Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite

by Dean King

* “We see through this book the immense power of language…to change the minds of lawmakers and tourists alike.” —The New York Times Book Review * “A poignant portrait of an era when mere words could change the world.” —San Francisco Chronicle * The dramatic and uplifting story of legendary outdoorsman and conservationist John Muir’s journey to save Yosemite is “a rich, enjoyable excursion into a seminal period in environmental history” (The Wall Street Journal).In June of 1889 in San Francisco, John Muir—iconic environmentalist, writer, and philosopher—meets face-to-face for the first time with his longtime editor Robert Underwood Johnson, an elegant and influential figure at The Century magazine. Before long, the pair, opposites in many ways, decide to venture to Yosemite Valley, the magnificent site where twenty years earlier, Muir experienced a personal and spiritual awakening that would set the course of the rest of his life. Upon their arrival the men are confronted with a shocking vision, as predatory mining, tourism, and logging industries have plundered and defaced “the grandest of all the special temples of Nature.” While Muir is devastated, Johnson, an arbiter of the era’s pressing issues in the pages of the nation’s most prestigious magazine, decides that he and Muir must fight back. The pact they form marks a watershed moment, leading to the creation of Yosemite National Park, and launching an environmental battle that captivates the nation and ushers in the beginning of the American environmental movement. “Comprehensively researched and compellingly readable” (Booklist, starred review), Guardians of the Valley is a moving story of friendship, the written word, and the transformative power of nature. It is also a timely and powerful “origin story” as the towering environmental challenges we face today become increasingly urgent.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Nature, Biography, Science, Environment, American History

461 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 21, 2023

About the author

I like to read, wander cross-country, travel in cultures I don't understand, cycle, play squash, and I'm a foodie. But most of all I like to be in the throes of writing a book. This is invigorating work. The moment when the hard-won research combines with a bit of sweat and blood and occasionally a tear to become a fluid paragraph is like no other. What I hope to achieve is to suspend time and disbelief for the reader and carry her or him into another world, where they live more fully and in the moment.

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book might be the hardest to rate since I joined Netgalley. It's a good book. Is it a great book? Allow me to unburden myself to you, dear reader.

First things first, I initially would have zoomed right past this title until I saw who the author was. Dean King could make anything interesting. I expected the book to be a good amount of politics and I thought it might bore the heck out of me. But, Dean King has proven me wrong before. Couple that with John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson and there is a lot to love here. Both men jump off the page and King makes the come alive as people who believe in something and will fight for it.

The trouble for me comes along when the book dives into pure politics. There are stories of John Muir in a blizzard or in a flood and I could not look away. Then, there might be a few pages on a meeting of the Sierra Club. It is in these moments that the pace slowed for me so much. It's not that the information is superfluous. These scenes and facts need to be hear for the narrative. They just don't pack the punch of other portions of the book and it shows.

Ultimately, I would say the following. You will at least like this book. King and his characters are too good. And, if you have ever been to Yosemite (admittedly, I have not), maybe the book packs more punch and is a no doubt 5 star rating. For me, I'll read anything Dean King puts out next, but this won't won't go down as my favorite of his.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Scribner Books.)

[Audrey Approved]

I’d recommend just watching the first few hours of Ken Burns’ fantastic 2009 documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea instead!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will ring all of your bells if you are into the environment, the history of American National Parks and the political side of how the National Parks came into being.

Warning, this has a LOT of descriptions of how humans did a LOT of damage to the environment, so it's NOT easy or light reading. It also has a LOT of politics too, so if that's not your jam, sections of this will also not be fun to read.

The best parts for me were when the people of the time were allowed to "talk" through their written words. Muir was a poet of the highest order, but EVERYone had something to say and they all said it WELL. Some were witty, some were sly, some were all out jerks, but they came across as MUCH more literate then we do today.

So that was kind of depressing too, to see how far we have fallen re: education and the intelligence it fosters, but also seeing the mindless destruction of Nature isn't recent and it isn't going to stop unless people stand up and say, intelligently and with money and power behind it, "NO!"

Muir died with hope. The hope that humankind would learn and stop the wanton destruction before it was too late. This country and all who visit Yosemite and every other National Park owes him more than I ever knew.

