Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of John Muir, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 2745 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Amazon.com
Take a trip to last century's Alaska through Muir's clean, easy-going, enthusiastic prose. He wrote the way he took pictures, with insight, attention, care and genuine feeling. It's a lovely look into a beautiful land and its inhabitants the way it used to be, told in a flowing narrative that is far less rushed than contemporary travel tales.Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
The most interesting of the short excursions we made from Fort Wrangell was the one up the Stickeen River to the head of steam navigation. From Mt. St. Elias the coast range extends in a broad, lofty chain beyond the southern boundary of the territory, gashed by stupendous canyons, each of which carries a lively river, though most of them are comparatively short, as their highest sources lie in the icy solitudes of the range within forty or fifty miles of the coast. A few, however, of these foaming, roaring streams--the Alsek, Chilcat, Chilcoot, Taku, Stickeen, and perhaps others--head beyond the range with some of the southwest branches of the Mackenzie and Yukon. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Muir and Alaska
The beauty of this wonderful reprinting is how it shows John Muir as a person, how it helps us to understand the dynamic and overwhelming beauty of Alaska, and the changes in the people of Alaska.Muir's complete, tireless, and joyful commitment to nature comes through on every page.The book unintentionally provides an excellent portrait of the kind of inexhaustible devotion it takes to change the world as did Muir.The book also provides a stunning portrait of Alaska in the latter part of the 19th Century and allows one to compare the Alaska of those days with Alaska of earlier times and of today.The biggest changes are in the glaciers and in the people.The glaciers have receded dramatically as a natural part of their centuries' long retreat.It is interesting to compare what Muir saw with the experience of Vancouver almost exactly 100 years earlier (ca. 1793).Vancouver could hardly enter Glacier Bay.Muir could enter quite some distance, but the glaciers were still the dominant features.Today, the glaciers have largely receded into deep valleys.Muir encountered people in Alaska living largely as they had for centuries.They were hunters and fishermen and lived in small groups along the shore line.As Jonathan Raban points out in the intricately woven fabric of his sublime book "Passage to Juneau," the people of southeast Alaska considered the sea to be the real environment of their lives while the land was considered dangerous and unknowable.They lived along the shore and knew how to live off and with the sea year round.The lives of the Alaskan people are very different today but greatly influenced by the past.Raban often characterizes Muir's writing as overblown and florid.However, it is a portrait of a man, a maritime land and a people.To do justice to those three, the book had to be what it is - an astonishingly colorful and detailed portrait in words.

Southeast Alaska, Once Upon A Time
John Muir's "Travels In Alaska" is his accouts of his trips to Southeast Alaska in 1879, 1880, and 1890.Southeast Alaska 125 years ago was sparsely settled and poorly explored; Muir's adventurous spirit and enquiring mind led him to investigate the numerous inlets and glaciers in the area, including the magnificent and much-celebrated Glacier Bay.

Muir's simple, muscular prose weaves a fascinating narrative out of descriptions of the people, wildlife, and geology he encounters on his journey, suffused with his endless sense of wonder at the landscapes in which he saw the hand of God.The reader can hardly help but be carried along by Muir's enthusiasm.Muir's descriptions may be most relevant to those traveling Southeast Alaska by cruise ship, for a sense of what the landscape looked like before the population reached today's size and spread. Those not interested in the travel aspects of the book and in numerous descriptions of glaciers may find this book less interesting.

This book is highly recommended to fans of John Muir's writings, and to those planning a trip through Southeast Alaska.

Don't know what to make of this
From the title, one would think this a type of travel journal, a panorama of episodes along the way, a sequence of stations between the starting off point and the destination. Instead, the overall weight of the book is given to glaciers, their descriptions, their influence on the landscape, their geological record, the discovery of new glaciers, and other characteristics of these moving rivers of ice. While Muir offers descriptive powers unequaled among authors on nature, never repeating himself though constantly repeating his subject, the sheer repetition tends to bog the work down. Two whole pages might contribute to our view of a particular glacier, and suddenly Muir reports that he's finished a 200-mile leg of his journey on foot. He tells us when he's climbed a glacier, and along the way we've missed an entire week. Time and space almost have no medium in this publication, utterly lost when gazing upon a glacier. For nature lovers who will never go to Alaska, the descriptions in this book make the ranges and glaciers come alive in print, but as a dramatic journey, a travelogue, or a field manual for the Alaskan bush, this book forms only a vague shadow.

