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The glories of nature versus the all mighty dollar, this is the story of America. This is story of The National Parks: America's Best Idea.Having just read a book by John Muir, seen as the savior of Yosemite, and having an ingrained love of nature, I was naturally driven towards The National Parks. I've always wanted to see them for myself, but lately I've developed a desire to know their history. I was thrilled to find this book in audio format at my local library. This is the book form of Ken
This book is based on a film by Ken Burns and gave me a ton of insight into the history of the national parks. As I march my family to see all 59 parks (but not necessarily the monuments, historical sites, etc.), the book told tons of stories about the characters and process behind several parks and the system itself, from the first (Yosemite) to the federal law creating 5/6 in Alaska at the end of the Carter Administration. This included the fact that the second Roosevelt Administration integra...
4.5/5This was an easy 4 stars from the get go, and honestly, probably already before I picked up the book. I am a fan of Ken Burns (and I think I saw this series years ago, but cannot completely remember), and a huge fan of the National Parks. Some of my favorite places on Earth are in the National Parks, and I miss them. This was a great reminder to find time to visit as soon as practical.The extra half star was due to the emotions this book brought me, especially near the end, where I started
What a wonderful addition to my national parks education! I read this via audio, which always challenges me to keep the story straight. As Dayton Duncan said at the end of the book, this is a story about the individuals who and ideas that helped form our national parks. Many, if not most, times, movies result as adaptations of a book. Interestingly in this case, the book was a result of the Ken Burns' The National Parks: America's Best Idea. I have saved watching the video series until I'd read
This may appear to be just a "coffee table" book, but it's much more than that. This is a comprehensive history of our national parks, from the first molecule of an idea right up to the present. I learned about many of the key figures here and there in my university degree program. This book pulled it all together for me chronologically, so I could appreciate each person's sacrifices and contributions within the context of the emerging national park system. I've been a user and a lover of our na...
This was a wonderful history of the national park system, featuring some of my old friends, John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. I'm particularly grateful for recent visits to Yosemite and Yellowstone, which made the stories all that more accessible. And I look forward to park visits in my future.I knocked a star off for the pantheism of later episodes and, frankly, for wolves. In my part of the world wolves are a clear and present danger. The downfall of the audio edition is missing the vibrant visua...
This book speaks to the blessing of libraries. I wouldn't have listed national parks among my most pressing interests, but in looking to the institutions that impact the culture more subtly than presidents and wars, national parks qualify as an alternative whisper of what we really value.Granted, the presidents and millionaires who get their ink in traditional history are the ones at the forefront of the fight for and against national parks, but their struggle for something that isn't obviously
There are two ways to read this book. The first would be a quick scan through, like a coffee table book to browse the beautiful photography and maybe read the short bios and interviews scattered throughout the book. Or, you can read the book in it's entirety and learn the history of how our national parks came to be, and who the pivotal people were who made it happen. Either way, I would give it a 5 star rating. I come from a family who has a great appreciation for the national parks. My grandpa...
We’ve got the DVD, we watch the DVD every other year as the boys get older & now we’ve got the book. It was Steven Mathers great mind as well in 1916 to invent the National Park System. A man who had serious trouble with being bi polar on any spectrum long before we had a name for it, created a wonderful gift with Teddy Roosevelt.We are truly blessed.Recommend
First off -- BEAUTIFUL photos (a mix of scenic and historical). This book explores the founding of our national parks. Fun and interesting details about the well-knowns, like Muir and Roosevelt, but the author also does a great job of highlighting the unsung heroes and stories no one's heard before. Even if you just flip thru the book and look at a few photos and read a paragraph or two, I bet you'll want to jump in your car and scoot over to the nearest National Park! (And I recommend the Ken B...
Companion book to the 10 hour documentary series by Ken Burns. I’m not a big media consumer, yet I binge watched that series! Covering not only the sublime beauty and expanse of national parks, but telling a deeply intimate history of how they came to be, the series is a compelling mix of nature, politics and history. John Muir’s spiritual reverence, Stephen Mather’s marketing genius, Roosevelt’s vision, Albright’s tenaciousness - the stories of people, rich and poor from all backgrounds who fou...
It has been and honor and one of my greatest joys to camp every summer and spend 4 weeks touring our National Parks. It's made such a lasting mark that I continue to share them with my children. Yellowstone is my favorite, and learning the history, and the tone it set for future National Parks only added another layer of enjoyment. The only drawback to this is that now I want to jump in a minivan and see them all again (right now ;)
*reads book**Quits day job**Goes out to become a park ranger**Rides a bison across the wilderness while bald eagles screech overhead*
Fascinating stories of the amazing men and women who, at crucial times in American history, were able to fend off private individuals and and big interests determined to destroy our country's beautiful and remarkable forests, canyons, mountains and rivers. The haphazard story of how our National Parks came into existence involves perseverance, courage, sacrifice, wit, good writing and media connections, enforcement, politicking and intense personal experience with the great outdoors. It started
For all the American history I have read, nothing has taught me more about democracy, illustrated how American democracy operates, or personalized the values underlying our democracy more than a book about National Parks. No book on the Founding Fathers, no book about military engagements, no book on civil rights. National Parks. Go figure. This was an enlightening and as touching a book as I've ever read.
I love national parks, Ken Burns, and cheesy Americana, so it is hard not to love the story of the US national park system, told in coffee table format packed with beautiful images. The story of the national parks and the National Park Service forces you to reflect on the rapid pace of North American development over the last 200 years. It makes you deeply appreciate of the people that had the foresight to set aside these huge swathes of land for preservation and enjoyment, AND ensure they were
How does Ken Burns and his collaborators do it? There must be an army of them. This beautiful, comprehensive, well written, story exploding, vignette compelling, quotable, image rich, hefty coffee table book is also good for weight lifting. Jokes aside, it is an amazing accomplishment and important contribution to history (plus it weighs in at 7 pounds).I treasure nature. As an avid hiker and lover of wildlife and the outdoors, this was a tremendous gift from my stepson. To be honest, I have not...
“For the first time in human history, land--great sections of our natural landscape--was set aside, not for kings or noblemen or the very rich, but for everyone, for all time.” -Ken BurnsAt the risk of offending Ken Burns' fans, I found the PBS narrative to be a bit tedious (sorry, Ken Burns!), AND despite his wonderful intro (quoted above). However, this companion book to his documentary about our National Parks is a GEM. I liked the fact that I could take my time and choose the images and text...
Stopped reading hardcover on page 207 and switched to the audiobook. Loved skimming thru the photographs in the print edition! The tendency nowadays to wander in wilderness is delightful to see. Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.-John Muir, 1901Th...
I've always appreciated the idea of National Parks, even if I never felt too much of an inclination to go and see them all. But having read this book and heard the firsthand testimonies of so many of those who dedicated their lives to the philosophy that birthed that national park movement, I can honestly say that I have been moved, and filled with a desire to experience these wonders for myself. Duncan's in-depth exploration of the park's history and its founding ideologies was incredible to en...