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The Art of the National Parks
Explore the majesty of the National Parks through the eyes of contemporary artists.
ART OF THE NATIONAL PARKS is a beautiful art book that displays the unique beauty of each U.S. National Park, as captured by the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series
Fifty-Nine Parks collaborated with some of the world’s foremost contemporary artists and designers to create original posters that celebrate the unique beauty of the U.S. National Park system. The wildly popular poster art that resulted is now available as a collection for the first time in this gorgeous art book.
A contemporary take on the W.P.A. posters of the 1930s, each poster is a unique and original reflection of the talent and perspective of the contemporary artist who created it, resulting in a one-of-a-kind tribute to the majesty of the national parks.
Includes art of the Top Ten Most Visited National Parks as rated by the National Park Service: (1) Great Smoky Mountains, (2) Grand Canyon, (3) Rocky Mountain, (4) Zion, (5) Yosemite, (6) Yellowstone, (7) Acadia, (8) Grand Teton, (9) Olympic, and (10) Glacier.
Filled with Facts: Includes a comprehensive history and overview of the flora, fauna, and best sights in each park.
Travel Guide: With seasonality and travel tips, Our National Treasure: The Art of the National Parks can also be used as a guide for visiting the national parks.
Gift for Nature Lovers: An ideal gift gift for armchair travelers, national park enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates contemporary art and design.
Each Book Gives Back: Sales benefit the National Park Service.
“Highlights the unique beauty of each national park” –SierraClub.com
ART OF THE NATIONAL PARKS is a beautiful art book that displays the unique beauty of each U.S. National Park, as captured by the Fifty-Nine Parks Print Series
Fifty-Nine Parks collaborated with some of the world’s foremost contemporary artists and designers to create original posters that celebrate the unique beauty of the U.S. National Park system. The wildly popular poster art that resulted is now available as a collection for the first time in this gorgeous art book.
A contemporary take on the W.P.A. posters of the 1930s, each poster is a unique and original reflection of the talent and perspective of the contemporary artist who created it, resulting in a one-of-a-kind tribute to the majesty of the national parks.
Includes art of the Top Ten Most Visited National Parks as rated by the National Park Service: (1) Great Smoky Mountains, (2) Grand Canyon, (3) Rocky Mountain, (4) Zion, (5) Yosemite, (6) Yellowstone, (7) Acadia, (8) Grand Teton, (9) Olympic, and (10) Glacier.
Filled with Facts: Includes a comprehensive history and overview of the flora, fauna, and best sights in each park.
Travel Guide: With seasonality and travel tips, Our National Treasure: The Art of the National Parks can also be used as a guide for visiting the national parks.
Gift for Nature Lovers: An ideal gift gift for armchair travelers, national park enthusiasts, and anyone who appreciates contemporary art and design.
Each Book Gives Back: Sales benefit the National Park Service.
“Highlights the unique beauty of each national park” –SierraClub.com
176 pages, Hardcover
Published July 20, 2021
13 people are currently reading
7519 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 12, 2021
This particular book explores a handful of national parks by focusing on copying WPA posters from when they originally came out. As an art book it is rather a unique book but when you take into consideration the information for the National Parks it was a bit of a flop.
The book only seems to explore the most popular or the most bucketlist-ready parks thus there is a bit of lack of diversity with the majority being found in the West, Alaska, Hawaii or similar spots. The Northeast region has only one park included and the majority for the Midwest are found around the Great Lakes or one in Arkansas, which isn't really part of the Midwest.
The page devotes two pages to each park or up to four depending upon the artwork included. Each page has the name of the park while at the bottom of the park is the name of the state or states in which each park is found. The founding date itself can be found on the poster itself while the rest of the text provides some of the most important highlights of the park, the history of the park and also other information. Unfortunately most of the history doesn't include a lot of Native history, which is a bit confusing as you would consider that a giant cultural loss for books based on the land.
At the same time there are a few places within the text that also makes it a bit weird such as the Everglades are mentioned to be a place for the misfit. Given the fact that there is no mention of Osceola and the Seminole using the Everglades as their last stronghold I guess there is no need to get irked about such flip comments.
The rest of the book is dedicated to the WPA-style posters that the book is dedicated to. Since there are multiple artists included for each park there is a variety of styles that are included with some being quite gorgeous works of art while others are not so eye-catching such as the almost candy corn-colored buttes. A few of the entries also have multiple posters instead of just the one that the majority are given with.
Another issue that I had with these posters was the focal point. The majority of the focals didn't even take into consideration what the park was known for but instead decided to use the oft-repeated moose, waterfalls or bison instead of being creative such as incorporating beavers for Voyageurs - both past and present. As such it takes away from the creativity and the knowledge of the parks in my honest opinion.