Muir in southeast Alaska.
I confess up front, it's been a few years since I read Muir's Travels in Alaska. Yet significant aspects I remember well. Given Muir's exuberance for life and almost everything he encounters in his travels, one almost looses view of Muir the botanist and geologist. But not quite. Here we find the author contemplating the activity of glaciers and documenting the flora of southeast Alaska. Muir (who tended strongly toward vegetarianism) gleefully entertaining himself by foiling duck hunters. Baffling the locals by happily wandering out into major storms.
The book is a journal of Muir's 1879, 1880, and 1890 trips (he wouldn't mind if we called them adventures) to SE Alaska's glaciers, rivers, and temperate rain forests. He died while preparing this volume for publication.
I remind myself, and anyone reading this, that Muir isn't for every reader. And, as other reviewers have stated, this may not be the volume in which to introduce oneself to the one-of-a-kind John Muir. One reviewer doesn't think that Muir is entirely credible in these accounts. I won't say whether or not this is wrong, but I tend to a different view. For some of us -- and certainly for Muir -- wilderness is a medicine, a spiritual tonic, so to speak. For the individual effected in this way, physical impediments and frailties rather dissolve away when he is alone in wildness. I once heard Graham Mackintosh (author of Into a Desert Place) speak of this. In all of his travels alone in the desert, he doesn't recall having ever been sick. This may not sound credible to some, but I strongly suspect it is true.
If you like Muir's writings, read this book. If you like the stuff of Best Sellers, perhaps you should look elsewhere.

The Literary Side of Science
Nature is a beautiful and highly complicated phenomena of this world.Many have sought to understand it and capture its essence in writing.The nature writings of John Muir succeed in capturing the beauty of nature as well as the scientific aspect.I have to be honest, I wasn't that enthused about reading a book about science.I expected Muir's book to be identical to a science textbook, definitely not my idea of enjoyment.However, his book was actually full of detailed descriptions and creative uses of similes, metaphors, and analogies.In fact, it completely changed my perception of a scientific novel.

In his book, "Travels in Alaska", Muir brings alive the magnificence of the vast expanses of unexplored Alaskan territory.His prose reveals his enthusiasm for nature, and he weaves clear and distinct pictures through his words.Muir's writing is very personal.His favorable feelings toward the land are very apparent, and reading the book is like reading his diary or journal.Heavoids using scientific jargon that would confuse and frustrate the average reader; his words are easily understood.

Muir also uses very detailed descriptions throughout "Travels in Alaska".Although at times his painstaking description is a plus, at others, he seems to take it a little too far.Numerous times throughout the book, Muir spent a paragraph or two talking about something slightly insignificant.He would go off on a tangent of enthusiasm for something as simple as a sunrise or the rain.While his careful observances make the book enjoyable, the sometimes excessive detail tends to detract from the point he was trying to make.The description also reveals that his heart and soul was in his research; this became very evident upon reading the long and thoughtful descriptions.

"Travels in Alaska" can be appreciated by a wide audience.Muir shines light upon the Alaskan territory, and he is detailed in his account of the many people he meets.Anyone could read the book and find enjoyment learning about Alaska when it was for the most part unsettled.Muir shares with the readers his keen insight upon the various Indian tribes that lived in Alaska.At one point in the book, he gives a very detailed description of one tribe's feasting and dancing. His observances capture exactly what he saw and the feelings these observances evoked in him.

John Muir's writing is of high quality.He incorporates beautiful and creative similes, metaphors, and analogies.His prose is very poetic, which makes it an enjoyable read.For example, Muir says that "when we contemplate the world as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty." His work is also very organized.The book is divided into 3 sections, or parts of his trip, as well as separate chapters devoted to specific subjects.Muir spends one chapter describing his trip to Puget Sound, another on Wrangell Island, etc.The book follows a specific format that ensures that everything is easily followed and understood.

