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John Muir

Born

in Dunbar, Scotland, The United Kingdom

April 21, 1838

Died

December 24, 1914

Website

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir

Genre

Outdoors & Nature, Science, Naturalism

Influences

John Burroughs, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Carly ...more

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John Muir was far more than a naturalist; he was a secular prophet who translated the rugged language of the wilderness into a spiritual calling that saved the American soul from total surrender to materialism. Born in 1838 in the coastal town of Dunbar, Scotland, Muir’s childhood was a blend of seaside wanderings and a brutal religious upbringing. His father, Daniel Muir, was a man of uncompromising faith who forced John to memorize the New Testament and most of the Old Testament by age eleven. When the family immigrated to the frontier of Wisconsin in 1849, this iron-fisted discipline continued on their farm. However, for the young Muir, the "Book of Nature" began to rival the Bible. He saw the divine not just in scripture, but in the bla John Muir was far more than a naturalist; he was a secular prophet who translated the rugged language of the wilderness into a spiritual calling that saved the American soul from total surrender to materialism. Born in 1838 in the coastal town of Dunbar, Scotland, Muir’s childhood was a blend of seaside wanderings and a brutal religious upbringing. His father, Daniel Muir, was a man of uncompromising faith who forced John to memorize the New Testament and most of the Old Testament by age eleven. When the family immigrated to the frontier of Wisconsin in 1849, this iron-fisted discipline continued on their farm. However, for the young Muir, the "Book of Nature" began to rival the Bible. He saw the divine not just in scripture, but in the black locust trees and the sun-drenched meadows of the midwest.
The pivotal moment of Muir’s life occurred in 1867 while working at a wagon wheel factory in Indianapolis. A tool slipped, piercing his cornea and leaving him temporarily blind in both eyes. Confined to a darkened room for six weeks, Muir faced the terrifying prospect of a life without light. When his sight miraculously returned, he emerged with a clarity of purpose that would change the course of American history. He famously wrote, "This affliction has driven me to the sweet fields. God has to nearly kill us sometimes, to teach us lessons." He immediately set out on a 1,000-mile walk to the Gulf of Mexico, beginning a lifelong odyssey of exploration.
Muir eventually found his "true home" in California’s Sierra Nevada. To Muir, the mountains were not mere piles of rock, but "the range of light." He spent years as a shepherd and guide in Yosemite, living a life of extreme simplicity—often traveling with nothing but a tin cup, a crust of bread, and a volume of Emerson’s essays. His scientific contributions were equally profound; he defied the leading geologists of the day by proving that the Yosemite Valley was carved by ancient glaciers. While the state geologist, Josiah Whitney, dismissed him as a mere "shepherd," the world’s leading glaciologists eventually recognized Muir’s genius.
His transition from explorer to activist was born of necessity. Seeing the "hoofed locusts"—domestic sheep—devouring the high mountain meadows, Muir took up his pen. His landmark articles in The Century Magazine and his 1903 camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt became the catalysts for the modern conservation movement. Under the stars at Glacier Point, Muir convinced the President that the wilderness required federal protection. This meeting laid the groundwork for the expansion of the National Park system and the eventual return of Yosemite Valley to federal control.
As the co-founder and first president of the Sierra Club, Muir spent his final years in a fierce philosophical battle with Gifford Pinchot. While Pinchot argued for "conservation" (the sustainable use of resources), Muir championed "preservation" (the protection of nature for its own sake). Though he lost the battle to save the Hetch Hetchy Valley from being dammed, the heartbreak of that loss galvanized the American public, ensuring that future "cathedrals of nature" would remain inviolate. John Muir died in 1914, but his voice remains ubiquitous, reminding us that "into the woods we go, to lose our minds and find our souls." ...more

Combine Editions
John Muir’s books

Average rating: 4.05 · 25,780 ratings · 2,661 reviews · 639 distinct works • Similar authors

	My First Summer in the Sierra 4.05 avg rating — 7,654 ratings — published 1911 — 416 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Travels in Alaska 3.90 avg rating — 2,651 ratings — published 1915 — 324 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wilderness Essays 4.07 avg rating — 2,183 ratings — published 1980 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Yosemite 4.02 avg rating — 1,683 ratings — published 1912 — 248 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wild Muir: Twenty-Two of John Muir's Greatest Adventures by John Muir, Lee Stetson (Compiler), Fiona King (Illustrator) 4.11 avg rating — 1,622 ratings — published 1994 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Thousand-Mile Walk To The Gulf: The American Naturalist's 1867 Journey Through the Post-War South 3.87 avg rating — 1,705 ratings — published 1916 — 183 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stickeen: A Nature Book About John Muir and His Trusty Dog's Adventure by John Muir, Donnell Rubay, Christopher Canyon (Illustrator) 4.30 avg rating — 1,468 ratings — published 1897 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mountains of California by John Muir, Gretel Ehrlich (Foreword) 4.11 avg rating — 1,241 ratings — published 1894 — 287 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nature Writings: The Story of My Boyhood and Youth / My First Summer in the Sierra / The Mountains of California / Stickeen / Essays by John Muir, William Cronon 4.29 avg rating — 973 ratings — published 1997 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Story of My Boyhood and Youth 4.10 avg rating — 966 ratings — published 1913 — 218 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by John Muir…

Quotes by John Muir (?)

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”
― John Muir

tags: animals, caring, earth, forests, nature, plants, trees, wilderness

3673 likes

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
― John Muir

tags: inspirational

2935 likes

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”
― John Muir

tags: nature

2560 likes

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Polls

Maandboek augustus 2021: Een boek waarin de geschiedenis van een bepaalde stad, regio of land aan bod komt

Hoe duur was de suiker? van Cynthia McLeod - 260 pagina's

22 votes, 22.7%

De Bourgondiërs. Aartsvaders van de Lage Landen van Bart van Loo - 607 pagina's

22 votes, 22.7%

De gifhouten bijbel van Barbara Kingsolver - 566 pagina's

9 votes, 9.3%

De tunnel van Anna Woltz - 232 pagina's

8 votes, 8.2%

Liefde & Gelato van Jenna Evans Welch - 320 pagina's

7 votes, 7.2%

In de wildernis van John Muir - 197 pagina's

6 votes, 6.2%

New York Edward Rutherfurd - 862 pagina's

5 votes, 5.2%

Venetië: de stad, de leeuw en het water van Cees Nooteboom - 272 pagina's

5 votes, 5.2%

Wildevrouw van Jeroen Olyslaegers - 416 pagina's

4 votes, 4.1%

Het derde geheim van Steve Berry - 351 pagina's

4 votes, 4.1%

De Wadden: een geschiedenis van Mathijs Deen - 336 pagina's

2 votes, 2.1%

Ruby Rood van Linzi Glass - 255 pagina's

2 votes, 2.1%

Londen van Edward Rutherfurd - 832 pagina's

1 vote, 1.0%

De Parijzenaar van Isabella Hammad - 600 pagina's

0 votes, 0.0%

Hier van Richard McGuire - 308 pagina's

0 votes, 0.0%

97 total votes

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John Muir’s Followers (1,469)

John Muir

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Combine Editions
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