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The Wilderness World of John Muir
John Muir's extraordinary vision of America comes to life in these fascinating selections from his personal journals.
As a conservationist, John Muir traveled through most of the American wilderness alone and on foot, without a gun or a sleeping bag. In 1903, while on a three-day camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt, he convinced the president of the importance of...more
As a conservationist, John Muir traveled through most of the American wilderness alone and on foot, without a gun or a sleeping bag. In 1903, while on a three-day camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt, he convinced the president of the importance of...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
August 20th 2001
by Mariner Books
(first published 1954)
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John Muir hated the time he had to spend locked inside to laboriously write. He hated it. Apparently he struggled sentence by sentence. Giving this book a bad rating feels like the worst blasphemy known to man, because he is a hero in the capital-letters- BOLDest-font-available definition of HERO. After being forced to stay inside writing once in Oakland for 10 months, he almost died by falling off a cliff, and then punished himself by sleeping not on the fragrant forest floor with pine needles...more
This book is organized cleverly and in easy to read segments, allowing you to read about Yosemite Valley or his many other natural exploits.
The level of detail of his natural surroundings that Mr.Muir could capture is breath taking! Not a bird song or wing missed his eyes and ears! A man who could wander off into the wild when it was truly still "wild" with just some tea and bread and sleep under a pine, climb mountains without twine and come back even stronger than before. (This founder of the...more
The level of detail of his natural surroundings that Mr.Muir could capture is breath taking! Not a bird song or wing missed his eyes and ears! A man who could wander off into the wild when it was truly still "wild" with just some tea and bread and sleep under a pine, climb mountains without twine and come back even stronger than before. (This founder of the...more
So far, I am really enjoying this insight and look into a fascinating character. John Muir was/is an inspirational man. The stories of his childhood are nothing short of amazing or at the very least, most interesting.
Something I found very interesting was how much of an inventor Muir was. I don't want to give anything away, but his clock creation is not only amazing, but there are humorous anecdotes attached to his story. Also, it doesn't seem to matter the age/time parents are always making th...more
Something I found very interesting was how much of an inventor Muir was. I don't want to give anything away, but his clock creation is not only amazing, but there are humorous anecdotes attached to his story. Also, it doesn't seem to matter the age/time parents are always making th...more
One of my favourite books of all time. Muir is a tour de force. His casual easy-going writing style and his zest for life and all things natural are captivating in and of themselves but the true value of this book is the close-up view it provides of Muir's humble beginnings and unlikely rise to prominence. He faced considerably more obstacles than most of us, being pulled out of school early to work on the family farm for an ungrateful father and heading out into the world with virtually no mone...more
This anthology of Muir's writings is a great choice for a first look at his works. The editor selected a fantastic group of passages, and then arranged them according to a timeline of Muir's life. The result is that you get a great read, and also learn a lot about Muir's life and development as a person, naturalist, and writer.
I bought the book to read as I was prepping for a trip to Yosemite, and also read it while I was there. This worked out great, as I was able to read about locations that I...more
I bought the book to read as I was prepping for a trip to Yosemite, and also read it while I was there. This worked out great, as I was able to read about locations that I...more
This edition is a compilation of the best of Muir's writings -- and they are so wonderful that I want to read everything else that didn't make the cut. He foresaw the end of the American wilderness, and he makes me homesick for what had disappeared long before I was born.
John Muir's writing is exquisite. His descriptions of Nature and natural phenomena are so passionate that you can't help but take more notice of the world around you and go out to enjoy what Nature has to offer.
I didn't know much about John Muir before I read this, just that he had something to do with the Sierra Club, and so must've been an outdoorsman. What an fascinating guy! As a young man, he was an inventor. Among other things, he made an alarm clock that tilted his bed and dumped him on the floor! He walked from Wisconsin to Florida, he regularly camped with almost no supplies--certainly not the things we think of as necessary for survival today. He was an amazing observer of wildlife--Jane Good...more
Nov 09, 2007
Luke
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Shelves:
living-simply,
ecology-philosophy-and-ethics
This is a great book about a quirky, brilliant, and genuine lover of the natural world. I love this book because it is full of wide-eyed wonder of Creation, as well as insights into the workings of that Creation. This book helped me to realize the beauty of everything around me and to be positive and honest about what being in nature does to my soul. Muir has no apologies for his complete lack of concern for money or the need to 'get ahead', and instead champions a simple life of joy and awe, as...more
Mar 12, 2011
Margaret Pimentel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Margaret by:
Prof.
Shelves:
nature
I felt like I was walking with him throu the Sierras. His is one of the greats. I highly recommend this book.
Love John. Love the wilderness. Love his passion for 'the wild' and the unknown.
John Muir is larger-than-life, sort of a Scottish Tom Bombadil ~ a nature spirit.
For anyone who likes reading about the rich texture of nature.
The first part of the book Muir spoke of his childhood in Scotland and it was very interesting, but I couldn't get into the descriptions of nature. I'd rather be experiencing them.
I really enjoyed this. It's inspiring and beautiful.
Reading this was much like being on a wilderness expedition; at times it's a slow slog that requires a strong will to push through, but then you forget all that in the moments of exhilarating beauty.
I love his writing style and it was so much more relevant that I was there on vacation and could see the beauty of Yosemite that he was writing of!
No book and no man has so enriched my already deep love of nature like Muir. He makes me crave to learn more, and appreciate more, the beauty in our world.
I just became aware of John Muir from watching Ken Burns National Parks documentary. Muir is now my hero. He's a master story teller and fantastic but sometimes tedious describer of the wild. Definitely an inspiring read on par with Walden.
This book fell more into my expectations of boring nature writing. He spends a lot of time describing waterfalls and plants, which some people really like. Personally, I prefer more action or philosophy.
I'm enjoying Muir's passion and awe in his descriptions of the natural world.
I have always been interested in the life of John Muir and how he came to his thoughts and views. Takes an interesting perspective about his life and what he believed.
contains a wonderful essay about a dog named Stickeen. This is the man we should all thank for pressing Theodore Roosevelt to preserve our National Parks.
I always pick this up from time to time and read the descriptions. Great reading. It puts me at peace.
Breathtakingly wonderful...an amazing and inspiring arrangement of Muir's finest work.
Reading this book was enjoyable but it truly was a labor.
Two words: Earthy read!
May 23, 2013
Slambo
marked it as to-read
May 23, 2013
Chris Henderson
marked it as to-read
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John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to save the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, w...more
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“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.”
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“Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings.”
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