Book Description
Out of the stories heard in her childhood in Los Angeles's Chinatown and years of research, See has constructed this sweeping chronicle of her Chinese-American family, a work that takes in stories of racism and romance, entrepreneurial genius and domestic heartache, secret marriages and sibling rivalries, in a powerful history of two cultures meeting in a new world. 82 photos.
Customer Reviews:
Made a nice gift.......2007-09-21
The person I gave this to thought it was a very nice read and recommends it.
Incredible Book.......2007-07-31
I am a new fan of Lisa See and I have to say that this is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a fascinating story. There were times I had to remind myself that this was a work of non-fiction. I only wish there were more photographs. A great read and hard to put down.
generational story.......2006-11-10
I like Lisa See's books and this is another example of her fine writing. This time, however, her focus is the story of her own family and their impact on their new country.
Engaging and educational..........2006-11-07
Lisa See is one of those rare authors that can draw you into and keep you engaged in a story weaved with historial significance as well as personal emotions. A must read for any first or second generation immigrant who has always been curious about the lives and struggles of our ancestors who first settled into this new "free" land called America.
Fascinating.......2006-08-27
This is a most interesting book. I am 75 years old and grew up in Los Angeles, visiting Chinatown many times, and knew nothing of the people who lived there, so it was particularly interesting to me. I have read other books by Lisa See and find her to be an excellent writer. I highly recommend this book, especially to people interested in the history of California.
Amazon.com
Lisa See, daughter of novelist Carolyn See, brings a novelist's skill to this sprawling ancestral history. Books tracing the roots of overseas Chinese writers are not uncommon these days, but See uncovered in her family tree a capsule history of the Sino-American diaspora: her great-grandfather, Fong See, founded a California business, married a Caucasian woman and fathered many offspring, and returned periodically to China to redistribute some of his wealth and launch another family. See, a Publishers Weekly writer, has conducted extensive interviews and drawn on family lore for an enthralling saga of ambition, prejudice, love, loyalty, and sorrow--social history at its best.
Customer Reviews:
A new family.......1998-04-19
I wish I had read this book first. I read Lisa's Flower Net and enjoyed it so much that I looked to see what else she had written. Finding On Gold Mountain (thanks, Amazon) I became immersed in the life of the author and her family. I have read so many stories of Chinese families in Mainland China and Taiwan, but this is the first I have read of the Chinese American experience. It is doubly interesting because of the marriages between Chinese and Caucasians, and how they resolved their cultural differences during a time when China itself was undergoing so many cultural changes. I highly recomend the book for its content and for its excellent narrative style.
An odyssey of a read.......1997-07-29
Lisa See, in describing the journey of her family over one hundred years, also takes the reader on a literary journey.
I have read many auto-biographical and semi-auto-biographical accounts of the Chinese diaspora and Lisa's book is amongst the best. We can read her book as an adventure and also as a history. A history about which she must be proud. This book has inspired me to write about my own family, who made a similar journey, over a hundred years ago, but in Australia
The author carries you along on her odyssey!.......1996-08-02
Lisa See's path to discover where and how she fits in in
this gifted, and far from ordinary immigrant American family is
as much your story as it is hers. Her writing is fresh and
alive enough to hold your interest and make you want to
hear more from and about this author. Her mother is Carolyn
See, who has written a little about Lisa's history in her own
book, Dreaming: Good Luck and Hard Times in America. Look
over both books and be prepared to hunker down for a while.
Book Description
Stella Patterson, a city lady at age 80, told by her doctor she had "young legs" vowed to spend one full year on her remote mountain mining claim.
Customer Reviews:
A Wonderful Wonderful Woman!.......2007-04-14
All I can say is that I am terribly sorry that I never knew this lady. I now live not far from Happy Camp, and wish that I could encounter her ghost!
Her story is charming, funny and courageous. She shows us what we might be if we only had the determination and a bit of luck. I highly recommend it to everybody---and everybody I know who has read it has loved the book, and loved Dear Mad'm, Dear Sir, Up n Up and all of the folks in it.
One of a kind, and the very best!
