Customer Reviews

Wild America: The Record of a 30,000 Mile Journey Around the Continent by a Distinguished Naturalist and His British Colleague

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Let me just quote my favorite line from the book. It is when James Fisher, an Englishman, first sees the Grand Canyon:

"I went down there a few yards. The world ended; began again eight miles away. Between the ends of the world was a chasm."

Now I have never seen the Grand Canyon, but reading about it with such wonder through Mr. Fisher's eyes was extraordinary. It brought tears to my eyes. It goes to show how truly amazing and beautiful America is. I highly recommend this book, not just for the birds these two men see, but also for all the wonderful sights they come encounter. It made me want to retrace their route.

The world of e-reviewing is a tolerant world, and exaggerations have an easy home there. But measured by the role it has played in people's lives, there is little hyperbole in identifying Peterson and Fisher's "Wild America," precisely fifty years old this year, as among the most important books produced in the twentieth century. In the 1950s and 1960s, the book found its way into school libraries all over America, where it has been read with awe and envy by the last three generations of would-be naturalists--read so intensively that many of us, decades later, can quote great passages by heart.
The book is a collaborative account of the biggest 'big year' up to that point ever undertaken in North America; the trip was planned by none other than Roger Tory Peterson, then (and still today, perhaps) the continent's best-known birder, and was intended as an introduction to America's natural history for James Fisher, an equally prominent British naturalist who had never visited this side of the Atlantic. "Wild America" was the result: a priceless document of the continent's natural riches seen through the eyes, the words and the illustrations of two gifted and interesting observers.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Peterson and Fisher's trip, and the book is certain to be celebrated over and over in the press. Those who have not read it should by all means visit their library to borrow a well-worn copy; and those who have should take it in hand again, and be reminded of how important this text was in the birth of North America's birding culture as we know it today.

When I found this book at Third Place Books in Seattle in the summer of 2002, I had never heard of it, but, from the authors' reputation as naturalists and ornithologists, it looked like a good read. I discovered the book at the end of my camping journey to three national parks in Washington state and a one-week cruise to Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park and the main points of interest in beautiful southeastern Alaska. My jaunt to the natural areas of the Pacific Northwest and the Alexander Archipelago would be lame compared to the 20,000+ miles that Roger Peterson and James Fisher logged in on their comprehensive foray to "Wild America".

The authors embarked on their journey following the coast of the US with intermittent forays to the interior and a brief excursion to Mexico a year before the publication of the molecular structure of DNA as double helix. Rapid developments in our understanding of the molecular basis of life ushered in the molecular era of biology, which has ultimately led to the restructuring and overhauling of the way we teach biology and the way we explain, understand, and appreciate the complexities of life. Just when most students in biology these days are honed to the molecular and cellular basis of life--a reductionist view, so to speak--and less to the holistic and more traditional view of biology, what a refreshing change to learn from and be engrossed by the keen observations of two naturalists on the road and be taken back to an era when biology as natural history was respected as an academic field and an engaging pastime as well!

There are tons of information on birds in this book, but the authors also pay attention to mammals and other fauna, and then there is the flora (peculiar landmark plant species of the West stand out, like the agave, saguaro, ocotillo, Joshua Tree, Monterey cypress, coastal redwood, sequoia, sugar pine, lodgepole pine, and Douglas fir). There are also accounts of long-term inhabitants and indigenous peoples, and their culture and history. The illustrations are superb. The most remarkable part of the book, however, are the wholehearted commentaries on the purpose and values of our national parks and monuments. Since 1953, many of the national monuments they visited are now national parks. Roads have been paved, widened, and increased, and so have concessions and amenities, converting park villages into virtual towns and confronting many visitors with the same urban and suburban evils (traffic, congestion, to name a few) from which they try to escape by visiting national park areas. You can try hard to hope that James Fisher criticizes the way national parks are run, but you don't find that in the book. Notwithstanding this, it is amusing that many facts about the national monuments and parks still apply today and that these places can make the same impressions today, mainly because we try hard to keep these natural treasures intact for future generations. The British naturalist's gratitude to Americans for the designation and preservation of national parks and optimism for their stewardship is a sharp contrast to Edward Abbey's cynical attitude towards the National Park Service and disdain for tourists.

The book concludes with a powerful statement that speaks of Fisher's gratitude to Americans and optimism for "Wild America": "And this is what I have tried to do--to tell of Wild America, and say that never have I seen such wonders or met landlords so worthy of their land. They have had, and still have, the power to ravage it; and instead have made it a garden". Certainly the power of his statement would not have been lost on people who deeply appreciate natural America and care to preserve our astounding natural heritage.

Even though it was written in 1955, it was delightful to read of their journey and the things they saw. I felt like I was there with them. Lots of bird information, but even more history, conservation commentary and human frailty. Sorry when I finished it. Wanted them to continue through the interior of the USA.

This book is an excellent account of a 30,000 mile journey exploring the birds and natural history of North America by two noted naturalists. The American author, Roger Tory Peterson, is the author of the well-known Peterson bird guides. The British co-author, James Fisher, is in a similar position in Great Britain.

The descriptions of the birds and acoounts of them are fascinating to anyone - even if you are not a birder. (I am not.) But I found the accounts of American Natural History to be the most riveting. This book is an account written alternately by one author and then the other. I loved that form because it allowed each author to emphasize different things. When Fisher sees Crater Lake or the Grand Canyon for the first time, it lets you - just for a moment - feel that same way.

Another positive aspect of the book was the factual history of things like the Chestnut blight. And that the Smoky Mountain National Park has 131 species and all of Europe has only 85. And that the airboat was invented in desert Utah, not Florida, to rescue sick birds in the Bear River refuge. Simply fascinating.

Another aspect of the book I liked was the account of America from over 50 years ago. It was wonderful and nostalgic to remember the past and the first time I saw the Grand Canyon or a condor or the world's tallest or biggest tree, or the deep blue of Crater lake, or a puffin, or a ....

Anyway, this may not have been the most influential or well known nature book of the last century but it was definitely one of the best. I would have to rank it in my top 20 list.

Absolutely wonderful extremely difficult to put down
It was interesting to see how sites have and have not changed since the 50's
Glimpses of life as a birder and wildlife lover were interesting and often amusing Peterson's wry sense of humor often shines through
I have highly recomended this book to friends
Wild America: The Record of a 30,000 Mile Journey Around the Continent by a Distinguished Naturalist and His British Colleague

I have the deepest respect for Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher but aside from a few interesting facts, and the observations made by a stranger to this country ( he really makes you appreciate our Park System), I found this book outdated and boring. I recommend borrowing a copy from the library first. I would recommend buying "Kingbird Highway" or "The Big Year" instead. They are more in depth and relevant to today.