After reading this book, do I have hope? Looking at where we are today, fighting the same dam battles over and over and over again, do I have hope?

I don't know. The bad guys only have to win once. The good guys have to always be on guard and NEVER lose, because that one loss is EVERYthing. I HOPE that the good guys never give up and that I can be a good guy and help. But after reading this book, I'm TIRED. It's an uphill battle and it never ends. All we can do is pass the torch on to the next generation and try to set them up for success.

I didn't enjoy the political parts or the parts where the desecration of Nature was described, but they were 100% necessary for this book. They were just a bit too much for me. However, this was very well written and the notes and bibliography pages had me smiling and incredibly happy. This book has WEIGHT to it.

So I do recommend this book. The star rating is how I personally enjoyed it, not how I think most people will enjoy it. I think most who read this book will enjoy it and be inspired to visit Yosemite or other National Parks and to read Muir's works. He had a poet's soul and a keen eye.

3, wasn't my bag but check it out for yourself, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

[Matt Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this ahead of my trip to San Francisco, which is funny because San Francisco (and the sketchy politicians of the time) is the villain in this!

This is the story of a man whose writing about a beautiful part of the United States helped save the area from the greedy whims of industrialists. John Muir’s life and his love for Yosemite overflowed into others, leading to Yosemite receiving designation as a National Park and wider renown and affection. There are a lot of political aspects of this that could be boring, but the story ends up being more about the onset of Washington lobbying and fun exchanges between political rivals.

The descriptions of Yosemite made me so eager to visit that, after some encouragement, I ended up adding a day at Yosemite to my trip to San Francisco! And I even finished this audiobook on the drive there. The book was great, and Yosemite was even better. I was so grateful for the inspiration to check out a true gem of a park!

[Christie Bane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thorough — VERY thorough — documentation of the struggle and persistence required to save Yosemite for future generations (and also the equal struggle to save the Hetch Hetchy valley, which failed — it was dammed, and today provides water for the Bay Area. This is more a story of bureaucracy and activism than of Yosemite itself, but it’s as well-written as a book on a somewhat dry subject can be. Although, listening to excerpts of letters and bits of recorded conversations in the book, I did wonder whether people were just more boring back then. It certainly seems possible.

[Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not surprisingly the book focused a bit more on Muir than it did RU Johnson. It was enjoyable overview of Muir’s life and their work in creating and preserving Yosemite National Park. A big focus was also the battle between San Francisco and Park supporters on damming Hetch Hetchy.

Half the book will make you want to go explore the great outdoors. The other half will make you hate San Francisco for damming Hetch Hetchy Valley within the bounds of Yosemite National Park for slightly cheaper drinking water and electric production.

[Sam Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralled by this story and the relationship between Muir and Johnson. Dean King’s research is astounding. His written word is admirable. The book inspired me to confirm a big trip I am now taking this summer into a remote wilderness where I can channel my inner Muir. A wonderful read for anyone interested in our nation’s natural treasures.

[Samichtime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it to be boring and John Muir to be an unlikeable guy. The photos of Yosemite were cool.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the life of John Muir, the fight to create and protect Yosemite National Park, and the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Heavy on the politics of water rights and conservation - especially in the second half - the book occasionally struggles to decide whether it is a biography of Muir or a political history. If you are more interested in Muir alone then you might look elsewhere, but as a lover of politics and history I really enjoyed it!

[Jennifer S · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️A timely book, unfortunately, as once again, our public lands and natural resources are being threatened by development and privatization. John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson rallied to save Yosemite from destruction by fighting against logging, farming, and damming starting in the mid to late 1800s. Although I enjoyed the sections of the book about Muir and Johnson (and other key players), and Muir’s adventures and stories, I was less interested in the detailed sections about politics and meetings, but I understand it was necessary to the story. I found parts of this book to be very dense, but I’m glad I read it to learn about the history of Yosemite, the damming of Hetch Hetchy (😢), the birth of the National Park system, and the history of environmental policy. I hope to visit Yosemite and the surrounding areas in person one day to learn even more about the history, geology, and ecology.