Fantastic Read.......2006-03-05
If you are feeling old read Stella's adventures and rethink your life. Her adventures will inspire you to get up and get busy. Fantastic read for all ages.
Wild, Silly and Adventurous.......2005-03-01
For 2 years my grandma had been after me to read this book, but I didn't think it looked that great so left it collecting dust on my bookshelf. Finally, when desparate for a book to read at the last minute for a school book report, I grabbed Dear Mad'm. I was a little disappointed by the first chapter but after that the story blasted off. Who would think a book about an 80 year old woman living in the Siskiyou Mt by the Klamath River could be so exciting? She left the comforts of the city because she was bored. For 80 years old she was very young acting. She moved into a rusty old cabin and the adventures started from there - from how she got food and supplies from a nearby camp, making curtains out of flour sacks dying them yellow and green by soaking them in onion skins and green plant leaves, to planting large patches of wildflowers. But the silliest part was her friendship with two neighbors who she nicknamed 'UpnUp' and 'Dear Sir' and they nicknamed her 'Dear Mad'm.' The most exciting part was when she fought off a cougar that was attacking her dog 'Vicky.' Dear Mad'm shot the cougar in the head with a gun that weighed almost more than she did. This book is a ture story written by Stella Walthall Patterson who was the real Dear Mad'm.
Dear Mad'm.......2003-06-12
I first purchased this book while on a vacation trip exactly 14 years ago (1989); since then I've tried to read it at least once a year. I laugh my way through the book, and the author's courage & zest for life continues to inspire me! I only hope I am able to always view life with the same gusto & joy she had, trials & tribulations notwithstanding. She was quite a remarkable woman.
Timeless Entertainment.......2000-06-09
My grandmother gave me this book several years ago, and I have just finished reading it for the 2nd time. "Dear Mad'm" chronicles the adventures of octagenarian Stella Patterson who, realizing she has spunk and energy to spare, in addition to a great pair of "young legs", sets out to manage her placer mine in the remote wilds of northern California. With wit and style she relates an amazing year of adventurous living on the mighty Klamath river,striving with and against nature, kept company by a herd of friendly goats, her beloved dog Vicki, and a neighborly duo of miners whom she comes to love as family. I found myself enthralled with her tales and filled with admiration for this energetic and adventuresome lady who said "No!" to old age and lived out her dream in her little cabin in the wilderness. I would dearly love to learn what became of her and to read any other biographical material that is available relating to this remarkable woman.
Book Description
Join hikers, runners, bicyclists, and equestrians on some of the Bay Area's best trails, from Mount Diablo through the Santa Clara Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific Coast. This expanded third edition provides updated maps and information on park facilities, fees, and regulations. Discover favorite spots while learning about the region's geology, natural history, and wildlife from three of the area's dedicated naturalists and classic Wilderness Press authors. Includes 568 miles of varied trails, directions to trailheads and route descriptions, and dayhikes and overnight treks.
Customer Reviews:
Thorough.......2007-01-20
This book provides descriptions of all the parks in the area it covers, with maps that show nearly all hiking trails and advice on when is the best time of year for each. I wish the equivalent books for other parts of the bay area were this complete.
Great content, annoying organization.......2006-10-29
For over a year this book has been my bible for selecting hikes in the south bay area. The authors' trail descriptions are vivid, and their routes are planned well. I have two major grievances: first, their loquacious style can make it hard to determine exactly what turns you're supposed to take and when. Secondly, finding a hike is too cumbersome: you go to page 18 to search the map for the park you want, then back to the table of contents to find the page number for the park, then forward to the actual content. The map should be in the very front or back of the book and should include page numbers. Despite those annoyances, I still bring this book with me every weekend, and can recommend it as a good guide.
Almost as fun as the hikes themselves!.......2002-10-31
This is a wonderful book that goes into great deatil about the many trails in and around the South Bay. It breaks down the area by specific parks and then suggested hikes, including mileage, elevation loss or gain, and time. It even has a neat little appendix outlining hikes by category (ie., short hikes, hikes to see spring flowers, etc.) The text is detailed, explaining what you will find around every bend, and the historical information on the parks is very interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get out and away from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley.
