Amazon.com: Interpreting Our Heritage (Chapel Hill Books) (9780807840160): Freeman Tilden: Books
Interpreting Our Heritage and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy Used
Used - Acceptable See details
$3.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Interpreting Our Heritage (Chapel Hill Books)
 
 
Start reading Interpreting Our Heritage on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Interpreting Our Heritage (Chapel Hill Books) [Paperback]

Freeman Tilden (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition $11.83  
Hardcover $35.02  
Paperback $13.14  
Paperback, January 1977 --  

Book Description

January 1977 Chapel Hill Books
Every year millions of Americans visit national parks and monuments, state and municipal parks, battlefields, historic houses, and museums. By means of guided walks and talks, tours, exhibits, and signs, visitors experience these areas through a very special kind of communication technique known as "interpretation." For fifty years, Freeman Tilden's Interpreting Our Heritage has been an indispensable sourcebook for those who are responsible for developing and delivering interpretive programs. This expanded and revised anniversary edition includes not only Tilden's classic work but also an entirely new selection of accompanying photographs, five additional essays by Tilden on the art and craft of interpretation, a new foreword by former National Park Service director Russell Dickenson, and an introduction by R. Bruce Craig that puts Tilden's writings into perspective for present and future generations.

Whether the challenge is to make a prehistoric site come to life; to explain the geological basis behind a particular rock formation; to touch the hearts and minds of visitors to battlefields, historic homes, and sites; or to teach a child about the wonders of the natural world, Tilden's book, with its explanation of the famed "six principles" of interpretation, provides a guiding hand.

For anyone interested in our natural and historic heritage—park volunteers and rangers, museum docents and educators, new and seasoned professional heritage interpreters, and those lovingly characterized by Tilden as "happy amateurs"—Interpreting Our Heritage and Tilden's later interpretive writings, included in this edition, collectively provide the essential foundation for bringing into focus the truths that lie beyond what the eye sees.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] seminal book which may inspire yet another generation of park rangers."
Reflections --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Freeman Tilden (1883-1980) was a pioneer in the field of natural and cultural interpretation. A former journalist, playwright, and novelist, he began writing about America's national parks in the 1940s with the encouragement of National Park Service director Newton Drury. This led to four books on visiting, learning, and teaching about national and state parks and other heritage areas, of which Interpreting Our Heritage remains the most influential.

R. Bruce Craig is a former park ranger and interpreter, winner of the National Park Service's Freeman Tilden Award and former executive director of several national park and history organizations. He is currently professor of history at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 138 pages
  • Publisher: University of North Carolina Press; 3 edition (January 1977)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0807840165
  • ISBN-13: 978-0807840160
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #938,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the size fool you! Powerful interpretive book!, December 12, 1997
This review is from: Interpreting Our Heritage (Chapel Hill Books) (Paperback)
It's a short book, but packs a powerful message! Tilden is to Environmental Interpretation what Muir was to the environmental movement. His principles are quoted at national converences on interpretation. The chapters are concise and easy to read. Great first manual for anyone who wishes to do great public speaking or a professional who needs to be reminded of the basics!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars interpretation is an art form!, March 20, 2004
By 
dragondazd (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Interpreting Our Heritage (Chapel Hill Books) (Paperback)
Interpretation is the art of making what is presented meaningful to the audience. This book is useful for anyone who wants to get others interested in a subject, whether it is for a presentation, an art exhibit, or the local park's visitor center. If an exhibit, lecture, presentation, or tour does or does not get you interested in the topic, this book will explain most of the reasons why. This is all sound wisdom, offered in the context of museums and national parks. It's easy to read and engaging, employing the principles within.

I. Talk about what is being desplayed/described to the personality or experience of the visitor.
II. Interpretation is revelation based on information.
III. Interpretation is an art.
IV. The goal is provocation, not instruction.
V. Try to present the whole instead of the part.
VI. Don't just dumb it down for kids.
Tilden elaborates on these beautifully, with nice examples.

After reading this book not only do I know how to improve upon my own interpretation, but I can critique other interpretation and at least know when to appreciate a good display when I see one. Just remember that there are more than 6 principles. Use this book to start thinking about interpretation as a skill and an art, instead of the bible of interpretation.

Interpretation for the 21st Century: Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture is an updated version recommended to me but I haven't read it yet.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Basic in Interpretation, September 14, 2007
By 
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Interpreting Our Heritage (Chapel Hill Books) (Paperback)
When one need to study and learn the basics, this is the original guidebook on guiding! The text is almost quaint (written in the 50's) as are the pictures, but there are still nuggets worth mining.

I found myself highlighting the "do"s and "don't"s that are now features in other fields such as marketing and customer service. There aren't many reference books on the subject of interpretation, so this is a good place to start.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews







Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
THE WORD interpretation as used in this book refers to a public service that has so recently come into our cultural world that a resort to the dictionary for a competent definition is fruitless. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
happy amateur, priceless ingredient
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
National Park Service, United States, Civil War, Death Valley, Acadia National Park, Colonial Williamsburg, National Park System, Blue Ridge Parkway, Castillo de San Marcos, John Merriam, Big Bend National Park, Brookgreen Gardens, Clark Wissler, Jack Boucher, Mesa Verde National Park, Ronald Lee
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:


What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums





Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject