Nature Writings
by John Muir 
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"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 show more 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. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I stumbled on this book completely by accident, and feel all the better for doing so. Large parts of the text were written a century or more ago, yet Muir's writing resonates with a modernity and freshness that made this book a joy and a pleasure.
A farsighted and informative book if sometimes insensitive to the forces of racism that affect our world. Still, he knows how to make a point. Here's a quote: "... No doubt these trees would make good lumber after passing through a sawmill, as George Washington after passing through the hands of a French cook would have made good food."
The book includes an index. My copy had a ribbon bookmark sewn into the binding.
The book includes an index. My copy had a ribbon bookmark sewn into the binding.
Nature Writings by John Muir is a collection of writings by John Muir. From discussing his childhood in Scotland to moving to the United States and being in Wisconsin for a time, Muir was a man enamored with the Natural World and its wonders. With a keen eye and a skill for drawing, Muir was a founder of the Sierra Club and did his best to introduce others to the beauty of nature. So this collection includes The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, My First Summer in the Sierra, The Mountains of California, Stickeen, and several Essays. With a charming mien and a panoply of visual delights in the form of drawings, this book is quite delightful.
Some of the parts read a bit like a travelogue diary. I assume he merely published portions of his show more private diary for these books. It really works too. I wonder if it is possible to trace his course through the Sierra and other places. That might be interesting to do.
Since John Muir lived in Wisconsin for a time, I thought it would be interesting to read up on him and I wasn’t disappointed. The man lived a full life is all I can say. show less
Some of the parts read a bit like a travelogue diary. I assume he merely published portions of his show more private diary for these books. It really works too. I wonder if it is possible to trace his course through the Sierra and other places. That might be interesting to do.
Since John Muir lived in Wisconsin for a time, I thought it would be interesting to read up on him and I wasn’t disappointed. The man lived a full life is all I can say. show less
Stickeen is my favorite dog story of all time. In addition, Muir paints is life descriptions with a verbiage that is 19th century Scots poetry.
have picked this up now and then since 2007 - I remember reading it since I moved here in 2011 - it could healline by Natural History books for 2024
"The story of my boyhood and youth", "My first summer in the Sierra", "The mountains of California", "Stickeen", "Selected essays"
purchased Strybing Arboretum bookstore - date unreadable on receipt - revised Stickeen and Alaska 2.18.21 after reading article LitHub excerpted from new book by Bjorn Dihle: A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying w Brown Bears
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Author Information
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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 show more 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) show less
John Muir has a Legacy Library. Legacy libraries are the personal libraries of famous readers, entered by LibraryThing members from the Legacy Libraries group.
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Library of America (092)
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Nature Writings
- Original publication date
- 1997-4-22
- People/Characters
- John Muir, naturalist
- Publisher's editor
- William Cronon
- Disambiguation notice
- This is an omnibus unique to the Library of America; therefore, all CK facts apply to this publication only.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 588
- Popularity
- 50,061
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (4.34)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