Furthermore the book does an awful job in being creative in its illustrations. The same posters are used throughout whether for the entries, the regional section headers and for various other miscellaneous entries so the reader may see the same poster three or four times. If you really couldn't use other illustrations then why use the same recycled material throughout?
All in all it was decent if you like the artwork but it isn't a book that I would find myself wanting to return to even for the information on the national parks or to present it to someone else for the same reason.
The book only seems to explore the most popular or the most bucketlist-ready parks thus there is a bit of lack of diversity with the majority being found in the West, Alaska, Hawaii or similar spots. The Northeast region has only one park included and the majority for the Midwest are found around the Great Lakes or one in Arkansas, which isn't really part of the Midwest.
The page devotes two pages to each park or up to four depending upon the artwork included. Each page has the name of the park while at the bottom of the park is the name of the state or states in which each park is found. The founding date itself can be found on the poster itself while the rest of the text provides some of the most important highlights of the park, the history of the park and also other information. Unfortunately most of the history doesn't include a lot of Native history, which is a bit confusing as you would consider that a giant cultural loss for books based on the land.
At the same time there are a few places within the text that also makes it a bit weird such as the Everglades are mentioned to be a place for the misfit. Given the fact that there is no mention of Osceola and the Seminole using the Everglades as their last stronghold I guess there is no need to get irked about such flip comments.
The rest of the book is dedicated to the WPA-style posters that the book is dedicated to. Since there are multiple artists included for each park there is a variety of styles that are included with some being quite gorgeous works of art while others are not so eye-catching such as the almost candy corn-colored buttes. A few of the entries also have multiple posters instead of just the one that the majority are given with.
Another issue that I had with these posters was the focal point. The majority of the focals didn't even take into consideration what the park was known for but instead decided to use the oft-repeated moose, waterfalls or bison instead of being creative such as incorporating beavers for Voyageurs - both past and present. As such it takes away from the creativity and the knowledge of the parks in my honest opinion.
Furthermore the book does an awful job in being creative in its illustrations. The same posters are used throughout whether for the entries, the regional section headers and for various other miscellaneous entries so the reader may see the same poster three or four times. If you really couldn't use other illustrations then why use the same recycled material throughout?
All in all it was decent if you like the artwork but it isn't a book that I would find myself wanting to return to even for the information on the national parks or to present it to someone else for the same reason.
September 29, 2024
It's such a pretty coffee table book. I loved learning more about each National Park. It inspires me to want to visit them all!
May 8, 2025
The artwork in this book is gorgeous, a whimsical and wonder-filled way to depict the U.S. national parks. I was disappointed, however, that the factual accuracy of the content didn't always check out (e.g., Kenai Fjords National Park does not have the largest puffin population in the world; Iceland's Westman Islands boast that claim. Also, Henry William Jackson did not invent the character Uncle Sam as alleged in the Mesa Verde National Park section.). The inaccuracies make me question the rest of the content in the book as a result. Better fact checking is needed and perhaps a book reissue. It's a shame that the information wasn't scoured for factual integrity in the first place.
January 17, 2024
Love the artwork in this book! Lots of interesting facts. There are a few typos and grammatical mistakes. It did state that Indiana Sand Dunes is the newest national park, but also mentioned New River Gorge (which is the newest).
April 13, 2022
Pretty
January 1, 2023
Apparently this is the year I check out coffee table "art" books. Not sure why I did this.
September 20, 2021
This is definitely a colonizer perspective of National Parks. There's not really an acknowledgement that all parks are on Native lands that the federal government profits from and the history of each park focuses on its creation, the visitors, and other perspectives.
There's a map of all the parks and it's organized by region. Each park has a poster, some have multiple posters included, along with some information about the park. It's pretty high level since each park only gets a page or so.
It's good for fans of the parks or people who collect the posters. There's no actual pictures of the parks or other art, just the posters included.
There's a map of all the parks and it's organized by region. Each park has a poster, some have multiple posters included, along with some information about the park. It's pretty high level since each park only gets a page or so.
It's good for fans of the parks or people who collect the posters. There's no actual pictures of the parks or other art, just the posters included.
March 1, 2022
Beautiful to look at, but I have to agree with other reviewers that the substance seems...light?
December 12, 2021
The Art of the National Parks is a coffee table book put out by an organization called 59 Parks. The organization enlisted an array of artists to produce posters for each of America's National Parks. Each park has a full page poster, some parks have more than one design. I am impressed by the artwork, I love poster art, and this book contains some excellent examples of the art form. It is a treat to flip through the book and admire the poster for each park.
On the page opposite the poster is a list of interesting details about each park. Since I cannot include the marvelous artwork in this review, I will instead include some of the interesting factoids that I learned from reading the book. The facts are cool, but get the book for the art. I enjoyed it!
The Mammoth Cave System is by far the longest the world, it stretches over 400 miles.
The Great Smokey Mountains are the most visited national park in America, with 12.5 million visitors in 2019
Ponce de Leon gave the name Dry Tortugas to the area due to the abundance of sea turtles he found there while he searched for the Fountain of Youth
Christopher Columbus named the Virgin Islands after St Ursula and the 11,000 virgins who followed her.
Isle Royale is the third largest island in the contiguous United States after Padre Island, Texas and Long Island, New York.
The Great Sand Dunes is home to the circus beetle, so named because it stands on its head.
Over 1 million eruptions of Old Faithful have been recorded.
When Glacier National Park was established, there were 150 glaciers within the park boundaries. Now there are fewer than 30, of which the largest is Blackfoot Glacier, 0.7 square miles.
Between 1914 and 1917, Lassen Volcano erupted over 300 times.
Delicate Arch in Arches National Park has also been named Cowboy's Chaps, Old Maid's Bloomers and Salt Wash Arch.
Crater Lake is 1949 feet deep, making it the ninth deepest lake in the world. Because no rivers or streams flow into Crater Lake, it's waters are devoid of silt and thus are crystal clear.
The largest national park in the US is Wrangell-St.Elias. It is more than six times the size of Yellowstone.
On the page opposite the poster is a list of interesting details about each park. Since I cannot include the marvelous artwork in this review, I will instead include some of the interesting factoids that I learned from reading the book. The facts are cool, but get the book for the art. I enjoyed it!
The Mammoth Cave System is by far the longest the world, it stretches over 400 miles.
The Great Smokey Mountains are the most visited national park in America, with 12.5 million visitors in 2019
Ponce de Leon gave the name Dry Tortugas to the area due to the abundance of sea turtles he found there while he searched for the Fountain of Youth
Christopher Columbus named the Virgin Islands after St Ursula and the 11,000 virgins who followed her.
Isle Royale is the third largest island in the contiguous United States after Padre Island, Texas and Long Island, New York.
The Great Sand Dunes is home to the circus beetle, so named because it stands on its head.
Over 1 million eruptions of Old Faithful have been recorded.
When Glacier National Park was established, there were 150 glaciers within the park boundaries. Now there are fewer than 30, of which the largest is Blackfoot Glacier, 0.7 square miles.
Between 1914 and 1917, Lassen Volcano erupted over 300 times.
Delicate Arch in Arches National Park has also been named Cowboy's Chaps, Old Maid's Bloomers and Salt Wash Arch.
Crater Lake is 1949 feet deep, making it the ninth deepest lake in the world. Because no rivers or streams flow into Crater Lake, it's waters are devoid of silt and thus are crystal clear.
The largest national park in the US is Wrangell-St.Elias. It is more than six times the size of Yellowstone.
December 23, 2025
I received this coffee table book as a gift and it was a fun, light read that I’m glad I made time for! The screenprints representing each National Park are genuinely gorgeous, and the write-ups have a sentimental but informative tone that didn’t feel too bland or cliché. The book is split into sections by region (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, etc.), and each park’s blurb did a nice job of setting the vibe and helping me visualize the park. If the writing had been flat, I definitely wouldn’t have finished it, but the visuals and quick facts kept me engaged and I definitely learned a lot more about our National Parks system as a whole.
Some of the parks that stood out to me (and that I hope I’ll have the privilege to visit someday):
-Everglades - the first park established to protect an ecosystem, not just geographical scenery
-Gateway Arch, Missouri
-Badlands National Park, South Dakota
-Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas (10,000-year-old pottery)
-Mesa Verde, Colorado (including the preserved villages of the Ancestral Puebloans)
-Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
-Glacier National Park, Montana (feels like a perfect representation of North America’s natural beauty)
-Death Valley, California
-Zion National Park, Utah
-Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, Alaska (abandoned Kennecott homes and restored copper mine)
Some of the parks that stood out to me (and that I hope I’ll have the privilege to visit someday):
-Everglades - the first park established to protect an ecosystem, not just geographical scenery
-Gateway Arch, Missouri
-Badlands National Park, South Dakota
-Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas (10,000-year-old pottery)
-Mesa Verde, Colorado (including the preserved villages of the Ancestral Puebloans)
-Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
-Glacier National Park, Montana (feels like a perfect representation of North America’s natural beauty)
-Death Valley, California
-Zion National Park, Utah
-Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, Alaska (abandoned Kennecott homes and restored copper mine)
February 4, 2022
I picked up this book, as I was comparing it to others about national parks, for a potential gift. So I likely did not dive in-depth with the research, and information written, as much as most would. Needless to say the standout feature of this book, is the imagery (posters) which pay tribute to the WPA's 'See America' project. As part of the "Behind the Scenes" section, the Fifty Nine Parks group note that "the series largely feature a different artist for each park" [...] and "There's a lot of intentionality that goes into pairing artists with each specific park." Which means that there are discernible style differences, and different focuses; some artists chose to focus on the natural landscapes solely while others prominently feature wildlife that can be found in a particular park. I don't think that takes away anything but it is worth noting, along with the idea that for most readers, this will be a (large) coffee table book.
