The Gifts of Interpretation: Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture, 3rd Edition

by Larry Beck

This is the third edition of previously titled Interpretation for the 21st Century. In this newest edition the authors focus on the fifteen guiding principles of earlier versions of the book with a focus on how each of the principles is a gift, for example, of story, revelation, provocation, beauty, passion. This book has served as a university text and is used by the interpretative profession in many federal agencies (National Park Service), state agencies, regional and local interpretative centres, zoos, aquaria, museums, and other interpretative sites. The book has been used internationally and has been translated into Chinese.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education

242 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[J.R. Dodson · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a good amount of quality, sourced material here, but also a lot of dull rubbish leading me to wonder “who is this for?” and reconfirming my bias that interpreters often don’t practice what they preach.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beck and Cable take the long standing principles of Mills and Tilden and bring them into the 21st Century - expanding in ways that could not have been imagined before. There is a heavy emphasis on interpretation of the natural world. Reducing historical interpretation to living history interpretation. All these skills can be applied to historic sites and museums whether they do costumes or not.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book illuminates the 15 guiding principles of interpretation, an educational activity which aims to reveal meaning. It's a good basic philosophical and theoretical read for those who interpret natural, cultural and historical places and events. The book is used as literature review for certification by the National Association of Interpretation.