[Andrew Wolgemuth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important history of the U.S. and its National Parks, it’s a celebration of John Muir and the country’s natural beauty…and it’s a bit detailed and tedious toward the end.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give up. I was gonna keep powering through but then the publisher screwed up and the pages from 280 to 320 were completely jumbled up. I took that as a sign from the universe that I'd learnt all I needed to. This was a super detailed but ultimately boring book.

[Eugenea Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research seems adequate, the tale is worthy, the warning is needed. But the writing style is problematic. This could have been dramatic and compelling. However, it gets tedious way before it even approaches the conclusion. I stuck with it to the bitter end, but Muir and Johnson deserve better.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea this book would be as upsetting as it is.

What would you think if a city proposed turning the Yosemite Valley into a dam reservoir? If you'd be outraged, you would be in good company, even 100+ years ago.

And yet, that is exactly what ACTUALLY happened in real life. Within the National Park of Yosemite is another amazing granite valley named Hetch Hetchy, which John Muir had described as "Yosemite's twin" many years before it was proposed to be dammed. This proposal was wildly unpopular outside of the city in question, and there were MULTIPLE equivalent options that were suppressed through corruption for profiteering purposes. So much could be said about how duplicitously and corruptly this project came to pass, but all that really needs to be said is this: there was no good reason for this dam to happen except for the convenience and greed of a special interest group.

Today, more than 100 years later, Yosemite's twin valley still lies under more than 400 feet of water. You've probably never even heard of Hetch Hetchy, despite how much John Muir had once sung its praises and considered it as dear to him as Yosemite itself. It is the least visited area of the park, because there is now little to do or see there, in part because the city that benefited reneged on its obligation to develop the area for park visitors, and has never been held accountable for this illegal violation of the charter that gave it permission to build a dam there in the first place.

The only silver lining that came out of this despoiling of a natural wonder was that it caused a groundswell of support for establishing the National Park Service, a bureau put in charge of managing decisions like this in the future, rather than letting special interest groups simply lobby congress for *decades* against public will, until an administration comes along that simply doesn't care enough to say no anymore, and rubber stamps a choice that will have an impact for centuries and destroy a natural wonder for countless generations.

This is an amazing book about the life of John Muir and the other influential people who made the protection of Yosemite possible, though as you can tell it does not end on a very happy note. These stories are a powerful reminder that are National Parks and Forests were established because assholes wanted to destroy them for short term profit. It's a reminder that they have succeeded in the past, and that they are still trying to do this today and tomorrow.

(And yes, the people of SF still have the gall to be PROUD of the Hetch Hetchy dam to this day, and still defend it and just recently spent $5 BILLION to retrofit it and continue its operation even though it it over 100 years old, even though many other equivalent options exist for similar costs to what they spent on the retrofit.)

[Sherri]

Ok, it was a little dry. But it certainly conveyed just how important conservationist John Muir was in the saving of the Yosemite Valley and the development of a National Park System. Fiercely independent, passionate, and intelligent, Muir was apparently also quite charismatic. With help from others such as writer Robert Underwood Johnson who recognized the importance of not turning every bit of land over to businesses intent on extracting everything from the land with no care as to what this would mean in the future, Muir fought for decades to save the land, the trees, the water.

We owe these men a lot.

[Dan Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read about America's pre-eminent conservationist, co-founder of the Sierra Club, and one of the main reasons so many American's have taken up the cause in the 15o years his writings have inspired us to preserve the natural beauty this country was graced with.

Detailed accountings of Muir's visits to, and defense of, Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows, and Hetch Hetchy are included and well worth the read.

[Jim Beatty · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible chords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe.

[John Brentlinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very compelling and engaging read on John Muir and those who helped form Yosemite National Park, attempt to save Hetch Hetchy Meadows, and the birth of the National parks movement in America.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite traces the (mostly) successful efforts of John Muir and his editor and friend, Robert Underwood Johnson, in preserving Yosemite National Park. Author Dean King enhances his research with many historical photos. Anyone who wants to learn more about this unique landscape will enjoy this well-written book.

[Kyndra McGovern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is a good book. It’s moving, emotional, thorough and thoughtful. If you enjoy stories about the political process, you will love this book. Can be slow at times.

[Matt Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very compelling story and it gave me an even deeper appreciation of the beauty of Yosemite.