Truthfully, I was impressed with the writing, and the fact that it was nothing like a textbook.It incorporated the literary aspect so well, that the book held my interest whereas a textbook would not have.I had the wrong impression of a scientific novel, and I urge anyone unfamiliar with the genre, to give "Travels in Alaska" a fair try.It may just change your mind about scientific writing. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
There are two trees in the Sierra forests that are never blown down, so long as they continue in sound health. These are the Juniper and the Dwarf Pine of the summit peaks. Their stiff, crooked roots grip the storm-beaten ledges like eagles' claws, while their lithe, cord-like branches bend round compliantly, offering but slight holds for winds, however violent. The other alpine conifers--the Needle Pine, Mountain Pine, Two-leaved Pine, and Hemlock Spruce--are never thinned out by this agent to any destructive extent, on account of their admirable toughness and the closeness of their growth. In general the same is true of the giants of the lower zones. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

SLOW.... moves like melting snow, on a cold day.
At one time, perhaps when few were able to travel, this book would have been a gem. If you enjoy detailed descriptions, incredibly well written, you will enjoy this book. But for me, I will just continue to revere John Muir for the inspirational human he was!

Sensuous detail and immediacy
The question is not whether Muir is a terrific writer-but how he got that way, and secondarily, why it is important.The Mountains of California was his first book, published in 1894, and was an instant success. This book contains not just some of the best nature writing, but for its vividness, immediacy and vision some of the best writing in English in any genre. Modern Library's edition is quite special with its introduction to Muir by Bill McKibbon and about 50 illustrations, though I wished there were better maps for following the footsteps of Muir's many greatnarratives among the fabulous natural wonders of the Sierra.

Muir succeeds in his writing in ways that Emerson and Thoreau fall short. Emerson's nature is an internal construct, almost a habit of mind. Thoreau conveys something of the immediacy of Muir in selected writing (and he, like Muir, actually immerses himself in nature itself), but his writings and especially his journals seem chaotic at times and lack a unifying vision.

Muir, on the other hand, always draws the reader forward from one vision to another, each one more fantastic than the previous.

My favorite passages are his descent into the Merced Glacier (in "the Glaciers"), and his description of being on the high slopes during a major windstorm when he climbs a swaying pine to get an even better look. His description of the Giant Sequoia is a work of great subtlety and richness--I seriously doubt you will find a more enchanting description of the two California Species of Sequoia anywhere.

This work abounds with rich and sensuous passages that are descriptions of actual experiences in over a decade of exploring, mostly alone, in the high Sierras. The strength of Muir's writing is based on the depth of his emotional experience of nature-his very personal relationship to the whole and many specific animals, trees and features of the landscape. You would say that it's mystical except for the fact that it's very sensual and very concrete. Muir employs religious language though he never becomes ethereal or abstract as Emerson sometimes does. The reader is always right in the immediate moment of the present listening to Muir's voice. And that suggests another reason why this writing is great. Muir's Scottish heritage (he was born in Dunbar Scotland in 1838) has provided him with a rich, luxurious and slightly exotic vocabulary for describing all the natural wonders that he sees, feels, and hears. It's a voice like no other in American writing.

Of course, the reason it is important is because of what Muir spawned through his vision and experience-he was the true creator of the conservation movement leading to modern environmentalism. I should say that this work is all luxurious description and scientific discussion and rarely becomes didactic or preachy-as modern environmental writers sometimes do. It is not fashionable to think that one person of vision can create so much;but it's hard to conclude otherwise about Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, after reading this work.

What inspiration...
As a Birder, I spend a lot of time travelling outdoors.I also have a large collection of Bird and Nature books and spend a great amount of time in them.For pure enjoyment;I found this one of the finest.Muir was as one of America,s greatest partakers in and writers of Nature and Enviroment and was in every wayas much a giant as the Sequois and Mountains he wrore about.I read this Classic a short time before I visited Yosemite National Park and having done so,encreased my enjoyment and appreciation immeasurably.
After many years of reading,I have come to the conclusion ,that I tend to like books about people I wouldliked to have known,or to spend some time with.What an experience it would have been to have known and travelled with Muir. While that is impossible;at least we have his writings and can dream.

Muir, from Shasta to San Diego, but mostly in the Sierras.
Some say this is Muir's finest work. As the only other Muir book I've read (at this writing) is Travels in Alaska, I cannot comment on this, other than to say that I enjoyed this book a great deal.
From almost any vantage point in California, whether near or on a distant horizon, there are mountains. A fact not lost on Muir, whose sense of wonder and love of life endear him to his readers.
"God's glacial-mills grind slowly, but they have been kept in motion long enough in California to grind sufficient soil for a glorious abundance of life ... In so wild and so beautiful a region [was spent my day], every sight and sound inspiring, leading one far out of himself, yet feeding and building up his individuality."
Muir was the consummate man in nature. Anyone who is indifferent to Muir's writing may simply be indifferent to wonderment itself. I have no doubt that if Muir were placed in a room with the great kings and generals and tycoons and empire builders of history, he would appear singularly as a man among men. Unimpressed with their pomp and bluster over rotting empire, he might soon command more attention than they, and many would be happily listening to Muir in spite of their self importance. Why? He would have the most interesting insights, offered poetically and in a most humble and charming way. ... (in fact Muir was sought out by the great politicians and philosophers of his day).
If you like mountains, if you like California, if you like trees and glacier-fed streams, you will like this book.