A good book made better.......2001-12-09
I just replaced my battered copy of the first edition with the latest, third one, and it's a real winner! These authors' books are always educational, interesting and complete. And best of all they lead one into many fine hiking adventures around the bay. I've spent many a fine summer day following their instructions. It's about time they put out a new edition, because of all the new parks and trails they had to cover. Recommended!
Book Description
A rare jewel has been discovered in the oeuvre of Ansel Adams.SIERRA NEVADA: THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL, originally published in an edition of only 500 copies in 1938, is an extraordinary publication in many respects. Adams, at the age of 36, was commissioned to prepare a book of his photographs taken along the world-famous John Muir Trail as a tribute to Pete Starr, a young American mountaineer (and son of a Sierra Club president) killed in a climbing accident. Composed of 50 photographs of the Sierra Nevada--many never published again--the book is an exquisite portrait of the mountain world of the High Sierra in California. When first published, it set a new standard for fine photographic reproduction in book form. Little, Brown takes great pride in announcing a new edition of this magnificent book.
Customer Reviews:
A book of so-so quality for AA's gem prints.......2006-11-01
It is always told that AA put enormous energy and care in producing his 1938 edition of "Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail", originally published in only 500 copies and a fine art book of highest quality at the time.
I never saw a copy of the origional edition and my comment is purely on what I see in this 2006 standard edition. I don't know how this book is made from the original edition. It says tri-tone but the printing quality is so-so. Some images are a little vague, some losing details in shadow or highlight. The book is pale in compasrison with some great AA books published by Bulfinch in the past, such as "California" or "Yosemite and the High Sierra". You can find some images from this book in other AA books and in better quality. Overall, it would make AA uneasy to stamp his famous AA Authorized Edition to the book. If it were not for its historical value, I'd skip this book.
Now Bulfinch also offers a 2006 deluxe edition at $1,200. Again I haven't seen a copy but perhaps the pricier version can live up to the standard of the original edition.
The trend looks a little worrisome recently in AA books pulished by Bulfinch. The printing quality goes down from "California (1997)" to "Ansel Adams at 100 (hardcover 2001)". "Trees (2004)" rebounds just a little but "Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail (2006)" is a little disappointing. I would hope the next AA book by Bulfinch can rejuvenate the printing quality, even if doing so means a higher price tag.
Book Description
In one of the most dazzling books of his celebrated career, Dean Koontz delivers a masterwork of page-turning suspense that surpasses even his own inimitable reputation as a chronicler of our worst fears—and best dreams. In The Taking he tells the story of a community cut off from a world under siege, and the terrifying battle for survival waged by a young couple and their neighbors as familiar streets become fog-shrouded death traps. Gripping, heartbreaking, and triumphant in the face of mankind’s darkest hour, here is a small-town slice-of-doomsday thriller that strikes to the core of each of us to ask: What would you do in the midst of
The Taking.
On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain on their roof. It has haunted their sleep, invaded their dreams, and now they rise to find a luminous silvery downpour drenching their small California mountain town. A strange scent hangs faintly in the air, and the young couple cannot shake the sense of something wrong.
As hours pass and the rain continues to fall, Molly and Niel listen to disturbing news of extreme weather phenomena across the globe. Before evening, their little town loses television and radio reception. Then telephone and the Internet are gone. With the ceaseless rain now comes an obscuring fog that transforms the once-friendly village into a ghostly labyrinth. By nightfall the Sloans have gathered with some of their neighbors to deal with community damage...but also because they feel the need to band together against some unknown threat, some enemy they cannot identify or even imagine.
In the night, strange noises arise, and at a distance, in the rain and the mist, mysterious lights are seen drifting among the trees. The rain diminishes with the dawn, but a moody gray-purple twilight prevails. Soon Molly, Niel, and their small band of friends will be forced to draw on reserves of strength, courage, and humanity they never knew they had. For within the misty gloom they will encounter something that reveals in a terrifying instant what is happening to their world—something that is hunting them with ruthless efficiency. Epic in scope, searingly intimate and immediate in perspective,
The Taking is an adventure story like no other, a relentless roller-coaster read that brings apocalypse to Main Street and showcases the talents of one of our most original and mesmerizing novelists at the pinnacle of his powers.