To be completely honest, I think it would have flowed better and been a smoother read without some of the less necessary details and tangents.

[Kailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really important read for our era. Sick to my stomach that Muir et al fought for 20+ years to save Hetch Hetchy, whipped up national support at a time when doing so required thousands and thousands of letters, and then after all of it, the valley was still allowed to be flooded for San Francisco’s use. (And after it was already within the boundaries of the National Park.) Important messages about who our government is truly responsive to, and why community matters— and, of course, the innate value of preserving natural spaces for all of our good. Wish I could go on a high country trip right now!

[Sam Sugerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal exploration not only of Muir and his "cabinet" but also the posterity of land management decisions and the vulnerability of ecosystems at the hands of policymakers

[Ronald Kidd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using generous quotations from John Muir and others, King tells the little-known story of Muir’s devoted friendship with Robert Underwood Johnson, his editor, motivator, and partner in conservation.

I’ve done some reading on Muir but knew nothing of Johnson. His role in Muir’s writing and conservation efforts was a revelation and fascinating to follow. It seems to me that their relationship, and its role in Muir’s life and in the Hetch Hetchy business, is King's great contribution.

In particular, King goes into deep and fascinating detail about the battle for Hetch Hetchy and the birth of the modern environmental movement. I urge you to read this fine new book.

[Tracie Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship That Saved Yosemite” by Dean King

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
PRINT:
© 2023, March 21; 978-1982144463; Scribner; 480 pages; unabridged (Info from Amazon)
DIGITAL:
© 2023, March 21; Scribner; 461 pages; unabridged. (info from Kindle version)
(this one)-AUDIO:
© 2023, March 21; Simon & Schuster Audio; 14 hours 7 minutes duration; unabridged. (info from Amazon)

FILM:
No.

SERIES:
No

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
SELECTED:
I saw the hardcover at the Newport Beach Public Library Friends of the Library bookstore, and having met my husband when he was a member of the Sierra Club hiking at Yosemite, and having married him in the small chapel there, this looked like an enjoyable book.
ABOUT:
Much of it is about John Muir. It includes his friendship with Robert Johnson and their many monumental efforts to save the Yosemite area from development and ruin. We hear much about the breathtaking beauty of Yosemite.
OVERALL OPINION:
There's a lot about the political struggles and battles that gets a bit wearying, but descriptions of the grandeur and beauty of Yosemite, and adventures to see it up close and personal (striving to reach and not fall from a precipice overlook of a waterfall) as well as the dedication to save it from clear-cutting (for lumber) and flooding (for a water source for San Francisco), and any other attacks, are uplifting.

AUTHOR:
Dean King (Excerpt from Wikipedia)
Dean King (born 1962) is an American author of narrative non-fiction on adventure, historical and maritime subjects. His books include Skeletons on the Zahara (2004) and Unbound (2010), both published by Little, Brown. He is the author of companion books to Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series of novels and is the first biographer of O'Brian. In his biography, Patrick O'Brian: A Life (2000), which was excerpted in four full pages in The Daily Telegraph in London, King revealed that O'Brian was not really of Irish origin, as O'Brian claimed, and that he had changed his name by deed poll in London in 1945. King has also published articles in The New York Times, National Geographic Adventure, New York Magazine, Outside and other magazines and newspapers.[1]

NARRATOR
Samantha Desz (From Samanta Desz dot com)
I grew up in Cleveland, OH but have called New York City my home for nearly 20 years. I studied acting and pre-med in university (yes, you can do that) and despite the good grades and everything else, I decided to scrap medical school for a life in the arts. I dove in and never looked back! I studied in an acting conservatory in London, England, was a proud member of the Acting Apprentice Company at Actors Theatre of Louisville, made a few other pit stops along the way, and finally landed in NYC. I quickly fell into the arts community, pursued an acting career, founded a theatre company (which I ran for 10 years), and worked for a corporate production company (whew!). I found Voice Acting pretty early on but didn't transition into pursuing it full time right away. As I worked more and more as a Producer, I realized Voice Acting fit me like a glove, both creatively and professionally. It became, and still is, the perfect symbiotic artistic relationship – I get to tell stories and create characters AND I get to make things happen! As a Voice Actor, I record out of professional audio studios in NYC as well as my home studio, and I have the pleasure of working with some of the best directors, engineers, and editors in the business. I’m always on the hunt for new theatrical, film, and mixed media works to develop and nurture. In the meantime, I also work as a freelance producer in the corporate/fashion/live event arenas. Life is short! Create!