the world of muir
muir describes the sierras with detail and love.he is one of the few authors who is content just to be in and describe a landscape.and what a description!.he describes the evolution of glaciaral lakes to the hights of mount ritter and the migrations of deer and native peoples.a great book i recoment it to anyone who loves the outdoors. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.Download Description
Nobody could hope to unravel the lines of his ancestry. In all the wonderfully mixed and varied dog-tribe I never saw any creature very much like him, though in some of his sly, soft, gliding motions and gestures he brought the fox to mind. He was short-legged and bunchy-bodied, and his hair, though smooth, was long and silky and slightly waved, so that when the wind was at his back it ruffled, making him look shaggy. At first sight his only noticeable feature was his fine tail, which was about as airy and shady as a squirrel's, and was carried curling forward almost to his nose. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Beautifully written
I first met Stickeen by reading an exerpt on a Pomeranian calendar. I immediately went to Amazon to get the book. It is a thrilling and emotional testamony by John Muir of his most memorable day on a glacier with a brave little dog. It is a story you just can't put down and by the end you love and admire Stickeen as much as Muir.I did some research and found that John Muir worked on this story for decades perfecting every word. He considered it his most important work because it showed the dog Stickeen as an emotional and thinking being therefore requiring mankind to consider how we treat our canine companions.

Thoroughly enjoyed the story, beautifully produced tape.
We have just listened to the audio book of "Stickeen" produced by Mara Purl and thoroughly enjoyed the story!I have already told my daughter and she is anxiously waiting for my next "care package," because I told her I would be sure to enclose the tape of"Stickeen" so she can enjoy it also.The story was wonderful andit was so beautifully produced with music and sound effects.I will lookfor some of Muir's other stories to enjoy, especially if Haven Books Audiodoes some more.

Engaging, captivating and heart wrenching!
I found the audio tape to be a great source of entertainment.My imagination was captivated.It's a great source of family entertainment, personal journey and pure fun.

Great entertainment when you're driving.
Our family loves to travel by car.In a huge state like Alaska, there's plenty to see, but not much to listen to on the radio, as stations are few and far between.One of the best things we listened to on our trip was"Stickeen," the remarkable dog story by John Muir.We loved LeeSalisbury's voice, and the beautiful music on the tape.This was an hourthat flew by, and a few dollars well-spent.We're sending copies to allour relatives.

Wonderful story!Wonderful reading!
Every doglover will be swept away by this captivating audiobook of John Muir's adventure with STICKEEN.I had never known the story before I listened to the tape, and I was completely captivated by the bravery andheart of STICKEEN - and by the voice of Lee Salisbury.John Muir's wordscapture the innate goodness of EVERY dog - and somehow explains why wecan't help but love them so!!I bought 5 copies to send to my dog lovingfriends, and I'm sure I'll be buying more!This is a story you'll want toshare with everyone who loves animals. ... Read more

Book Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Book Description
Presents a brief look at the life of John Muir ... Read more

Book Description
This unique "autobiography" of John Muir is told in his own words, brimming with his spirit and his adventures. The text was selected and retold by naturalist Joseph Cornell, author of Sharing Nature with Children, who is well known for his inspiring nature games. The result is a book with an aliveness, a presence of goodness, adventure, enthusiasm, and sensitive love of each animal and plant that will give young adults an experience of a true hero. It is a book that expands your sense of hope, adventure, and awareness. Adults will be just as fond of this book as young readers. Cornell includes numerous "explore more" activities that help the reader to understand and appreciate Muir's many wonderful qualities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A revealing presentation of John Muir's personality
John Muir: My Life With Nature is one of the best introductory biographies into the life of this great and influential American naturalist available to young readers today. Told in his own words, the text was compiled and aptly presented by naturalist Joseph Cornell who does full and complete justice in presenting the reader with an accurate and revealing presentation of John Muir's personality, life, thought, and accomplishment. Although designed specifically for young readers, John Muir: My Life With Nature will also be appreciated by adults with an interest in this unique and impressive man and his contributions to public awareness of the need for conservation and wildlife preservation. ... Read more

