Ebook574 pages7 hours
John Muir's Last Journey: South To The Amazon And East To Africa: Unpublished Journals And Selected Correspondence
By Michael P. Branch and John Muir
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this ebook
"I am now writing up some notes, but when they will be ready for publication I do not know... It will be a long time before anything is arranged in book form." These words of John Muir, written in June 1912 to a friend, proved prophetic. The journals and notes to which the great naturalist and environmental figure was referring have languished, unpublished and virtually untouched, for nearly a century. Until now. Here edited and published for the first time, John Muir's travel journals from 1911-12, along with his associated correspondence, finally allow us to read in his own words the remarkable story of John Muir's last great journey.
Leaving from Brooklyn, New York, in August 1911, John Muir, at the age of seventy-three and traveling alone, embarked on an eight-month, 40,000-mile voyage to South America and Africa. The 1911-12 journals and correspondence reproduced in this volume allow us to travel with him up the great Amazon, into the jungles of southern Brazil, to snowline in the Andes, through southern and central Africa to the headwaters of the Nile, and across six oceans and seas in order to reach the rare forests he had so long wished to study. Although this epic journey has received almost no attention from the many commentators on Muir's work, Muir himself considered it among the most important of his life and the fulfillment of a decades-long dream.
John Muir's Last Journey provides a rare glimpse of a Muir whose interests as a naturalist, traveler, and conservationist extended well beyond the mountains of California. It also helps us to see John Muir as a different kind of hero, one whose endurance and intellectual curiosity carried him into far fields of adventure even as he aged, and as a private person and family man with genuine affections, ambitions, and fears, not just an iconic representative of American wilderness.
With an introduction that sets Muir's trip in the context of his life and work, along with chapter introductions and a wealth of explanatory notes, the book adds important dimensions to our appreciation of one of America's greatest environmentalists. John Muir's Last Journey is a must reading for students and scholars of environmental history, American literature, natural history, and related fields, as well as for naturalists and armchair travelers everywhere.
Leaving from Brooklyn, New York, in August 1911, John Muir, at the age of seventy-three and traveling alone, embarked on an eight-month, 40,000-mile voyage to South America and Africa. The 1911-12 journals and correspondence reproduced in this volume allow us to travel with him up the great Amazon, into the jungles of southern Brazil, to snowline in the Andes, through southern and central Africa to the headwaters of the Nile, and across six oceans and seas in order to reach the rare forests he had so long wished to study. Although this epic journey has received almost no attention from the many commentators on Muir's work, Muir himself considered it among the most important of his life and the fulfillment of a decades-long dream.
John Muir's Last Journey provides a rare glimpse of a Muir whose interests as a naturalist, traveler, and conservationist extended well beyond the mountains of California. It also helps us to see John Muir as a different kind of hero, one whose endurance and intellectual curiosity carried him into far fields of adventure even as he aged, and as a private person and family man with genuine affections, ambitions, and fears, not just an iconic representative of American wilderness.
With an introduction that sets Muir's trip in the context of his life and work, along with chapter introductions and a wealth of explanatory notes, the book adds important dimensions to our appreciation of one of America's greatest environmentalists. John Muir's Last Journey is a must reading for students and scholars of environmental history, American literature, natural history, and related fields, as well as for naturalists and armchair travelers everywhere.
Author
John Muir
John Muir (21 April 1838 – 24 December 1914) was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States.
Related to John Muir's Last Journey
Related ebooks
The Mountains of California: An enthusiastic nature diary from the founder of national parks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy First Summer in the Sierra Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wilderness Journeys Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My First Summer in the Sierra: The Journal of a Soul on Fire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTeddy Roosevelt in California: The Whistle Stop Tour That Changed America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My First Summer in the Sierra: The nature diary of a pioneering environmentalist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJohn Muir: The Scotsman who saved America's wild places Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSteep Trails: A collection of wilderness essays and tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf: A radical nature-travelogue from the founder of national parks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our National Parks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWilderness Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wisdom of John Muir: 100+ Selections from the Letters, Journals, and Essays of the Great Naturalist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Yosemite: John Muir's quest to preserve the wilderness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of my Boyhood and Youth: An early years biography of a pioneering environmentalist Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssential Muir (Revised): A Selection of John Muir’s Best (and Worst) Writings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemories of Mount St. Helens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDavid Brower: The Making of the Environmental Movement Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Meditations of John Muir: Nature's Temple Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRediscovering National Parks in the Spirit of John Muir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cedar Keys Hurricane of 1896: Disaster at Dawn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wilder Muir: The Curious Nature of John Muir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wildness Within: Remembering David Brower Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMissing in the Minarets: The Search for Walter A. Starr, Jr. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerican Legends: The Life of John Wayne Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOur National Parks: A campaign for the preservation of wilderness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5African Americans of Martha's Vineyard: From Enslavement to Presidential Visit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Autobiography of John Muir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeautiful Land of the Sky: John Muir’S Forgotten Eastern Counterpart, Harlan P. Kelsey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMount Mitchell Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Nature For You
The God Delusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foraging for Survival: Edible Wild Plants of North America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forager's Handbook: A Seasonal Guide to Harvesting Wild, Edible & Medicinal Plants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucky Dog Lessons: From Renowned Expert Dog Trainer and Host of Lucky Dog: Reunions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practical Botany for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Botanical Terms Explained and Explored Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Kitchen Garden: An Inspired Collection of Garden Designs & 100 Seasonal Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary of Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Edible Wild Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Fungi: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from around the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles: Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Silent Spring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shelter: A Love Letter to Trees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for John Muir's Last Journey
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
4/5
2 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
John Muir's Last Journey - Michael P. Branch
W`` book_preview_excerpt.html }ɒGxa HHb!3Ibi U꒒wgz|@TqR_2G&6-Mdf-jO.ݰw7/<o#]jݻw?^>7|Q|~Żo'^\gOqW3zI<5x=fXu]]0,>4}َY
ۮx15}}?ehdzq1t۽OCjlB'kdwf<a]7dY7UK] +>u+0Ǐ^m7֩eC:ٖa2%ug;7OCw;xGc3+lPOȹv/fT~T[yw]ٟ.IUWSXybn1P|&_<}cq/se}{ón |}0;/s^|)Ʃ?>w7'/⛇ŗz_{xPޣ/d"OO=0'a[ϥݸu֟/QxP|]|Ut}xeWǪuYΨֽ~SzhrK_ﭾ-4gVIu2t?>ߵN?,zZ{qˋװW.(jQ(:h<6qKK^'a?924fD-Ӟ{7y/?
2
0ߚ6j3j*@wS%qŊh|7Ŗ
<Uhl{RY R@?wۦ;V~835.Z}1ooW7VFW>qaVb'~ C?)qsS]mմi//\#o! Ur!-Z;y8