In Wilderness is the Preservation of the World

Sierra Club Exhibit Format Series #4

by Eliot Porter (Photographer), Joseph Wood Krutch (Introduction)

This is a wonderful book pairing Thoreau's words with dozens of Eliot Porter's beautiful color photographs: the kind of book best perused in an overstuffed chair in a warm oak-paneled room, but which makes the reader feel such cozy comfort whatever the setting.
( Amazon review)

Genres: Photography, Nature, Poetry, Art, Nonfiction, Environment, Outdoors

Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diary extracts and poetry from Henry David Thoreau accompanied by seasonal photographs by Eliot Porter. The writing was enjoyable, the photographs too, I love nature photography and when these were taken, around 60 years ago they must have been stunning. Sadly technology has moved on so much you can take better pictures with a cheap phone. These are still nice to look through.

The book assumes you know who Thoreau is, I have no idea so will have to look this up.

[Summer Hoss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like a breath of fresh air. Beautiful writing and stunning photographs! Promotes mindfulness and a respect for nature rarely captured.

[Bruno Dal Molin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice combination of Porter and Thoreau, as I’m fond of both. But images in this book don’t quite “pop” as in “In the Realm of Nature”, and they are warmer in tone - perhaps to mimic a vintage look? They still look pleasant, though. The introduction by Krutch is amazing.

[Hargun]

“I see no procession of mourners in the streets, or the woodland aisles. The squirrel has leaped to another tree; the hawk has circled farther off, and has now settled upon a new eyrie, but the woodman is preparing [to] lay his axe to the root of that also.”

The photos are fire but the captions are better

[Keith Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the close-up photographs - wildlife, webs, plants - are exceptional. But most of the woodscapes just seem cluttered and lacking in a point of interest. With some, you're left wondering why he didn't crop the bottom of the picture, or tilt the camera up, to provide a bit of foreground interest. Not a keeper - I'll give it to the local library for their book sale.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic. Anyone who appreciates Eliot Porter's work should have this book. Out of date so most copies are used. My copy shows some aging the but the compositions shine thru. A wonderful achievement.

[sweet orange books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterpiece. High-quality print. Unfortunately, the photographs come with no legends.

[Lewis Szymanski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is entries from Henry David Thoreau's journal and a few excerpts from Walden, paired with photos by Eliot Porter.

I've never been a big fan of Thoreau. Some of these entries are very nice, but some of them are just too many words.

The photos were probably stunning when they were first taken. Modern photography makes them look pretty bland. The photos look like they were taken as identification aids rather than for aesthetics.

This book is also pretty poorly organized. It is supposedly organized by season, but there are a lot of passages that are misplaced. Also, the passages and photos are sometimes not well-matched. The most egregious example of this is when a passage about toads was paired with a photo of Ghost Pipes. I liked the passage about toads, and I liked the photo of the Ghost Pipes, but I was disappointed to not find out what Thoreau and people of the mid-19th century thought of Ghost Pipes.

[Jon Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sierra Club got national recognition in the mid-60's when it published a series of full page and 2-page advertisements in the New York Times about vital scenic and ecological (that word wasn't in common use then) places and their efforts to save them.

One of their long time leaders was photographer Eliot Porter. This book, published by the Club, and posters and calendars made from the photos in it, were everywhere for about 20 years.

For me, the delight was not merely the pictures of awesome sights (think Yosemite) but also the photos of the beauty almost everywhere one looked in the wilderness. Just look at that cover photo.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a really cool idea for a book. Eliot Porter chose passages from the work of Thoreau and then interpreted the passage through photography. The problem is that a lot of the photographs are pretty mediocre. There are a number of good photographs, but the majority are uninspiring.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful blend of the photography of Porter with the words of Thoreau.

[Lynn Wyvill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've tabbed pages I want to go back to. Wandering through the pages was like a walk in the bush. A beautiful visual and oral reflection.

[Mark]

TR140 .P67 A4 2012 COCC