Book Description
Using the immortal words of John Muir as his medium, Chris Highland explores the Divine in Nature, those universal truths which rise above categories, denominations, and religious divisions. Drawing from world wisdom traditions that span the course of human history, Meditations of John Muir: Nature's Temple unites them under the aegis of the natural world and offers the opportunity to pause, reflect, and draw comfort from that which joins us all. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Peaceful pleasures
This book is a simple yet profound collection of words by John Muir and the author's own reflections, masterfully paired.They are beautiful and inspiring.Perfect companion for a walk among the redwoods!I also enjoyed this author's other works on Emerson and Thoreau.

sauntering companion
A must!!!
Take this wonderful collection of muirs wisdom with you whether you are walking among trees, meadows, deserts, or just thinking about a saunter.Chris Highland's compilation of varied writings from John Muir are wonderfully editited, capturing muirs wit, humor and peace of mind.I love this book!! ... Read more

Book Description
Sierra Club Pathstone Editions introduce inspirational works by visionary authors who offer explorations into the vast and varied splendors of the natural world in both its physical and spiritual dimensions. These exquisite writings lead us into an extended appreciation of our ways of being in this world and for what John Muir called the "newness of life." ... Read more

Book Description
Quoting from John Muir's diaries, Kathryn Lasky tells the inspiring tale of one of America's most dedicated environmentalists, aided by Stan Fellows's evocative, dramatic acrylic paintings.

From the meadows of Scotland to the farms of Wisconsin, from the swamps of Florida to the Alaskan tundra, John Muir loved the land. Born in 1838, he was a writer, a scholar, an inventor, a shepherd, a farmer, and an explorer, but above all, he was a naturalist. John Muir was particularly devoted to the high cliffs, waterfalls, and ancient giant sequoia trees that, through his careful influence, were set aside as the first national park in America - Yosemite. Here is the life story of the man who, moved by a commitment to wilderness everywhere, founded the Sierra Club in 1892, a conservation group that carries on his crucial work to this day. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Richie's Picks: JOHN MUIR: AMERICA'S FIRST ENVIRONMENTALIST
"I heard the storm and made haste to join it, for many of nature's finest lessons are to be found in her storms." -- John Muir, quoted in John Muir: America's First Environmentalist, which is an excellent picture book for older readers.

I love how a picture book like this can provide enough inspiration to potentially change a readers perspective of the world in 32 pages of text and paintings. In portraying the life story of this great American hero, Lasky and Fellows offer a wealth of fact, memorable journal quotations, a blast of frigid Arctic blizzard conditions, and a taste of romanticism.Anyone who has experienced the majesty of Yosemite or the other national parks that were established in the wake of his advocacy for wild, public spaces, should recognize that Muir has played a role in helping create what America is today to a degree no less important than was played by its better known founding fathers.

Students in grades 3-5 are provided with a review of his childhood dreams and early love of nature
It's a pleasure to see Kathryn Lasky's biography, John Muir: America's First Environmentalist appear for a younger audience than biographies of Muir usually writes for: Stan Fellows provides gorgeous watercolors to accompany a book which uses John Muir's own diaries as a foundation for an exploration of his life and thoughts. Students in grades 3-5 are provided with a review of his childhood dreams and early love of nature, and will find the picturebook format most accessible.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Giddy Feeling
I read "Muir Nature Writings" before reading "Wild Muir".I think having an understanding of who Muir is makes this a better read.The title accurately describes this book as his "greatest adventures".They were wild.I would describe Muir as extremely passionate about nature and being a part of it.This book is for those who can relate to this kind of passion.Muir writes in a gloriously giddy style.I enjoy it because nobody writes like that anymore.I love his flowery descriptions of meadow flowers and scents of pine in the wind.It reminds me of being "out there" and makes me giddy in remembrance.

