Visions of Wild America [Paperback]

National Geographic Society (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

The American landscape: Its wildness has made us inventive. Its vastness has made us bold. Its great teachers -- concerned voices -- have told us who we are and where, in the presence or absence of wildness, we might go. Complemented by more than a hundred photographs that capture our nation's preserved places, the uncommon, remarkable adventures and quiet epiphanies of our great conservationists are rendered anew, creating hope that we might one day see the land as a community, not a commodity. A living place to be honored and preserved.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Bob Marshall, Rachel Carson, Edward Abbey, Marjory Stoneman Douglas ... these are the voices of a wild America. Sharing pages with the glorious works of National Geographic photographers, the voices of these important conservationists are immortalized in Visions of a Wild America. In this book, award-winning author Kim Heacox weaves the incredible adventures, epiphanies, and successes of these visionaries along with their own quotes to help round out their stories:

"It is not enough to understand the natural world; the point is to defend and preserve it."--Edward Abbey
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."--Rachel Carson
"The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?'... To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering."--Aldo Leopold
"Mountain parks ... are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life."--John Muir

Juxtaposed against photos of camas flowers coated in frost, sandhill cranes' migrating silhouettes, autumn fog in a Maine spruce bog, astonishing waterfalls, moss curtains, and owl's eyes, these stories of determination and preservation have an especially powerful impact. --Kathryn True

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792273591
• ISBN-13: 978-0792273592
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,402,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visionary Voices, July 7, 2009

By 

Ursus Somnolicus (Bearizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visions of Wild America (Paperback)

Reflecting back on a century and a half of wilderness conservation in the United States, author Kim Heacox gathers the thoughts of the most influential writers in the field.

The chapters titles say it all:
* A Different Drummer: The Prophets of Preservation (John Muir)
* Thinking Like a Mountain: Aldo Leopold and the Land Ethic
* Burn Candles with Independence: Bob Marshall and the Freedom of the Wilderness
* Something Infinitely Healing: Rachel Carson and the House of Life
* Paradox and Bedrock: Edward Abbey and the Arid Truth
* Listen to the Land, Eloquently: Biodiversity and the Geography of Hope (Marjory Stoneman Douglas)

Since this is a National Geographic production, there are plenty of photographs to bring life and passion ot the written words. Anyone wishing to trace the American conservation movement to its roots would find this book worthwhile.

This volume is part of the National Geographic's Special Publications Series, one of the best-kept secrets in the world of books. Since 1966 the Society had released four titles per year. The same size and shape as their iconic magazine, these hardcovers present the best that National Geographic has to offer, and without the ads! Authors have included such scientific luminaries as Isaac Asimov, Bob Ballard, Jane Goodall and Louis Leakey.