My First Summer in the Sierra (1911) is his famous account of the spiritual awakening he experienced when, 1869, he first encountered the mountains and valleys of central California. The Mountains of California (1894) draws on half a lifetime of exploration of the high Sierra country to celebrate and evoke the region's lakes, forests, flowers, and animals in a masterpiece of observation and poetic description." "Also included are the widely popular "Stickeen" (1909), Muir's affectionate story of an adventure with a dog in Alaska, and a rich selection of essays - including "Yosemite Glaciers," "God's First Temples," "Snow-Storm on Mount Shasta," "The American Forests," and the late appeal "Save the Redwoods"--Highlighting various aspects of his career: his exploration of what became Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks and the Grand Canyon, his successful crusades to preserve the wilderness, his early walking tour to Florida, and the Alaska journey of 1879"--Jacket.

Personal Subject:

Muir, John, 1838-1914.

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

Corporate Subject:

Muir, John, 1838-1914.

Subject(s):

Muir, John, 1838-1914.

Natural history -- United States.

Naturalists -- United States -- Biography.

Conservationists -- United States -- Biography.

Geographic Term:

United States.

Genre:

Autobiographies.

Biographies.

Added Title:

Selected essays.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Salem Main Library	508.74 Muir	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	508.74 MUIR	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Known as the "Father of the National Parks," John Muir wrote about the American West with unmatched passion and eloquence-as seen in this stunning, one-volume collection

In a lifetime of exploration, writing, and passionate political activism, John Muir became America's most eloquent spokesman for the mystery and majesty of the wilderness. A crucial figure in the creation of our national parks system and a far-seeing prophet of environmental awareness who founded the Sierra Club in 1892, he was also a master of natural description who evoked with unique power and intimacy the untrammeled landscapes of the American West.

Nature Writings collects Muir's most significant and best-loved works in a single volume, including- The Story of My Boyhood and Youth (1913), My First Summer in the Sierra (1911), The Mountains of California (1894) and Stickeen (1909). Rounding out the volume is a rich selection of essays-including "Yosemite Glaciers," "God's First Temples," "Snow-Storm on Mount Shasta," "The American Forests," and "Save the Redwoods"-that highlight various aspects of his career- his exploration of the Grand Canyon and of what became Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks, his successful crusades to preserve the wilderness, his early walking tour to Florida, and the Alaska journey of 1879.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation's literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America's best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

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)

Library Journal Review

This volume is virtually an entire library of Muir. It combines The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, The Mountains of California, Stickteen, and a number of his essays along with illustrations, a chronology of his life, and scholarly notes. At $35, this is a remarkable bargain for public and academic libraries alike. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.