The Wild Muir: 22 of John Muir's Greatest Adventures
We love the stories that take you to John's Adventures...and the Sierra's

Twenty-two of Muir's best scootcher's!
Lee Stetson, an actor who regularly has played Muir in Yosemite, compiled these 22 tales in this very readable, short book which I obtained in Tuolumne meadows visitor center in Yosemite National Forest. The Wild Muir has been on my Amazon wish list for a long time, so glad I bought my copy in the heart of Muir Territory, where one cannot escape some mention of his name in the many trails and areas he regularly trekked through. What a nice backyard, I constantly repeated to myself while hiking several days at Tuolumne! Every twist and turn of the trails revealed a new, pristine vista that the best panoramic camera could not capture. I felt like I needed a 360 degree camera to capture the beauty of this place, but I don't think anybody makes those these days! Muir expressed these same feelings when he writes: "Pursuing my lonely way down the valley, I turned again and again to gaze on the glorious picture, throwing up my arms to inclose it as in a frame. After long ages of growth in the darkness beneath the glaciers, through sunshine and storms, it seemed now to be ready and waiting for the elected artist, like yellow wheat for the reaper; and I could not help wishing that I were that artist. I had to be content, however, to take it into my soul."

It was here in Tuolumne and Yosemite that Muir would gather those who shared his desire to preserve this wilderness area like Theodore Roosevelt and others, and thankfully, they did just that. The waters still as clear as crystal, teeming still with trout.

Muir's "scootchers" began as a child in Dunbar, Scotland, his mountaineering prowess seemingly inbred, though his brother David, seems not to have shared the same level of fearfulness. In the first chapter, Muir writes of his home, "One of our best playgrounds was the famous Dunbar Castle, to which King Edward fled after his defeat at Bannockburn...The roof of our house, as well as the crags and walls of the old castle, offered fine mountaineering exercise." Of course, Muir would drag his brother David out of their room onto the roof after their mother put them to bed, telling them to "sleep like gude bairns". The first "scootcher" (adventure/daring) told in this book. In the same chapter, he writes that a servant girl would tell them about hell where bad people would go to live eternally. Muir exclaimed indomitably that "I could climb out of it. I imagined it was only a sooty pit with stone walls like those of the castle, and I felt sure there must be chunks and cracks in the masonry for fingers and toes."!

The other twenty-one scootchers contain similar tales of Muir rescuing others who attempted to follow his paths as well as his own hair-raising scootchers sliding down glaciers, surviving powerful wind storms and earthquakes in Yosemite and elsewhere.

It was a real treat to read these adventures in those wild, Muir woods of the Sierras.

The Wild Muir
This book is a total bore. The flowery description is beautiful for the first three sentences, but then it becomes a tranparent cover-up for a book with no plot! Even I could write a more interesting book, and I failed high school english! Muir was a great person, but he sould have stayed where he was better aquianted: the woods! Anyone who enjoys this book obviously has never seen a tree before. A whole book dedicated to them is ironic and lame.

Muir is crazy!
This book tells of several adventures that John Muir had in his life.It confirms that the guy was a bit of a lunatic, but it makes for enjoyable reading.Some of the stories are better than others, but at least they are short and easy to read. ... Read more

Product Description
"Earth has no sorrow that earth cannot heal."
The best of John Muir: 332 quotations, the distillation of his thought, the essence of his beliefs. Muir was the foremost conservationist of his time: nature writer, social critic, realist, a romantic, a visionary.A long-needed collection that features an excellent subject index. Painstaking bibliographic references make this an invaluable addition to one s Muir Library.(Yosemite Association.) If asked for a succinct statement of his beliefs, Muir might have replied:
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Still Useful, even with google and John Muir Exhibit
I am frequently asked for the source of particular Muir quotations. Answering these requests is difficult, because many of Muir's best passages were written in different locations. Muir frequently wrote for newspapers and magazines, and then later edited his writings for book publication. So, there are sometimes two or three slightly different versions of the same Muir quote! In addition, some of his most memorable quotes come from his journals, only part of which have ever been published.

One way of finding many of Muir's best quotes is available through this 1988 compilation by Peter Browning. Browning has selected quotations from Muir filling 74 pages, arranged chronologically. Each chapter reflects a particular time period. For example, the first chapter, "So Little a Time, " reflects 1860-1869. The book ends with a chapter reflecting some Muir quotes from as late as 1920, published quite a few years after his death.
The most valuable feature of the book is the index. The 22 page index includes most of the topics that one might think of when thinking of John Muir, for example, "Animals," "Bears," "Earth," "Mountains," "Nature," and "Wilderness." It also contains many topics you might not expect: "civilization," "darkness," "ignorance," "People," and "wives." Then, under each of these topics, you will find the first line or a portion of a phrase which uses that topic in the quotation.