September 12, 2021
The Art of the National Parks is a beautiful collection of all of the awesome art posters that were commissioned for our Parks to showcase 59 National Parks. I wish that they included some to be framed!! I read the write-up for each featured location. I was surprised that we have visited the majority of our national treasures! We still have some for our bucket list! It was a very pleasant surprise to find that the authors are from Austin, Texas!! As a Texan, most folks have no idea how many Parks we have right here in our own backyard!
An absolute gorgeous coffee table display book for all art and National Parks enthusiasts!! Totally worth every dollar!!
An absolute gorgeous coffee table display book for all art and National Parks enthusiasts!! Totally worth every dollar!!
May 19, 2022
Judging from the title I thought this book would contain historic WPA posters for the national parks, but all the posters are new artwork. There were a lot that I liked, some I didn’t. I checked out the book for the art, but I ended up loving it for the brief descriptions and trivia about each national park. I didn’t know the diversity of national parks in the US, and now I have a lot of places I want to visit.
August 27, 2023
This will have a permanent place on my bookshelf. The artwork is stunning, such a treat to look at and truly captures the adventure and beauty of the parks. Each park has its own painting and a summary page detailing the park and giving fun facts. A great read for those bored of rainy days where you want to read something, maybe not a whole book. Reading it will definitely motivate you to adventure in your own backyard here in the states.
August 14, 2021
What a beautiful and wonderful book on our nations national parks. It is on my bucket list to visit each of the National Parks and this book has only made me more determine to do so. For National Park lovers or for those who are now interested in visiting these national wonders, this book is a must have.
November 1, 2021
The art in this series is amazing, and the main reason I wanted this book in my collection! The fun facts sprinkled throughout each park made for an intriguing read that piqued my curiosity and interest in visiting a few places. If you're looking for a thorough, hearty read about the parks, this isn't it. However, as a collection of the newest posters promoting their preservation, it's lovely~
January 10, 2022
I won this book through Goodreads last year, and after reading through it would highly recommend this book for it's detailed illustrations and information about each of the National Parks. This would make a great gift book or a "coffee table" book for anyone who enjoys wonderful artwork, information about the National Parks or enjoys nature or travelling.
February 17, 2022
I love the NPS and our National Parks as well as art but this book was a bit too simplistic for me. I was left wanting more. Maybe if they added something like tear-out art posters or went a little bit more in depth into each park I would've raised the rating to 5 stars. It is a quick read as well.
October 1, 2022
This coffee table book depicts each of our National parks with at least one beautiful oversized screen print. Accompanying each picture is a page of information about the national park. The color of many of the prints is so stunningly vivid that my appetite is wetted to visit some more of these national wilderness gems.
June 11, 2022
Was interested in looking through this book after hearing about it as I am a huge fan of the original WPA National Parks posters. Although some of the art in this book is good most pales in comparison to the WPA originals.
October 13, 2022
For a book showcasing screen printed art, I was surprised to find only a single page at the back of the book poorly explaining the screen printing process. Each piece of art had accompanying text, but it only discussed the depicted park, and nothing about the artistic process.
May 12, 2023
A very interesting read with some of the most beautiful art I have seen! I loved every page! Truly a book any national park lover (or nature lover in general) should have. Will definitely be a staple coffee book in my future cabin in the mountains :)
July 31, 2021
Pure and simple, a beautifully wonderful book! Every page delightful.
September 26, 2021
Beautiful art and interesting history behind each national park.
January 10, 2022
Beautiful art posters, fascinating facts about the National Parks
April 4, 2022
The Art of the National Parks is a beautiful book filled with amazing art. I love that information about each park is included.
May 17, 2022
Fascinating details about the parks combined with fabulous artwork!
August 12, 2022
The art is stunning and the descriptions of each park are very engaging. However there were numerous spelling, grammar, and formatting issues throughout the book.
December 31, 2022
The perfect coffee table book for National Park lovers
November 17, 2023
great insight
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews