What do you think?
Rate this book
An American Idea: The Making of the National Parks
The national park system ranks among our most magnificent achievements and the story of its creation reveals how the American landscape shaped our history and character and continues to do so almost 175 years after painter George Catlin first proposed “a nation’s Park.”
In these lavishly illustrated pages, award-winning author Kim Heacox chronicles our changing visions of wildness from the 17th century, when the first settlers built towns around shared commons, to 1916, when the National Park Service initiated a new kind of common–unspoiled parkland held in trust for Americans everywhere.
Here are explorers like Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, and John Wesley Powell, who reported wonders so amazing they were met with disbelief. Here too are farsighted leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and other sponsors of such parks as Yosemite and Yellowstone.
In spectacular counterpoint, 100 illustrations unveil a pristine new world that awed the artists and photographers from Eadweard Muybridge to Ansel Adams. An epilogue summarizes developments since 1916, and an appendix provides descriptions of every national park. A tale of discovery and an eloquent testament to our unparalleled natural glories, this is more than an account of our national parks: it’s a telling portrait of the essential America.
In these lavishly illustrated pages, award-winning author Kim Heacox chronicles our changing visions of wildness from the 17th century, when the first settlers built towns around shared commons, to 1916, when the National Park Service initiated a new kind of common–unspoiled parkland held in trust for Americans everywhere.
Here are explorers like Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, and John Wesley Powell, who reported wonders so amazing they were met with disbelief. Here too are farsighted leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and other sponsors of such parks as Yosemite and Yellowstone.
In spectacular counterpoint, 100 illustrations unveil a pristine new world that awed the artists and photographers from Eadweard Muybridge to Ansel Adams. An epilogue summarizes developments since 1916, and an appendix provides descriptions of every national park. A tale of discovery and an eloquent testament to our unparalleled natural glories, this is more than an account of our national parks: it’s a telling portrait of the essential America.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
159 people want to read
About the author
Kim Heacox
38 books129 followersKim Heacox is the author of more than a dozen books, five of them published by National Geographic.
He’s won the National Outdoor Book Award twice, first in 2015 for his novel Jimmy Bluefeather, the only work of fiction in 25 years to win the award. And again in 2020 for his memoir, The Only Kayak, as an “outdoor classic” (originally published in 2005).
He writes opinion-editorials for The Guardian in celebration and defense of the natural world, and lives in a small town in coastal Alaska with his wife, Melanie, where they support the emerging Glacier Bay Leadership Program within Tidelines Institute. Learn more about him at www.kimheacox.com and download the Jimmy Bluefeather book club guide at westmarginpress.com.
He’s won the National Outdoor Book Award twice, first in 2015 for his novel Jimmy Bluefeather, the only work of fiction in 25 years to win the award. And again in 2020 for his memoir, The Only Kayak, as an “outdoor classic” (originally published in 2005).
He writes opinion-editorials for The Guardian in celebration and defense of the natural world, and lives in a small town in coastal Alaska with his wife, Melanie, where they support the emerging Glacier Bay Leadership Program within Tidelines Institute. Learn more about him at www.kimheacox.com and download the Jimmy Bluefeather book club guide at westmarginpress.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 5, 2016
Bought this at the Dollar Tree, really enjoyed the history and beautiful artwork/photography.
When I was a very little girl, I dreamed of working for National Geographic or a nature magazine so that I could share beautiful locations with the world. Photography never managed to develop with me and, as it turns out, I'm not a landscape painter. The closest I have is a painting of waves. I do, however, appreciate the Ansel Adams of the world and hope that the national parks will be around for many more generations of photographers.
When I was a very little girl, I dreamed of working for National Geographic or a nature magazine so that I could share beautiful locations with the world. Photography never managed to develop with me and, as it turns out, I'm not a landscape painter. The closest I have is a painting of waves. I do, however, appreciate the Ansel Adams of the world and hope that the national parks will be around for many more generations of photographers.
April 14, 2018
This is not a great book if you really want to know about how our National Parks came into existence. Luckily, it's a short book. If you are interested in this subject, I recommend "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" by Ken Burns. It's much more comprehensive, and the photographs are excellent!
October 17, 2022
Very entertaining, lots of history I didn't know.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews