The Conservation Diaries of Gifford Pinchot

by Harold Steen (editor)

From 1889, when he was 24, until 1946, the year of his death, conservationist Gifford Pinchot kept a diary in which he recorded details of his daily activities and encounters. Published here, the diary entries are organized into topical sections, with a narrative introduction by the editor that offers important context and background for each section.A significant contribution of the diaries is a much better understanding of Pinchot's autobiography, Breaking New Ground (Island Press, 1998), originally published in 1947. During the ten years of its writing, Pinchot worked with a range of experts and assistants to recreate the conservation story and his role in it. These diaries offer an important means of understanding the book and the man who wrote it.

250 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2001

Reviews

[Silas Frandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it was a better read than I would’ve thought going into it. I’ll admit that I didn’t exactly pour over the diary entry sections, and did some occasional skimming during some entries which were a mess of names and early 20th century political references that went over my head, but I really did enjoy it. I knew a fair amount about Gifford Pinchot the forester-politician when I picked up this book, but knew very little about Gifford Pinchot the man. The parts that gave me insight into the latter were the most interesting and entertaining sections for me. He cared a lot about Yale football, and would include the scores in entries across several decades. The editor of the collection rightly points out that Pinchot believed that he was a man with a destiny, and it was evident that he did through his diaries, at the same time, he was self-deprecating and apparently unsure of himself, despite his ferocity towards those who disagreed with him professionally. Some of my favorite entries that demonstrate this are “Made myself generally tired all day long. Am footless, useless, selfish, dumb, & generally of no use to anybody.” And “Am a footless ass. Malaria or none, I have no business to act this way.” I guess these entries are a little sad, but I found them much more entertaining during my read-through.
Anyways, I share a lot of interests with Mr. Pinchot, and if nothing else, he led a fascinating life.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

What better way to get inside the man's head at different points in his great lifetime?