Customer Reviews:
love dean koontz but no this one.......2007-10-09
sorry to say but i was very disappointed with this book. I probably read the first couple of chapters and i was done. Little green aliens is not my style.
The Taking by Dean Koonz.......2007-10-02
I read to unwind after working a late shift working with my computer, nightly. I found it most difficult to put this book down. It is classic Koontz, keeping one glued to the page. How he manages to keep track of all the plots within plots and still tie it all together is amazing. I highly recomend this book as a superlative read.
Simple, but effective.......2007-09-06
I have always been an individual of fewer words than most, except, for when I have put words on paper. Dean Koontz has been one of my favorite authors to read - THIS is the novel that hooked me to Koontz. Koontz is simply one of the better story-tellers today. He may not be Stephen King in depth, or, Bentley Little in horror, but, Koontz is an effective story-teller, none the less. My recommendation ? Read this novel before deciding if you like it or not. Either you will, or, you won't.
The Taking.......2007-09-04
This is a pretty worthy book. I wont ruin it. All I can say is at the end he gives you something to think about. I thought it was a interesting view on something many of us wonder about. I absolutely recommend this book. It holds your attention & you don't want to put it down. It is well written. It holds up to the Koontz name.
Working with words.......2007-09-04
I must confess that this is the first novel I've ever read that I didn't have to read for school (and that was over 20 years ago). I wanted to make more of my commute time and noticed this audiobook at my local library. I'd had seen Koontz on the covers of books that other people were reading, and this looked like it would hold my attention. I was shocked and amazed by the literary style--the similes, metaphors, alliteration, and vivid, vivid detail. No wonder people hate movie version. I couldn't believe what I had missing all these years. I've read a few novels by other authors since then, but no one comes close on this aspect. I have seen some reviewers report this style as a bad thing, but I feel the opposite. I had mixed feelings about the storyline, but for me, it did not suffer from reusing common Koontz themes because I had never read him before. I'm giving this 5 stars because this book goes so far beyond the story, that it finally turned me onto fiction after all these years.
Book Description
All the best hikes in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, a land of incredible diversity with sparkling beaches, rugged mountains, and sunswept deserts. From the author of our bestselling Afoot and Afield series.
Customer Reviews:
Solid Resource.......2007-05-15
I purchased this book for a recent trip to Los Angeles, and found it to be a valuable resource for finding interesting hiking spots. Some photos from that trip and others can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pstao/
I would definately recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the outdoors, and exploring the natural beauty that persists throughout Southern California.
Excellent.......2007-03-24
Jerry has explicit knowledge which he chronicles in this book. Each trail is well described and you are told what to bring in order to be prepared. The classification system used to classify each trail is simple to use and understand. This book is great!!!
101 hikes in Southern California.......2007-01-18
Received book on time for Christmas was neatly packaged and I was pleased.
Great hikes!.......2006-04-30
A bunch of great hikes for ALL fitness/experience levels. If you are 100 pounds over weight and want to start hiking there are plenty of hikes you can do!! don't let being out of shape scare you away from some of southern california's most beautiful scenery!
Decent.......2006-03-06
I found the book to have a generally good overview of hikes in the So Cal area, but was really hoping there would be more in Orange County. It centers around the LA area a little more than I would like... but then again it is a SOUTHERN California book and not an OC one ;)
The directions to each of the trails so far are quite accurate, except for one. On the directions to Holy Jim Falls (the waterfall that is pictured on the cover) it says the dirt road up to the parking area is OK for passenger cars. Being the owner of a passenger car... and that I tried to make this trip, I would say this is false and WOULD NOT reccomend it! We only made it half way, hiked a bit, and then turned back. We have taken the trip since in other more fit cars for the road without a problem....
But aside from that, the hikes are accurate, the maps are homely but helpful, and the book is entertaining enough to read. Surely each hiker in or coming to So Cal should have a copy.
Book Description
Climbing Mt. Shasta contains 12 comprehensive chapters and power packed appendices loaded with resourceful information. This book was produced in very high quality paper with an attractive color cover and eight pages with color pictures. Also, there are several black and white pictures along with an aerial map, several maps and charts. The book has a lot of subheadings making it easy for the reader to follow. Chapter One begins by introducing the Volcano's eruptive history, its thick icy glaciers, and the story of the first recorded summit ascent on Mt. Shasta. The next few chapters acquaint the reader, or climber, with the hazards and rewards of mountaineering allowing those of you who know little about the Mountain to become better acquainted with it. You will also be introduced to weather, safety, climbing techniques, and proper use of equipment. Re-live the dramatic story of the climber who survived two lonely, cold nights without sleeping gear at 12,000 feet. Subsequent chapters prepare you for your climb up the mountain. Once you're packed, author Steve Lewis takes you on a step-by-step journey to the summit. Finally, glissade with him 2,000 feet down a snowfield as he takes you safely back to base camp. Enjoy your stay in the Mt. Shasta area with the last chapter titled Camping and Recreation. Appendices include a mountaineering glossary, mountaineering stores, and resourceful phone contacts.
Customer Reviews:
Basic essentials.......2001-07-15
I am planning to Summit Mt. Shasta in the upcoming year; however, I cannot even consider myself a novice--beginner, maybe. I have NEVER climbed before--this book gave me basic information that will help me to plan my trip...everything from general mountain climate to a packing list. Without reading this book, I am afraid I may have not known the essentials (basics) to take with me!
Guide book designed to get you to the top..........2000-12-27
After reading the review titled "A big disappointment" it seems the reviewer has misconceptions about the book. From his eyes, not knowing anything at all about Mt. Shasta and never climbing it before, he was looking for a book that would match climbing Mt. Everest or one that is so advanced that the reader climbing Mt. Shasta for the first time would have no choice but to "look elsewhere." It would be like writing a guide book and then adding a review that condemns the book because it does not have information about the American presidents. The reviewer talks about his extensive climbing experience in his bio.
The fact is there are at least 15,000 people (first time climbers) that attempt to climb Mt. Shasta a year and only a third make it. I would say at least 95 per cent of those that climb have never used an ice axe or crampons. The book is written for those people and it's designed to cover the Avalanche Gulch route only. Mountaineering is a sport and like most sports, you must understand the game. The book helps you understand the mountain and gives you the information that you need to make a safe and successful climb to he summit. It's a companion in your backpack!
Guide book designed to get you to the top..........2000-12-27
After reading the review titled "A big disappointment" it seems the reviewer has misconceptions about the book. From his eyes, not knowing anything at all about Mt. Shasta and never climbing it before, he was looking for a book that would match climbing Mt. Everest or one that is so advanced that the reader climbing Mt. Shasta for the first time would have no choice but to "look elsewhere." It would be like writing a guide book and then adding a review that condemns the book because it does not have information about the American presidents. The reviewer talks about his extensive climbing experience in his bio.
The fact is there are at least 15,000 people (first time climbers) that attempt to climb Mt. Shasta a year and only a third make it. I would say at least 95 per cent of those that climb have never used an ice axe or crampons. The book is written for those people and it's designed to cover the Avalanche Gulch route only. Mountaineering is a sport and like most sports, you must understand the game. The book helps you understand the mountain and gives you the information that you need to make a safe and successful climb to he summit. It's a companion in your backpack!
A big disappointment if you have ANY climbing experience........2000-09-03
.... This guide of 170 pages devotes about 63 pages to climbing Mt. Shasta. The rest includes: discussions of internal frame vs. external frame packs, how to pack your pack, whether snow shoes are necessary in the summer (!), and such profound statements as "Good quality clothing protects your body from the cold and fierce winds that can generate on the Mountain." Beware of a book with two pages of acknowledgements including two acknowledgements to dogs! Or a climbing guide with a glossary that defines "peak," "run, "trailhead," and "summit." For a climbing guide to Shasta I expect more than just one detailed photo illustrating the route. I expect maps. And I expect the discussion of more than just one route up the mountain. Want to climb Shasta in the winter? Look elsewhere. Want the mileage and elevation gain in detail? Look elsewhere. The list goes on. Is this guide useful for anyone? Yes, it is useful for someone with no climbing experience at all. Anyone else, wait for the next guidebook to be published.
