A People's History of Wilderness [Paperback]

Matt Jenkins (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

·Published on the 40th anniversary of America's most important public lands protection movement
·Highlights the citizen activists who made and continue to make wilderness real
·Features new and archival stories from High Country News

With the signing of the Wilderness Act by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964, the National Wilderness Preservation System was established to "...secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness."

High Country News brings to life the people and events who shaped this unprecedented citizen's movement. Drawn from the pages of this award-winning newspaper whose coverage has been solely focused on environmental and cultural issues affecting the American West for over three decades, A People's History of Wilderness presents the competing philosophies, complexities, and passions, as they happened, that has resulted in the protection of over 104 million acres of wilderness.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Matt Jenkins is assistant editor for High Country News, where he covers California, Nevada, and Utah, and also writes about water and wilderness issues. He grew up in Reno, Nevada, and spent several seasons as a wildland firefighter before earning a degree in Chinese history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: High Country News (September 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974448516
• ISBN-13: 978-0974448510
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, July 8, 2006

By 

Laura Pritchett - See all my reviews

This review is from: A People's History of Wilderness (Paperback)

This book provides a great history of the Wilderness Act and a wide variety of stories related to the entire wilderness movement, in all its complexity - a must read for anyone interested in the topic, or, for that matter, anyone who cares about our natural landscape.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wilderness history and issues top-down and bottom-up, November 5, 2008

By 

S. J. Snyder "De gustibus non disputandum" (Various, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A People's History of Wilderness (Paperback)

This is an excellent compilation of articles, essays and editorials from the top magazine about the western United States, High Country News, specifically dealing with wilderness.

Major national environmental groups as well as local organizations all get their due, as well as insight onto their different angles in wilderness legislation attempts, lobbying, etc.

So, too, do questions about compromise vs. hardball tactics, local vs. national perspectives, state-by-state vs. interstate wilderness bills and more.

But, this is also about the enjoyment of wilderness on the ground, along with related issues such as its overenjoyment in some cases, compromises with rancher grazing rights, and even more so with old mining claims and such.

You can't do better than this book as an intro to wilderness issues.

And, maybe you'll be inspired to get a High Country News subscription too.