Naked in the Woods: Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From August to October 1913, 43-year-old Joseph Knowles went alone, naked and without supplies, into the Maine woods, vowing to live for two months by his own devices. The stunt, sponsored by the Boston Post, generated publicity for Knowles and increased readership for the newspaper, but later proved to be a hoax, one of several examples of nature fakery in the early 20th century that Motavalli (Forward Drive) discusses in this entertaining and evenhanded account of the life of the Nature Man. Knowles got another chance to prove himself when William Randolph Hearst backed a second naked wilderness foray, this time in California and with sanctioned observers to watch over Knowles. A third expedition would have put Knowles in the Adirondacks with a naked woman, but this fizzled when Dawn Woman, as she was called, quit after realizing she would have to endure cold weather and kill wild animals. Motavalli sees the humor in these exploits, but also describes Knowles as a skilled woodsman with a sincere love of the outdoors that reflected the back-to-nature movement of his time. He paints a sympathetic picture of a man with a tragic flaw, showing how Knowles succumbed to media hype and tried to maintain his Nature Man image long after public interest in his wilderness experiment had subsided. Illus. (Feb.)
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Review

"A fascinating story of survival, showmanship...Thoroughly researched...If you like survival stories and tales of bigger-than-life people, you will enjoy Naked in the Woods. More than a fascinating story of a Maine character, it deals with the neverending lure of wilderness in the days of urban culture. A great winter read." -- Maine Sunday Telegram

"An absorbing tale of one man's retreat into the Maine woods, padded with a healthy history of the back-to-nature movement...The good-natured author... uses Knowles's stunt to digress on such topics as the establishment of the character-building Boy Scouts; consciousness-raising by naturalists John Muir, Ernest Thompson Seton and John Burroughs; and the sensational life of Ishi, "the last wild Indian," whose emergence from the California woods made headlines two years before Knowles did. Tasty, light nourishment for nature buffs." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Lengthy, luxurious discussions of Ishi, Frederick Jackson Turner, Buffalo Bill, Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and the extended family of Oscar Hammerstein." -- Washington Post

"The book shows how current media celebrities like Paris Hilton--who are famous for being famous--have nothing on Joseph Knowles, who caused a sensation in 1913 with a publicity stunt for The Boston Post." -- Connecticut Post

"To place an individual in the time and place in which he or she lived so that a reader can understand both the person and the period is a smooth talent. Motavalli, editor of E/The Environmental Magazine, demonstrates this skill...This lively biography/adventure story/cultural history is recommended." -- Library Journal

"You might call it the precursor to reality TV." -- New York Post

"[A] thorough and readable study of Knowles...Motavalli takes us through a history of the back to nature movement, with its phonies and firm believers that extend to today's "reality" television." -- Associated Press

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; illustrated edition edition (January 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786720085
• ISBN-13: 978-0786720088
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #802,033 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fabulous, Forgotten Nature Man, February 4, 2008

By	R. Hardy "Rob Hardy" (Columbus, Mississippi USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

We are often told that our nation, especially our menfolk, are getting soft, that we don't have the ruggedness of our forebears, that we spend too much time in our cities and not enough back to the land, and that as a result we are losing some moral anchor which used to hold us in good stead. The trouble is that we have been told this for at least a hundred years, probably further back than that, and the message has not changed much, although it is a message that is enthusiastically boosted by many. Our coddled and citified society went faddishly berserk in 1913 for a man who simply went into the woods of Maine, vowing to stay there for two months on his own, unassisted by any technology. Joseph Knowles was a sensation at the time, now forgotten. His astonishing story is the subject of _Naked in the Woods: Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery_ (Da Capo Press) by Jim Motavalli. The author, a journalist who writes on environmental themes, has picked from obscurity a wonderful subject, not just Knowles but also the anxiety we tend to have that we are out of touch with natural life.

Knowles was all of 43 years old when he went into the woods. He had been a sailor, trapper, and scout, but what he wanted to be was an artist. He had some untutored skill in painting, and was making sketches and paintings in Boston for a decade when he got the idea (perhaps in a dream) to go support himself in the woods. The _Boston Post_, always ready for a circulation gimmick, was ready to back him. "Can Knowles Live Two Months as a Cave Man?" came the headlines, and though the paper hyped the event, people were sincerely interested in the man-against-the-wilderness theme. Knowles was photographed and interviewed, and given a physical exam before trotting off to the woods in nothing but a g-string. When he emerged from the woods two months later, he had lost weight, but he was no longer naked, wearing birch sandals and the skin of a bear he had trapped and killed. He had caught the national spirit; he was viewed as a hero, awing crowds wherever he went. The bitter rival of the _Post_, the Hearst-owned _Boston Sunday American_, got onto the Knowles bandwagon by debunking it. Knowles, according to the revision, had spent two months in a log cabin with food (and even female companionship) delivered to him. Knowles had a couple of other wilderness trips, and then went on the lecture circuit and wrote a back-to-nature book about his experiences as the "Nature Man". The last third of _Naked in the Woods_ has mostly to do with his painting career; he did commissioned murals and small-scale calendar art.

Knowles died in 1942. His artwork is still collected by some, and the Ilwaco Heritage Museum had a retrospective last year. We still have the Nature Man with us, in the form of "Survivor"-type television shows. Going wilderness is the show for Bear Grylls, who has starred in the British program _Man vs. Wild_, and who last year underwent a Knowles-type debunking for spending his nights in cozy hotels rather than in the wild where he was assumed to be keeping himself. Motavalli has a wonderful time with this story, and presents it in all its humorous aspects, but finds something serious in what Knowles had to tell us then and now: "He may have been at least partly a fraud, but he was nonetheless successful in communicating a powerful and useful message to an anxiety-stricken age."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stitch in Time, February 13, 2008

By	Daniel Makara - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Never have I read a more fascinating account of salesmenship in America. As a nation the US prides itself on our frontier heritage,the quest for individuality & independence,& the pursuit of an ideal existence in harmony with nature, & making a few bucks along the way. This is a true American story !
This book Kept Me In Stitches !!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Picture of the Public Space in the Early 20th Century, March 1, 2008

By	William T. Alpert "WTA" (Bridgeport, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Motavalli has created a wonderful interpretive picture of the media and public reactions to a great story in early 20th Century America. He puts the reader in the period, but brings us in contact with our ancestors and shows that we haven't progressed in terms of our love for the spectacular stunt! Joseph Knowles exploits thrilled the nation longing for a free show. Not unlike the infamous OJ low speed chase that captivated us a while back.

A good story, a wonderful interpretation and a great read!Naked in the Woods: Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery