John Muir
The Scotsman who Saved America's Wild Places, Second Edition
Will be published approx. on 20. May 2027
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-281-09268-0 (ISBN)
Description
John Muir is regarded as the 'father of America's national parks' and is one of the most influential voices of the modern environmental movement. His life and writings have inspired presidents, founded parks and trails, and developed the idea that wild places deserve protection not for profit, but for their own sake.
Born into a harsh home in Dunbar, Scotland, the young John Muir 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 childhood oppression he experienced continued - and so did his involvement with the natural world. Despite the difficulties of his formative years, Muir grew up to be a strong believer in both God and the essential goodness of humanity. 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.
This second, expanded edition of Mary Colwell's acclaimed biography pays tribute to a pioneering thinker whose vision matters more than ever in a world of environmental degradation and climate change - as does his spiritual insights into our relationship with nature, making it a personal encounter rather than something we pursue for the sake of science or economic exploitation.
Born into a harsh home in Dunbar, Scotland, the young John Muir 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 childhood oppression he experienced continued - and so did his involvement with the natural world. Despite the difficulties of his formative years, Muir grew up to be a strong believer in both God and the essential goodness of humanity. 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.
This second, expanded edition of Mary Colwell's acclaimed biography pays tribute to a pioneering thinker whose vision matters more than ever in a world of environmental degradation and climate change - as does his spiritual insights into our relationship with nature, making it a personal encounter rather than something we pursue for the sake of science or economic exploitation.
Reviews / Votes
A well researched and sympathetically written introduction to Muir's life and times. From his early life in Dunbar to his death in 1914, Mary Colwell puts Muir's life into its correct historical context, and gives us a detailed background picture of the way the world was changing and Muir's conflicted response to the situations he found himself in. At times the book is very moving, particularly when dealing with family, friends and Muir's nature writing. The ecstatic and visionary nature of much of Muir's writing reminded me of some religious mystics from the Middle Ages. The book also deals with the issues of climate change and rapacious capitalism which we face today. -- From one of the 48 verified reviews of the first edition on Amazon.co.uk I have just finished reading John Muir by Mary Colwell. Her great talent is to take what could be a dry and "worthy" subject and create a real page turner. Her experience in BBC television and radio story telling shines through as she ends each chapter with an intriguing cliff hanger ( something evidently Muir enjoyed doing in the literal sense!) You can hear Mary's voice throughout the book, quietly coaxing us to consider things in the natural world that she is passionate about. Her concluding thoughts are incisive as she shows how Muir's view of the world is so relevant today. -- From one of the 51 verified reviews on Amazon.comMore details
Person
Mary Colwell is an award winning TV, radio and internet producer, who makes programmes for the BBC and the independent sector, mainly on nature and the environment. She is also a presenter and public speaker, a feature writer for The Tablet and a consultant on the relationship between religion and the natural world. In recent years she has won 14 major broadcasting awards, including a Gold for the Best Internet Production in the Sony Radio Academy Awards.