Thus, if you look up "Freedom," in the index, you will find five quotes using that word, indicated by phrases like "boasted f. of the town," or "f. and beauty and peace come in." If you look up the latter, you'll find this relatively-unknown gem from Muir: "Only spread a fern-frond over a man's head, and worldly cares are cast out, and freedom and beauty and peace come in." Browning indicates the source of each quote, this one from both the Atlantic Monthly (January 11,) and My First Summer in the Sierra, with the correct page numbers indicated. Browning also indicates when it was first written, when that can be determined; in this case on June 13, 1869.

With the advent of the World Wide Web, it is now possible to do a search on the John Muir Exhibit Website for the source of many Muir quotes. If you need to find the source of a particular Muir quote, you can do a search on the John Muir Exhibit website with the Sierra Club host server search engine. This allows you to type a key phrase from the quote you are trying to find, and if it is on any of the books Muir wrote which we have online, you should find it.

Even with the Web, Peter Browning's compilation provides a very useful service, allowing keyword searches, and it is also fun just to leaf through the book to read many of Muir's best quotations. Of course, at 98 pages, the book is not exhaustive, and the selection are those preferred by Browning. Some of my favorite quotes are not found in Browning's book. But most of Muir's best quotes can be found in the book, so I recommend it if you have a need to find Muir sources.

This review is also available on my John Muir Exhibit website:
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Useful resource for locating Muir quotes
I am frequently asked for the source of particular Muir quotations. Answering these requests is difficult, because many of Muir's best passages were written in different locations.Muir frequently wrote for newspapers and magazines, and then later edited his writings for book publication.So, there are sometimes two or three slightly different versions of the same Muir quote! In addition, some of his most memorable quotes come from his journals, only part of which have ever been published. One way of finding many of Muir's best quotes is available through this 1988 compilation by Peter Browning. Browning has selected quotations from Muir filling 74 pages, arranged chronologically. Each chapter reflects a particular time period. For example, the first chapter, "So Little a Time,"reflects 1860-1869.The book ends with a chapter reflecting some Muir quotes from as late as 1920, published quite a few years after his death.The most valuable feature of the book is the index.The 22 page index includes most of the topics that one might think of when thinking of John Muir, for example, "Animals," "Bears," "Earth," "Mountains," "Nature," and "Wilderness." It also contains many topics you might not expect: "civilization," "darkness," "ignorance," "People," and "wives." Then, under each of these topics, you will find the first line or a portion of a phrase which uses that topic in the quotation.Thus, if you look up "Freedom," in the index, you will find five quotes using that word, indicated by phrases like "boasted f. of the town," or "f. and beauty and peace come in." If you look up the latter, you'll find this relatively-unknown gem from Muir: "Only spread a fern-frond over a man's head, and worldly cares are cast out, and freedom and beauty and peace come in."Browning indicates the source of each quote, this one from both the Atlantic Monthly(January 11, 1911) and My First Summer in the Sierra, with the correct page numbers indicated.Browning also indicates when it was first written, when that can be determined; in this case on June 13, 1869.With the advent of the World Wide Web, it is now possible to do a search on the John Muir Exhibit Website for the source of many Muir quotes. If you need to find the source of a particular Muir quote, you can do a search on the John Muir Exhibit website with the SierraClub host serversearch engine.This allows you to type a key phrase from the quote you are trying to find, and if it is on any of the books Muir wrote which we have online, you should find it. Even with the Web, Peter Browning's compilation provides a very useful service, allowing keyword searches, and it is also fun just to leaf through the book to read many of Muir's best quotations.Of course, at 98 pages, the book is not exhaustive, and the selection are those preferred by Browning.Some of my favorite quotes are not found in Browning's book. But most of Muir's best quotes can be found in the book, so I recommend it if you have a need to find Muir sources. ... Read more

Book Description
In a series of richly painted landscapes, Thomas Locker brings the world and words of John Muir to readers, both the young and the young at heart. Equally at home in the wildernesses of California and Alaska, Muir wrote charming lyrical descriptions of nature for the benefit of future generations.

Muir recognized that wilderness should not only be appreciated but should be fought for as well. He sparked the preservationist movement in the United States and throughout the world, working with President Theodore Roosevelt to establish national parks and spearheading the founding of the Sierra Club, an organization that to this day carries on the work he began long ago of encouraging citizen action to protect the natural world.

