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All The Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West
by
Archetypal wild man Edward Abbey and proper, dedicated Wallace Stegner left their footprints all over the western landscape. Now, award-winning nature writer David Gessner follows the ghosts of these two remarkable writer-environmentalists from Stegner's birthplace in Saskatchewan to the site of Abbey's pilgrimages to Arches National Park in Utah, braiding their stories an
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Paperback, 368 pages
Published
March 14th 2016
by W. W. Norton Company
(first published April 20th 2015)
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Start your review of All The Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West
Jan 15, 2021
Howard
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Howard by:
Quo
Shelves:
biography,
american-government,
favorite,
american-west,
american-history,
environment,
nonfiction,
reviewed,
travel
HEADLINE, January 18, 2021:
President-elect Biden to end Keystone XL pipeline in fight on climate change
Biden is expected to soon reverse the efforts of the Trump administration and end a project proposed more than a decade ago.
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“We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.” – Wallace Stegner, Wilderness Letter
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Davi ...more
Alas, I am tempted to relabel All The Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner & the American West by David Gessner, something along the lines of Travels Without Charley In Search of Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner & David Gessner, borrowing just a bit from the travel narrative by John Steinbeck. This book is not without interest to those keen on savoring the ghosts of Abbey & Stegner but especially the process of unraveling their connection to each other. Just what commonality they shared
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I really wanted to give this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it, but I never quite figured out the author's purpose in writing it or the audience he thought he was writing to. Part travel narrative, part biography (or biographies, really), part environmental screed, the book sort of meanders around a lot of different ideas, which maybe--given the fact that the book was written as the product of a long roadtrip around the West--is the author's intention. But as a result, none of the author's topics are
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As confusing of a title it may be (in my opinion), I am beginning to think it is because the wild that remains lives on only through books; in particular, those written by Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey. Those 2 authors lives are detailed in this book as Gessner takes a trip through the not so wild west, to research their lives. I expected more nature, mostly because I found the book at the National Park gift shop in Zion. I did not get that. That being stated, what I did inherit was a worm ho
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A roadtrip is always an uncertain undertaking, even if your companions are two dead authors. The two are Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner. They were instrumental in shaping author David Gesssner's early interest in environmental writing. Now, decades later, he is returning with the goal of re-assessing their relevance. He is not disappointed. “It was thrilling, really, if you are allowed to use that word for reading. To see that as far back as fifty years ago Stegner and Abbey were predicting,
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Advanced reading copy review Due for publication April 20, 2015
In "All the Wild That Remains" author David Gessner takes us on a road trip of self-reflection, eco-tourism and literary criticism. He is following in the footsteps of the two authors who jump-started the American eco-activism of the 1970's, Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner (neither of whom were previously familiar to me). Abbey (best known for "The Monkey Wrench Gang") was the gonzo wild man of the West, advocating direct action, wh ...more
In "All the Wild That Remains" author David Gessner takes us on a road trip of self-reflection, eco-tourism and literary criticism. He is following in the footsteps of the two authors who jump-started the American eco-activism of the 1970's, Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner (neither of whom were previously familiar to me). Abbey (best known for "The Monkey Wrench Gang") was the gonzo wild man of the West, advocating direct action, wh ...more
a bit of a hard slog reading this (for me anyway) as in some ways this is 4 books in one, if not 5 , dual biograpy, environmentalism/land use of western usa, author gessner's road trip visiting stegner and abbey's important places, lit crit, possible trail markers for us or us of the future and what should we do now/then (umm 6?)
i really like this review of book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
so to reiterate, if one is well read in stegner and abbey, this may be too slow and unenlighte ...more
i really like this review of book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
so to reiterate, if one is well read in stegner and abbey, this may be too slow and unenlighte ...more
I have so much to say about this book and perhaps I'll wrote a longer review at some point. There are important environmental aspects of this book and the comparison of Abbey and Stegner is interesting. Other parts read like my high school notes from a road trip I took with my "buddies". Rarely have I read a book that I absolutely loved in places and absolutely detested in others, "A;ll the Wild That Remains" is one.
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"part dueling biography, part travel narrative, part meditation, part criticism, part nature writing" -- as summed up by the author himself in his "notes on sources."
david gessner's all the wild that remains uses the lives of edward abbey and wallace stegner as a framework around which to build not only a study of their disparate writing careers, but also environmentalism in the west and the accelerating effects of climate change on the region. never dull, gessner's book wends a circuitous rout ...more
david gessner's all the wild that remains uses the lives of edward abbey and wallace stegner as a framework around which to build not only a study of their disparate writing careers, but also environmentalism in the west and the accelerating effects of climate change on the region. never dull, gessner's book wends a circuitous rout ...more
If you're curious about the life and writings of Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner, maybe prior to reading their works, or even after gaining a substantial familiarity with them, All the Wild that Remains might be what you're looking for. But too often, Gessner's book limits the lives and experiences of these authors by awkwardly comparing them to his own and those of his family.
