On Desert Trails With Everett Ruess [Paperback]

Gary James Bergera (Editor, Afterword), W.L Rusho (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2000

9X12 In, 96 Pp, 45 Black & White Illustrations We Are Proud To Introduce This Handsome Commemorative Edition of On Desert Trails With Everett Ruess (First Introduced In Our 60, 000 Copy A Vagabond For Beauty), Which Was Originally Published In 1940 and Has Since Become A Collector's Item. The Poetry, Letters, and Artwork Contained In This Book Reveal The Adventurous Young Artist Who Loved The Arid Wilderness and Disappeared Into The Desert of Southern Utah. To The Original Book We Have Added Many Photographs of Ruess On The Trail, Along With Others Taken By Ruess of The Land That So Inspired Him. A Special Appenidx Tells The Salt Lake Tribune's Account of Its 1935 Expedition To Southern Utah In Search of Everett Ruess.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Contents Editor's Preface to the Commemorative Edition Foreword by Randall Henderson "Son!" by Stella Knight Ruess "Say That I Kept My Dream" by Hugh Lacy Where Everett Ruess Vanished Poems and Letters by Everett Ruess Poems 1929 Poems 1930 Letters 1931 Letter 1932 Letters and Poems 1933 Letters 1934 What Became of Everett Ruess" by Hugh Lacy Appendix Epilogue by W. L. Rusho Afterword by Gary James Bergera Endnotes Bibliography List of Illustrations

From the Back Cover

"As to when I shall visit civilization again, it will not be soon, I think. I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. Do you blame me then for staying here, where I feel that I belong and am one with the world around me?" --From Everett's last letter to his brother Waldo before he disappeared, written November 11, 1934. Everett Ruess developed a profound connection with the arid wilderness of the Southwest. Finding inspiration in this land of harsh beauty, Everett wandered, painted, and wrote; his letters revealed an intelligent and gifted young man who was most at home in desert canyons and rugged mountains. In one of his poems, "The Artist's Song of Inspiration," Everett wrote: "Nature has shown me what to strive for, and I shall not be slow to follow her." Everett did follow Nature, and in November of 1934, at the age of twenty, Everett followed her into the Escalante region of southern Utah and never returned. On Desert Trails with Everett Ruess was teh first collection of Everett's writings and was originally published in 1940, six years after his disappearance. This commemorative edition once again makes available the writings that made Everett Ruess a wilderness legend.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith, Publisher; Cmv Sub edition (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879058250
• ISBN-13: 978-0879058258
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,226,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing read, June 23, 2004

By 

Rolland B. Heiss (Spokane, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Desert Trails With Everett Ruess (Paperback)

A chilling voice out of the past from one who loved wilderness so much he vanished without a trace in it. I am hard pressed to come up with a book or person who was able to articulate the beauty around him more than Everett Ruess. In a tragic twist this lover of the purity nature gave and continues to give a painter's perspective in words to the American west despite the mysterious circumstances surrounding his disappearance. He left behind not only the beautiful writings of a master (and at such a young age) but also a mysterious tale of intrigue that leaves people guessing to this very day. Was he a victim of murder or did his love for wilderness drive him into the vast unknown to live out his days in the peaceful tranquility only nature can provide? Buy the book and formulate your own opinions. I highly recommend it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry at its best, February 2, 2005

By 

Charlotte Swan - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Desert Trails With Everett Ruess (Paperback)

Everett Ruess is a marvelously gifted poet. He writes in elegant lines teeming with passionate imagery. "Wilderness Song" is the most incredible piece and describes nature at its fullest. Any poet can write beautiful lines, but Ruess writes with soul, the soul of an aficianado of the wilderness.