John Muir's "The Yosemite": A Celebration of Nature's Splendor

John Jenkins: John Muir is known for his dislike of the word and concept of “hiking.” He views hiking as getting from point A to point B without spending much time observing. He prefers the concept of “sauntering.” This book (which uses the word “saunter” 16 times while completely omitting the word “hike”) documents that he is an excellent observer. His descriptions of Yosemite’s features are detailed, poetic, and scientifically understandable. It might seem unfortunate that Muir does not document his observations with photographs; but, in some ways, his words convey more passion and beauty than the photographs of Ansel Adams.

In any case, I confess that in my backpacking experiences on the John Muir Trail, I have probably been more of a hiker than a saunterer.

Most of this 90-page book deals with Muir’s perceptions of Yosemite’s unique features, and he does not write very much about himself. But he does describe two risky undertakings that help the reader understand his love of adventure. In 1875, he became the second human to ascend to the top of Half Dome; and, in an unspecified year, he rode an avalanche. Concerning the latter, he seemed to bemoan the...

United States on Dec 24, 2023

Christopher Allworth: A perfect gift for a friend who is very interested in Yosemite

Canada on Oct 09, 2022

Mary Hockaday: I was looking for more of a Yosemite picture book for my coffee table so I returned this but you really can’t go wrong with interesting stories about Yosemite.

United States on Apr 28, 2022

Cliente Amazon: Poderíamos ter um John Muir no Brasil. Nossa floresta esta desaparecendo drasticamente devido a atual política nefasta de nosso presidente eleito. Jonh Muit também enfrentou algo semelhante em sua época, mas conseguiu salvar partes consideráveis de Yosemite. É uma Literatura contemporânea apesar de ter sido escrita a em torno de 1890. Foi um homem que dedicou sua vida à preservação do que é hoje um dos mais belos parques dos Estados Unidos. Nos temos nossa floresta Amazônica que lamentavelmente é negligenciada por nosso governo atual e suas agencias de competência que fazem parte do pacote podre dessa política nefasta do atual governo "Brazileiro".

Brazil on Aug 13, 2019

Placeholder: Good Book, Highlights The Biodiversity Of Our Nature Wilderness, And How We Must Take All Precautions To Preserve Them. Nature Forests And Wildlife Are Integral Part Of Our Planet In The Ecosystem, And We Must Save These Beautiful Resources From Destruction And Climate Change! Mother Earth Is Our Sacred Planet And We Must Not Abuse Her With Rampant Destruction Of Forests And Animal Life! Development Should Be Done In Balanced Manner And We Need To Use Resources Wisely!

India on Oct 01, 2018

D. P. Dwight: If you have spent time in Yosemite, only even if just to visit - and been moved by its natural beauty and grandeur I think you’ll find this book delightful. Muir is one of the beautiful nature writers, ascribing a kind of personification and vivification to the natural world that draws us closer to it. The child of a devout Christian home, his writing occasionally comes forth with beautiful expressions of praise, much like reading some of the Psalms in the Old Testament. This is wonderful reading for those who love the outdoors.

United States on Jun 20, 2018

reader: Great book by Muir---if you like this book you will also want to read the following 99 cent similar books:
1  The Cruise of the Corwin: Journal of the Arctic Expedition of 1881 in search of De Long and the Jeannette
2  A Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf (Illustrated) (1916)
3  Muir & Burroughs: Literary Heroes of the Early Conservation Movement (1917)
4  A Journal of Ramblings through the High Sierras of California
5  The Alaska Trip (1897)
6  The Gospel of Nature (1908) (Illustrated)
7  Travels Through North and South Carolina (1791)
8  The Wild Sheep of the Sierrra (1881)
9  The Boyhood of a Naturalist [Illustrated] (1913)
10  Letters to a Friend Written to Mrs. Ezra S. Carr, 1866-1879

United States on Aug 28, 2017

Clare Hayward: It really describes the Park and is a good reminder of our trip, despite having been written in the early part of the 20th century

United Kingdom on Aug 03, 2016

abuela: The sort of book you can return to repeatedly.

Australia on May 23, 2015

Ima Cygnenoir: Have you ever looked at something so beautiful that you simply could not find the words sufficient to describe it?
These books are old, but the author's descriptions and his feelings about them are so perfect that you would swear you are standing next to him.
"Looking eastward from the summit of Pacheco Pass one shining morning, a landscape was displayed that after all my wanderings still appears as the most beautiful I have ever beheld. At my feet lay the Great Central Valley of California, level and flowery, like a lake of pure sunshine ... And from the eastern boundary of this vast golden flower-bed rose the mighty Sierra, miles in height, and so gloriously colored and so radiant, it seemed not clothed with light but wholly composed of it, like the wall of some celestial city.... Then it seemed to me that the Sierra should be called, not the Nevada or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light. And after ten years of wandering and wondering in the heart of it, rejoicing in its glorious floods of light, the white beams of the morning streaming through the passes, the noonday radiance on the crystal rocks, the flush of the alpenglow, and the irised spray of countless waterfalls,...

United States on Nov 09, 2013