This book is the second in a series of illustrated books by Thomas Locker introducing readers to notable people who loved and wrote about the American land, and especially about the value of wilderness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A true work of art
John Muir: America's Naturalist is a picture book created and illustrated by Thomas Locker for the express purpose of biographically informing young readers naturalist John Muir's wisdom and values with respect to wilderness preservation. Beautiful full-color reproductions of Locker's richly painted landscapes perfectly complement the life and achievements of John Muir who wrote articulate and enlightening descriptions of nature for the benefit of future generations. John Muir: America's Naturalist is a true work of art, and would make an impressive, popular, memorable contribution to school and community library collections. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

First-rate
I bought this book after hearing a lecture by Edward Renehan at the Union League Club in NYC. Renehan is the biographer of Muir's friend and associate John Burroughs, and in the course of his lecture he recommendedthis edition as a good, solid, representative volume of Muir's prose. Thatit is, and I'm happy to join Renehan in recommending it. -- Alfred Roosein ... Read more

Book Description
"Exciting, original, and highly readable. . . . This is a rich,challenging, original and beautifully written account of Muir's innerdevelopment as an environmental thinker." -John A. Tallmadge, president of the Association for the Study of Literature andthe Environment

As a founder of the Sierra Club and promoter of the national parks, as apassionate nature writer and as a principal figure of the environmentalmovement, John Muir stands as a powerful symbol of connection with the naturalworld. But how did Muir's own relationship with nature begin? In this pioneeringbook, Steven J. Holmes offers a dramatically new interpretation of Muir'sformative years, one that reveals the agony as well as the elation of hisearliest experiences of nature.

From his childhood in Scotland and Wisconsin through his young adulthood in theMidwest and Canada, Muir struggled-often without success-to find a place forhimself both in nature and in society. Far from granting comfort, the naturalworld confronted the young Muir with a full range of practical, emotional, andreligious conflicts. Only with the help of his family, his religion, and theextraordinary power of nature itself could Muir in his late twenties find awelcoming vision of nature as home-a vision that would shape his lifelongenvironmental experience, most immediately in his transformative travels throughthe South and to the Yosemite Valley.

More than a biography, The Young John Muir is a remarkable exploration of thehuman relationship with wilderness. Accessible and engaging, the book willappeal to anyone interested in the individual struggle to come to terms with thepower of nature.

For the first time placing the development of Muir's environmentalconsciousness in the context of his human relationships, this majorreinterpretation of the early life of John Muir emphasizes Muir's childhood andyouth rather than adulthood. Holmes shows how Muir's youthful experiences andinfluences caused him to perceive his natural surroundings as a religiously- charged "home," continuous with the emotional and cultural meanings of hisactual home. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Masterfully, Intricately-Done Biography
Environmental History is a growing and much-needed field of Academia. John Muir, a peaceful yet titanic figure in America's own enviromental movement, like Rachel Carson, like, in his own right-Teddy Roosevelt, is a Pioneer of this movement. Professor Steven J.Holmes. Lecturer in History and Literature at Harvard University, has produced a deeply poignant book about this deeply thoughtful man, i.e. in Muir's "formative" years, wherein his Scottish roots clashed, then melded and germinated beautifully with the ever-more wild Wisconsin of Muir's American years. Yet this child of Dunbar, Scotland, was to, even at the "tadpole's age" of five, begin having transformative and even existential experiences, mostly derived from and spawned by the "Wilderness," by Nature, but too by Muir's love for his beloved mother. According to Holmes' carefully-documented and sourced biographical history of Muir, the young Lad had, even at a VERY young(before age 2)age, an UNCANNY ability to interact with, respond to, and above all, Deeply TRUST his Mother-especially, began when John Muir was just two months of age. Yet to me, with Mother Earth being THE all-powerful and nurturing, kindly force that this species MUST needs be recognize(i.e., Patriarchal societies are NOW too destructive, for Mother Earth to sustain, much longer), these Youthful, formative instinctive developments on Muir's part would become incredibly important in and to that "ecocentric perspective,"(182) as Holmes terms it, that would dominate this quixotically wild but peace-loving man's entire Life's viewpoint, all to the LONG-TERM betterment(IF we can only LISTEN-NOW, if not SOONER) of this Nation-State, and this species.

An Excellent Biography!
I have been an admirer of John Muir since I was a young child.This book is excellent in the way in which Steven J. Holmes captures the essence of a man who continues to inspire persons of all ages and backgrounds with his life. It offers intimate glimpses into Muir's experiences as well as a new perspective into understanding Muir as a universalist humanitarian and hero. ... Read more