John Muir

The Scotsman who saved America's wild places

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Pub Date 21 Nov 2014 | Archive Date 28 Feb 2015

Description

John Muir is regarded as the ‘father of America’s national parks’ and is a towering figure in the history of that country's involvement with ecology. Born into a harsh home in Dunbar, Scotland he would often escape to revel in the birds and wildlife of the area. When his father suddenly uprooted the family and moved to the United States, the oppression he associated with his childhood continued – and so did his involvement with the natural world. Despite the difficulty of his formative years Muir grew up to be a man of great joy – first an inventor and then an explorer, he found his haven in the mountains of Sierra Nevada. He was a fascinating character: on the one hand a recluse, who sought solitude, and on the other a passionate activist, determined to save the places he loved. A strong believer in both God and the essential goodness of humanity, he was the founder and first president of the Sierra Club. This wonderful memoir pays tribute to a giant of ecology and is essential reading for lovers of natural history.

John Muir is regarded as the ‘father of America’s national parks’ and is a towering figure in the history of that country's involvement with ecology. Born into a harsh home in Dunbar, Scotland he...


Advance Praise

"As this book so beautifully makes clear, John Muir deserves to be better known by British naturalists. Read this and meet the man whose writing, commitment and integrity presuaded a president that nature matters." Professor Tim Birkhead FRS

'John Muir was indeed a quite extraordinary man....the author eloquently captures what it was that made him so special "as a naturalist, pioneering explorer, botanist, glaciologist, mystic, writer and activist." Jonathan Porritt

John Muir changed the world - yet in this country we know almost nothing of him. Perhaps it's true that a prophet is without honour in his own land, but Mary Colwell is seeking to put that right, and she does him justice in this lively and accessible account. I hope it ensures that he now achieves the recognition in his homeland that is long overdue. George Monbiot

"As this book so beautifully makes clear, John Muir deserves to be better known by British naturalists. Read this and meet the man whose writing, commitment and integrity presuaded a president that...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780745956664
PRICE £9.99 (GBP)

Average rating from 9 members


Featured Reviews

This look into one of the founding father's of federal reserve land that managed to preserve some of the final pristine landscapes of the Wild West, now recognized as some of the most visited National Parks, is absolutely amazing. I have always loved biology and geography subjects in school, yet somehow I had never been made aware of the impact John Muir had on the natural sciences. He was an intriguing blend of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nikola Tesla. The man made astonishing inventions that forwarded industry while travelling the continent searching for the beauty of God in nature. He had a hard life and still managed to just appreciate the beauty. Amazing.

The duality of his nature pulses with the very nature of modern society. There are large pushes in the technologies to make our lives distanced from the natural evolution process in medicine and manufacturing at the same time that major movements for a greener living with little impact on the environment are taking root.

I really cannot express the brilliance Mary Colwell has brought to John Muir's life in a mere book review. I have gone from never knowing the name John Muir to finding the beauty in my own surroundings. His light and spirituality has seriously made me look inside myself and my living decisions, which would not have been so vibrant of a search without the elegance of Mary Colwell's research. Her enthusiasm for the man and sharing his legacy have added to the sheer brilliance of an American hero and icon. This immigrant was why our country was founded, and his life can be a present reminder about seeing God in everything and everyone.

I supremely recommend this book to everyone. It can be a long read and might even need some extra mental fortitude to push through, but it is well worth the uplift it will give to your soul. 5 stars. No question.

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This book will lift your soul . It is a definitive story of the true John Muir. It illustrates the man behind the movement who's legacy today is our sacred wild places. The book is both moving and well written in fact and history. Well done.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed what little I was able to read; however, the manuscript soon proved unreadable, so full was it of grammatical errors, nonexistent capitalization, and other typesetting problems (most likely due to a NetGalley/Kindle conversion problem). I am unable to finish it at this time, and therefore unable to review it; however, the subject matter was interesting enough to me that I will be buying a hard copy soon for leisure reading.

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