GENRE:
Nonfiction; United State Biographies; Environmentalists; History; Nature;

SUBJECTS (Not comprehensive):
Yosemite; Waterfalls; Topography; San Francisco; Earthquake of 1906; Water; Conservation; Lumber; Clear-cutting; Theodore Roosevelt; Wilderness; Environmentalism

TIME PERIOD:
19t century; 20th century

DEDICATION:
“For Jessica and for our daughters, Hazel, Grace, Willa, and Nora, who are collectively ablaze with creativity, empathy, wanderlust, and curiosity. May the mindfulness, spirit, and friendship of Muir and Johnson inspire your efforts and innovations in protecting the globe we live on and cherish.”

EXCERPT
From The Prologue
“Prologue THE PHOTO
May 17, 1903
The night before the photo was taken, Muir and Roosevelt camped with their guides near the upper end of the valley, a couple miles from Glacier Point, where Overhanging Rock juts out and gives a spectacular view of the mile-deep Yosemite Valley and the panoramic Sierra Nevada. Roosevelt was already well into his cross-country tour and eager to escape the coffin-like luxury of his plush Pullman railcar, the ever-present phalanx of reporters, and the pressure to perform and please at every stop. Since his years as a Dakotas rancher and lieutenant colonel leading the Rough Riders cavalry regiment in the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt preferred horseback to a reclining cushioned seat. After a satisfying day of riding their mounts through deep snowdrifts, the men lay beside the campfire on beds made from the bent boughs of a fir tree and, both being capital storytellers, rattled away at each other, neither afraid to speak his mind.3
Muir found much to like in the “interesting, hearty, and manly” Roosevelt, but he mistrusted his motivations for preserving nature and his interpretation of what might constitute “the greatest good for the greatest number,” the mantra of his forestry chief. When Roosevelt bragged about his hunting, Muir, angered by America’s heedless eradication of the passenger pigeon and the American buffalo, chastised him for killing animals for sport: “Mr. Roosevelt, when are you going to get beyond the boyishness of killing things?” he blurted out. “It is all very well for a young fellow who has not formed his standards to rush out in the heat of youth and slaughter animals, but are you not getting far enough along to leave that off?”
Though Roosevelt lacked any remorse when it came to slaying animals, he was a consummate diplomat when he wanted to be, and he considered the point. “Muir,” he responded at last, “I guess you are right.”4
It was a dubious concession. Roosevelt had collected and stuffed more than a thousand birds by the time he went off to college. He had left his pregnant wife to rush out to the Badlands to shoot a buffalo, a species on the brink of extinction, before it was too late to bag one, and on this train tour, he was barely persuaded by his handlers not to dog-hunt cougars in Yellowstone, where hunting was forbidden, for fear of a public outcry. While Roosevelt would never escape his chest-thumping glee of the kill, Muir, a hunter in his youth in Wisconsin, had long ago rejected the notion that wild animals were created solely for food, recreation, and “other uses not yet discovered,” and had once declared in his journal that if a war broke out “between the wild beasts and Lord Man, I would be tempted to sympathize with the bears.”5
Perhaps they would not see eye to eye on hunting, but Muir had trees and whole ecosystems to save. Blinded by its own hubris, the nation was grotesquely cannibalizing itself, felling giant sequoias, some of the planet’s oldest and largest living organisms, thousands of years old, and even shipping them off to be exhibited in monstrous fashion, like circus spectacles. The irony was that they would have to undo Lincoln’s grant in substance to save it in spirit. Muir and his coconspirator, his editor at the Century Magazine, Robert Underwood Johnson, felt in their hearts that this bold, and in many circles unpopular, maneuver was necessary.
Muir took a torch from the fire and with his face and his shaggy salt-and-pepper beard flickering in chiaroscuro ignited a brown pine tree nearby. He loved the drama of fire at night, how it brought the trees to life and drew them into the conversation. He had built bonfires for such eminent naturalists as Asa Gray and Sir Joseph Hooker and had once attempted to build one for Ralph Waldo Emerson. The glow of Muir’s immense fires transformed the surrounding firs into “enormous pagodas of silver,” recounted his friend Annie Bidwell, while Muir would wave his arms ecstatically, shouting, “Look at the glory!”
Now as Muir and Roosevelt watched in awe, like tenderfooted boys, the dead tree roared to life, shooting stars into the sky. “Hurrah!” Roosevelt shouted, the exclamation leaping from his gut. “That’s a candle it took five hundred years to make. Hurrah for Yosemite!”