The best beginner guide I've ever read about any climb.......1998-07-28
This book is a simple, straightforward guide to climbing Shasta, especially for first-timers. I was given three books about Shasta by some friends before my recent trip and this one was the most useful. It gave warnings about all the dangers, tips for having the best time possible, and clear descriptions of all the available routes.
Book Description
In a lifetime of exploration, writing, and passionate political activism, John Muir made himself America's most eloquent spokesman for the mystery and majesty of the wilderness, a master of natural description who evoked and celebrated with unique power and intimacy the untrammeled landscapes of Alaska and the American West.
Customer Reviews:
A Look At the Life of an Amazing Man.......2007-05-07
This Autobiography of John Muir was a look at the life of an amazing man. He was the type of writer that could take you to the place where he was living and make you feel like you were right there with him. His childhood experiences in Scotland and the farm life of Wisconsin formed the basis for how he viewed and related to the rest of his life and those around him. He was a world traveler who looked through the eyes of creation to observe ecology and invention. As a world traveler I also observe through the eyes of creation and as a native Californian I have had extensive experience hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada's. John Muir's writing style took me back to the places I have loved and remembered.
The Finest Natural History.......2007-01-04
John Muir was one of the founders of the early 20th century conservation movement and godfather to today's environmentalism. This collection of three books and shorter works demonstrates the reason. Muir's description of the natural world is at times scientific, at others spiritual. Here nature is not some remote thing but the living manifestation of God's love. This is not a religious book as such and yet he finds that all parts of the natural creation from rocks and mountains to trees and animals have inherent within them a life force which makes them precious. Humans are neither removed from nor a "higher" part of nature. Muir shows that we are part of this larger whole - a radical concept when he proposed it and radical still. Muir set the standard in calling for preservation of the natural world. He was a genius as an inventor and scientist and, in addition, is one of our finest writers ever. These collected Nature Writings are simply beautiful and wonderfully presented in this Library of America edition.
John Muir: Outdoorsman, Conservationist, and Literate Genius.......2003-09-15
"American forests! the glory of the world!"
- John Muir, 1901
Of all the extraordinary men and women that have made our nation great, one stands above all others for his dedication to preserving its unequaled natural beauty: John Muir. Founder of The Sierra Club, this lover of the western forests' legacy to our generation is the National Park system, through which millions of acres of unique ecosystems have been set aside for everyone's enjoyment.
"Muir: Nature Writings" is a collection of the writings of this Scottish expatriate who first stepped foot in America in 1849 as an eleven year old brawler and budding naturalist. Blessed with a childhood mastery of Latin and Greek as well as a discerning and disciplined eye, the learned boy possessed a poet's heart, a scientist's mind, and a theologian's soul. A genius, who as a teen whittled precision wooden scientific instruments, Muir used his diverse skills to vividly portray nature's life and death struggles on his family's Wisconsin farm in "My Boyhood & Youth." Here we find Muir learning to swim by observing frogs or recollecting the mindless slaughter of the Earth's most numerous bird, the now-extinct passenger pigeon, a forlorn tale that foreshadows the conservationist he was to become.
While in college polishing his mechanical skills, Muir was detoured into studying botany. Dropping out to make powered tools for factories, an accident left him rethinking that detour; he forsook the factory and walked across America. His journey led him to the Sierra Mountains, chronicled in "My First Summer in the Sierra." Now working as a shepherd, Muir drove his flock through Yosemite while making detailed nature studies. Marveling at the natural beauty of the land he would eventually champion as one of the first National Parks, Muir wrote: "We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us. Our flesh-and-bone tabernacle seems transparent as glass to the beauty about us, as if truly an inseparable part of it, thrilling with the air and trees, streams and rocks, in the waves of the sun, - a part of all nature, neither old nor young, sick nor well, but immortal."