Even though one of Gessner's stated goals for the book is to place Abbey and Stegner in the modern era, to find the rel ...more
Even though one of Gessner's stated goals for the book is to place Abbey and Stegner in the modern era, to find the rel ...more
Both Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner were powerful environmental writers who shared a passion for the western wilderness and fought to preserve it. In All the Wild that Remains nature writer David Gessner has created a fascinated dueling biography of Abbey and Stegner, part literary criticism, part travel narrative, part nature writing.
Desert Solitaire, a journal of Abbey's time as a ranger in Arches National Monument, has been a favorite book of mine since first reading it the seventies. I lov ...more
Desert Solitaire, a journal of Abbey's time as a ranger in Arches National Monument, has been a favorite book of mine since first reading it the seventies. I lov ...more
I picked this up as it was recommended as an introduction to writing about the American West. It was however a deep dive into the lives of two writers, Stegner and Abbey. I found the view into these men's lives interesting, but I think I would have preferred reading their books. The story around the authors travels didn't really add much and the transitions between past stories and present were jarring. But it did extend my to read list quite a bit as it referenced many other writers and books.
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I am not a big " non-fiction " reader, but I picked this one simply because I am an Edward Abbey fan and a lover of the southwest. I know a little about Wallace Stegner, so I thought this would be interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't want it to end ! David Gessner was pretty creative with the storyline, intertwining a travel diary with interviews, historical information, present and past comparisons and quotes from numerous " western" writers. I loved meeting the crazy friends of Abbe
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This is an excellent comparative biography of the writers Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner. When the author discusses these subjects the book is wonderful. When he views the West from his academic ivory tower he is a bit annoying. At time he strays into his personal politics and the book gets icky. He clearly disdains white men in pick-up trucks, religion, perhaps, especially Christians, and nearly all organizations trying to make a buck in the American West. When he remains faithful to the cove
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Integrates the biographies of two patriarchs of the environmental movement Edward Abbey (Desert Solitaire) and Wallace Stegner (Angle of Repose).
We share the sense of awe for the wild things, a profound appreciation of western literature, and dispute with the desecration of the American west.
We share the sense of awe for the wild things, a profound appreciation of western literature, and dispute with the desecration of the American west.
A compelling comparison of two vitally important western voices. Not a lot of reflection here about gender but I nevertheless appreciated the full humanity of both writers that Gessner makes visible.
I may be the most appreciative of this book than most on the planet, which may mean that not everyone will relate to this book anywhere near as much as I did. This book is a perfect storm of connections in my life in terms of authors, literature, western environmentalism, and ultimate frisbee, making it fascinating to me.
I live in the Pacific Northwest and grew up on the West Coast, a “city” west coast person, but not a “hardy” westerner. I am a Wallace Stegner follower (having read: “Beyond th ...more
I live in the Pacific Northwest and grew up on the West Coast, a “city” west coast person, but not a “hardy” westerner. I am a Wallace Stegner follower (having read: “Beyond th ...more
Feb 20, 2015
Marti
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literary-authors,
travel-and-food
I guess I have to give a book four stars if I learn about something I had no clue about before reading it. This is another travel/memoir in which the author follows in the footsteps of two of his literary heroes: Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey. They are both lionized in the West and completely unknown in the East (count me as in the latter camp even though literally just read Monkey Wrench Gang in anticipation of reading this one....just because I realized my library had a copy). And while I a
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A dual biography of Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner, narrated along a 9000-mile road trip visiting the western landmarks that figured prominently in their lives. Along the way, author Gessner interviewed many of their friends, family members, and former students. He also wove an eco-journalistic thread throughout that tied the sometimes conflicting views of the two authors to current topics in conservation and the environment. I've had Stegner's Beyond the Hundredth Meridian on my kindle for s
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I felt this book was a "mini" biography of both Abbey and Stegner. I learned quite a few things about both I hadn't known although I was more familiar with Abbey's work.
The book is insightful relative to how the West, and Nature in general, is an intricate part of what it means to be human and how neither Abbey or Stegner appreciated how it was being overdeveloped.
Gessner offers a lot of refreshing thoughts and ideas about our relationship with the West and Nature, his spiritual journey in writi ...more
The book is insightful relative to how the West, and Nature in general, is an intricate part of what it means to be human and how neither Abbey or Stegner appreciated how it was being overdeveloped.
Gessner offers a lot of refreshing thoughts and ideas about our relationship with the West and Nature, his spiritual journey in writi ...more
Loved this book. It is not only a survey of the lives and literary legacies of two of the best American authors, it is also a look at the current state of the American West. If you like wilderness you will like this book .
A great book for anyone interested in the lives of Ed Abbey and Wallace Stegner. Gessner does an excellent job of weaving together the critical study two important figures of the American West with his own journey West to re-trace their footsteps and uncover his place as a Western writer.
See my review at https://snowhydro1.wordpress.com/2015...
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It went in too many directions for me. Started out fantastic, was difficult to stay with to the end. Wasn't a bad book, had a lot of potential, the delivery became tiresome.
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An interesting mix of biography of two great authors, autobiography, and reportage.
I debated between rating All the Wild that Remains 4 or 5 stars for some time. Quite a bit of the environmental information about the West is difficult to read for those of us who live here—inconvenient truths about aridity, fracking, and soil degradation on public lands due to subsidized cattle grazing. The boom and bust cycle continues, as opportunistic corporations grow small towns past human capacity, suck out the land’s resources, then abandon these towns to poverty and pollution. Not prett
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Gessner won me back eventually, but at the beginning I was suspicious of how he inserted himself into the narrative: the author cameos weren’t enough to function as a memoir about his literary relationship with Stegner and Abbey, but were more than are expected from a biography. And they were unnecessary in detail: I checked out the book to read about Stegner and Abbey, not a morning interlude bike ride with bros, and certainly not the unhelpful detail that said bros are into Ultimate Frisbee.
Th ...more
Th ...more
May 05, 2020
Pamela
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
environmental,
own-read,
non_fiction,
notes,
autobiography,
biography,
travel,
literary_criticism,
writer-s,
z-mt_tbr_ch_2020
Part travel autobiography, part biography. The autobiography portion is in search of information and anecdotes about Wallace Stegner or Ed Abbey. I suspect that people who have read most of the books by Stegner and Abbey would get more out of this one than I did. What kept coming up in my mind was, I’ve only read one book by Stegner and it isn’t the most read, nor his most ambitious (Big Rock Candy Mountain). Recently I tried a book by Abbey, and was so disappointed by it, could not get beyond t
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I have waited for this book for over a year. I'd read others of Gessner's books and had reviewed My Green Manifesto in this blog. When I learned Gessner was writing a book on two of my favorite authors, I knew the book would jump to the top of my TBR pile when released. The book was released a little over a month ago.
Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey appear to be opposites. After an unstable childhood that lead him all over the American and Canadian West, Stegner became grounded as he spent decad ...more
Wallace Stegner and Edward Abbey appear to be opposites. After an unstable childhood that lead him all over the American and Canadian West, Stegner became grounded as he spent decad ...more
All the Wild that Remains by David Gessner is an unusual and interesting book. It's two short biographies rolled into one: one of straight-laced Wallace Stegner, the other of free-wheeling Edward Abbey. Both men were deeply concerned about the American West, but their approaches to the West and life itself couldn't have differed more. In addition to a comparison their lives and literature, the book is a bit of a travelogue. Gessner roams the West visiting places that Stegner and Abbey knew and t
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David Gessner is the author of eight books, including Sick of Nature, The Prophet of Dry Hill, and Return of the Osprey, which was chosen by the Boston Globe as one of the top ten nonfiction books of the year and the Book-of-the-Month club as one of its top books of the year. The Globe called it a "classic of American Nature Writing." In 2006 he won a Pushcart Prize; in 2007 he won the John Burrou
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“ED ABBEY’S FBI file was a thick one, and makes for engrossing reading. The file begins in 1947, when Abbey, just twenty and freshly back from serving in the Army in Europe, posts a typewritten notice on the bulletin board at the State Teachers College in Pennsylvania. The note urges young men to send their draft cards to the president in protest of peacetime conscription, exhorting them to “emancipate themselves.” It is at that point that Abbey becomes “the subject of a Communist index card” at the FBI, and from then until the end of his life the Bureau will keep track of where Abbey is residing, following his many moves. They will note when he heads west and, as acting editor of the University of New Mexico’s literary magazine, The Thunderbird, decides to print an issue with a cover emblazoned with the words: “Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest!” The quote is from Diderot, but Abbey thinks it funnier to attribute the words to Louisa May Alcott. And so he quickly loses his editorship while the FBI adds a few more pages to his file. The Bureau will become particularly intrigued when Mr. Abbey attends an international conference in defense of children in Vienna, Austria, since the conference, according to the FBI, was “initiated by Communists in 1952.” Also quoted in full in his files is a letter to the editor that he sends to the New Mexico Daily Lobo, in which he writes: “In this day of the cold war, which everyday [sic] shows signs of becoming warmer, the individual who finds himself opposed to war is apt to feel very much out of step with his fellow citizens” and then announces the need to form a group to “discuss implications and possibilities of resistance to war.”
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“We used to think the world was so big. So indestructible. So fun. We still can't completely believe that it is as small and serious, as threatened and vulnerable, as we have made it.”
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