RATING:
5 stars.

STARTED-FINISHED
9/28/2024-10/14/2024

[Matthew LaPine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of the formation of Yosemite National Park, the creation of the National Park Service and the US Forest Service, as seen through the eye of John Muir and Robert Johnson, who collaborated to produce widely-read articles on the beauty and mystery of the West.

At times exhilarating, and at times tedious with details the average reader isn't interested in, the early days of Yosemite and its designation as a National Park are detailed in this book. The power of John Muir's descriptions of the grandeur of Yosemite Valley, and the reach extended to him by Johnson, who rose to be editor of one of the most influential publications of the time, led to what arguably was the beginning of the conservation movement, the formation of the Sierra Club, and more. Millions read their words and committed to preserving Yosemite, and battling development of areas in Yosemite.

Yet a bitter pill is to be swallowed, the damming of Hetch Hetchy for water and power for San Francisco, which exists to this day, and which is battled by The Sierra Club to this day. The entire second half of the book dwells on this topic. While commendable, it is tedious from a reading perspective.

If you don't know much about John Muir, this is a great overview.

[Lauren J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very clear historical account of John Muir's life related to his love of the Yosemite Valley. It specifically focuses on his life during his time in Yosemite and how he fought to preserve all of the parks. He spent years fighting to make Yosemite part of the national park system and even more trying to protect the Hech Hechy Valley from being dammed for water for San Fransisco. He did all of his battles with the help and support of Robert Underwood Johnson. It is a remarkable yet sad story. Very well told by Dean King

[Megan (inkand.imagination) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a captivating read! Growing up in California, I’m super familiar with Yosemite and the Redwood forests. I really enjoyed learning more about John Muir and his passion for conservation. What happened to Hetch Hetchy is absolutely heartbreaking, and this book did an amazing job of showing how hard John Muir fought to save that beautiful location.

If you’re a fan of national parks, hiking, the Redwoods, or conservation then I highly recommend checking this book out! Especially the audio - the narrator is wonderful! It does have its slow parts, but overall this is a really good book.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a fascinating and well researched look into John Muir's life and how he came to be a conservationist, where Yosemite was one of the most known places saved.

[Ddoddmccue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The eloquence of Muir the author/ poet shines in this extensively researched book by Dean King.

Three books in one is more accurate. Muir the young immigrant who evolved into the prominent author and defender of environmental issues. Robert Underwood Johnson, literary and advocacy champion, political lobbyist, and for decades Muir friend and persistent motivator from afar. History of the national parks and forests, which highlights the continuous water rights dilemmas - since Muir’s era- that continue to warrant national attention. All are compelling stories worthy of attention.

King is a clear, well organized chronicler. He mines an incredible wealth of primary data and letters, with the quantity of riches sometimes overwhelming and which may discourage some readers. While further editing could offset this disadvantage, based on what is provided the author had a challenge limiting his scope to the published work. However, this offering demands a more motivated reader than previous books, particularly his Zahara tale.

While Muir is portrayed as involved with his family and siblings, more detail seems warranted in describing his relationship with his wife Louie and often his daughters. His wife, in particular, appears to have brought to the marriage property and financial resources, but also extreme support of his frequent absences for nature exploration. Additionally, scant attention is given to his thoughts and relationships with indigenous peoples he encountered, original visitors to Yosemite, as well as Chinese immigrants who were part of the growing labor force at this time. In contrast, later sections do acknowledge the growing interest and involvement of women in the emerging environmental movement.

It will be impossible to follow the continuing water shortages and debated allocations in the Western US without remembering this book and Ketch Ketchy.