Our National Parks (Wilderness)

Beautiful book! I'd always meant to read the writings of John Muir before, and seeing the artwork for the set that Vertebrate Publishing are producing I thought it was finally time. Originally published in 1901, it felt like I was turning back the clock and exploring the forests and trails of America that very few other feet had wandered along before. As I was reading Our National Parks it felt like I was reading a Lord of the Rings book - Muir goes into such detail describing the landscapes, personifying the trees, streams and mountains: “The mighty trees getting their food are seen to be wide-awake, every needle thrilling in the welcome of the nourishing storms, chanting and bowing low in glorious harmony …”I loved reading it, and it was thought-provoking to consider how much we have or haven't changed in relation to our respect for the environment. Muir is clearly deeply passionate about preserving the lands, and his call to nature (particularly in the final chapter) is as valid and apt for today's global problems as it was when he wrote it over 100 years ago. Strongly recommended reading for anyone considering!“Going into the woods is going home; for I suppose we came from the woods originally”

excellent. will buy again

Although this book is about American National Parks and Forest Reservations, and was written over 100 years ago, it will be of interest to a lot of people. Interwoven into each chapter are John Muir’s views on why it is important for people to get out into nature and wilderness and why it’s important to preserve these areas.In the description about the Bitter Root reserve, when Muir is persuading people to spend time there, there are these wonderful words: ‘The time will not be taken from the sum of your life. Instead of shortening it will definitely lengthen it and make you truly immortal. Nevermore will time seem short or long, and cares will never again fall heavily on you, but gently and kindly as gifts from heaven’.The first chapter is an outline of the various parks and forests with wonderful descriptions of the scenery, trees, plants and animals found in each one. There are chapters devoted to the Yellowstone and the Sequoia and General Grants National Parks while Yosemite gets five chapters, each looking at a different aspect. Muir is very at ease in the wilderness and his love for nature shines out of his wonderful descriptions. He had quite remarkable powers of observation. For those who are timid about venturing deep into the countryside he has these words. ‘When an excursion into the woods is proposed, all sorts of dangers are imagined – snakes, bears, Indians. Yet it is far safer to wander in God’s woods than to travel on black highways or to stay at home. No American wilderness that I know of is so dangerous as a city home with ‘all the modern improvements’. One should go to the woods for safety, if for nothing else.Muir believed that the wilderness areas were best preserved by people visiting them and appreciating their beauty. The final chapter of the book which is about the American forests is considered by many to contain some remarkable comments. However, for me the most powerful piece of writing comes at the end of the Yellowstone chapter: ‘Stay on this good fire-mountain and spend the night among the stars. Watch their glorious bloom until dawn, and get one more baptism of light. Then, with fresh heart, go down to your work, and whatever your fate, under whatever ignorance or knowledge you may afterward chance to suffer, you will remember these fine, wild views, and look back with joy to your wanderings in the blessed old Yellowstone Wonderland.’Through reading Our National Parks you can experience these wonderlands vicariously until you are able to visit them in person. The book will inspire you to do so.

Although written over 100 years ago, John Muir appears to predict our current environmental struggles, writing about the importance of preserving our wild land and its many benefits to people. He witnesses and describes the commercial destruction of forest, understanding the viewpoint of the loggers and miners who need to earn a living but lamenting the unquantifiable loss of ancient forest. He talks of the longer-term problems of deforestation including increased flooding and drought downstream because the trees and their root systems can no longer act as barrier or sponge; the loss of high-quality topsoil; and the loss and waste of the ancient trees themselves.This book which, like his others, is crammed with beautiful observational writing, is a fascinating read. The writing is wonderful and his passion for the trees, lakes, rivers and mountains shines from the pages. Highly recommended and essential reading for those with an interest in conservation and the natural world.

This is possibly one of his best books, every page you feel his enthusiam for the outdoors and its inhabitants. He captures the outdoors so vidily and concludes with a clarion call to save the forests then, which should engerise us into action.