Muir's writings here run the gamut from analytical to thrilling. In "Stickeen", the author and a canine companion cheat death while stranded mid-storm between crevasses of an Alaskan glacier. (A self-taught authority on glaciers, Muir would eventually have one in Alaska bear his name.) "The Mountains of California" is an in-depth look at the geologic formations, plants, and animals of the region. In this piece, he tells of being stuck on the side of volcanic Mt. Shasta, staying warm in the bitter cold by nestling up to steam vents. Muir also laments the loss of the vast meadows of the San Joaquin Valley as he discusses how to make a living post-Gold Rush by raising bees for honey.
What makes Muir so unique when compared with today's environmentalists is this belief that we can live in harmony with Creation if we take simple steps to prevent despoiling it. In "The American Forests" he wrote: "No place is too good for good men, and there is still room.... Every place is made better by them. Let them be as free to pick gold and gems from the hills, to cut and hew, dig and plant, for homes and bread...." Muir's balanced view of Man's place in the wilderness overwhelmingly reflects his Christian faith, for he never fails to stand in awe of each living thing God has made. That our government leaders were so swayed by Muir's writing attests to the power of his "holy" persuasion. All of us are indebted to John Muir's single-minded devotion to America's wilderness.
("Muir: Nature Writings" is part of the Library of America series. This diverse collection of the writings of great Americans ranges from sermons of early American preachers to analysis of the Vietnam War. The works of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant, Flannery O'Connor, and James Thurber are but a few that comprise the series. An invaluable lookingglass into the heart and soul of our nation, this collection is essential reading for anyone who longs to know what makes America unique.)
inspirational in every way.......1999-10-11
A great writer writing about great things - you'll feel like you're in the middle of the Sierra yourself. Endlessly enjoyable.
Lovers of Muir, find your home in this volume!.......1999-08-29
In a world brimming with wonderful volumes of the work of John Muir, here is the one edition in which you may find virtually everything you seek. To find it in such a handsome, handy, easy to negotiate book makes this a must for all lovers of Muir's writing. Eight inches tall by six wide and two inches thick, it is a durable and willing partner for excursions through the wilderness. Created for long life among library shelves and scholarly studies, this sleek little friend stows away quite comfortably in backpack or oversized coat pocket. Those who don't know Mr. Muir will meet the great lover of wildness (and perhaps history's most influential advocate of preservation) presented in a lovingly researched volume which includes informative notes on the evolution of Muir's field journal entries into published pieces, a chronology of his life and literary career, and all of the major writings for which he is known. A generous selection of his published essays and magazine articles reveal many previously unsuspected jewels of poetic prose. As a lifetime devotee of the works of Shakespeare, the Bible, and the immortal Scottish bard Robert Burns, Muir could recite extensive passages from all. Likewise, his writing breezes through the imagery and lessons drawn from these potent sources. Coffee table books brimming with Ansel Adams photography, biographies of Muir, and collections of his correspondence are all aspects of any comprehensive Muir collection. The words themselves, however, simple and elegantly bound, are where the journey might well begin.
Book Description
A guidebook to the best rock climbs in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California
Customer Reviews:
Classic Climbs.......2006-07-03
This is probably my favorite guide to the Sierra and I drool just thinking about the opportunities Croft has opened up for anyone seeking a challenge. Mt tattered dog-eared copy sits right over my desk, so I can take it down and be reminded of all there is that is great.
I've used Good, Great, Awesome to add to my list of High Sierra routes. With great photos by Galen Rowell and Dan Patitucci, topo maps and Croft's hand-drawn routes, it's thorough and to the point. This is the way a guide book should be done.
Very useful addition to the Sierra Climber's library.......2003-08-07
Croft has such stature in the climbing world that by mere inclusion of a Sierra route in this book, he will define it as a classic for the next generation of climbers. We bought this book in an East Side climbing shop en route to the Sierras to bag classic climbs, and found it very useful. The topos aren't up to modern standards (e.g., "Supertopos"), but there is enough detail to get an experienced climber up most of these routes. The major contribution is to identify the classic routes of the range, something he is highly qualified to do. If you plan to do much technical climbing in the High Sierra, buy it.
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Books Index
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Chinese
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