The Quiet World: Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom, 1879-1960

by Douglas Brinkley

“Douglas Brinkley has written a sweeping, blow-by-blow account of the struggle to preserve the last great remnants of American wilderness. An engaging appraisal of the crucial skirmishes in the battle over wild Alaska, The Quiet World is populated not only by the requisite luminaries like John Muir and Ansel Adams, but also by a cast of quirky, unexpected characters. The Quiet World is a fascinating and important read.” — Jon Krakauer

In this follow-up to his New York Times bestseller Wilderness Warrior, acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley offers a riveting, expansive look at the past and present battle to preserve Alaska’s wilderness. 

Brinkley explores the colorful diversity of Alaska’s wildlife, arrays the forces that have wreaked havoc on its primeval arctic refuge—from Klondike Gold Rush prospectors to environmental disasters like the Exxon-Valdez oil spill—and documents environmental heroes from Theodore Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower and beyond. Not merely a record of Alaska’s past, The Quiet World is a compelling call-to-arms for sustainability, conservationism, and conscientious environmental stewardship—a warning that the land once called Seward’s Folly may go down in history as America’s Greatest Mistake.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Nature, Travel, Conservation, Environment, Science

629 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 18, 2011

About the author

Douglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. The Chicago Tribune has dubbed him “America’s new past master.” His most recent books are The Quiet World, The Wilderness Warrior, and The Great Deluge. Six of his books have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quiet World is the best history book I have ever read on conservationism.

I have now read these three Douglas Brinkley books on conservation:

2009 - The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America (5 stars)

2011 - The Quiet World: Saving Alaska’s Wilderness Kingdom (6 stars!)

2016 - Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America (4 stars)

Brinkley’s writing style is one of very detailed and dense sentences. I think McCullough, Chernow, Caro, and Morris are perhaps better biographers but the passion, honesty and the sheer multitude of information that Brinkley conveys in this trilogy is staggering.

I have traveled to Alaska many times to visit her wilderness jewels and this book feels very personal to me. My smile has been bigger than usual while reading these books over the past several weeks😊

[Bookmarks Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Brinkley has called his planned Wilderness Cycle his “lifework.” In general, critics seemed to respect the scope of what Brinkley is trying to do, but they were more likely to praise The Quiet World as an important work than one that deeply moved them. A few critics faulted the work for spending too much time on the biographies of various environmental figures and not enough time on the land itself. A couple also thought that the work, despite its lush prose, might be too academic for the casual reader. But overall, reviewers felt that The Quiet World clearly demonstrates the role Alaska has played in the environmental movement and the country as a whole. It is surely a book for those interested in conservation and environmentalism. This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Todd Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quiet World examines the history of environmental protection in Alaska between 1879 and 1960 (or from the early travels of John Muir through the creation of ANWR) including profiles of prominent figures in the conservation movement including John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, Rockwell Kent, Bob Marshall, Aldo Leopold, Harold Ickes, William O. Douglas, Ansel Adams, Rachel Carson and others. Although Alaska is the focus, the tale encompasses the birth and growth of the conservation movement as a whole. The story is an inspiring one on many levels and highlights an exciting time where those who love nature, wilderness and wild creatures achieved many victories over the short-sighted and avariciousness despoilers who would pillage nature’s bounty for personal gain.

Brinkley does an amazing job recounting this history and captures the joy and vitality that people experience through their interaction with wild places and creatures. Highly recommended.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gets pretty grindy around the middle 40-80%, but still really interesting and worth checking out. Alaska is a fascinating case study in American attitudes towards the environment, its geographical remoteness protecting much of it from the destruction Euro-Americans brought on the continental U.S. in the process of manifesting their destiny all over the place. Now that we "know better", what have we done differently? Anything? I would say yes, but the fact that this book is so long is an illustration of how difficult it was to break some of the destructive habits of the powerful, or at least limit their extent in America's second-to-last state.

I actually recommend reading rather than listening, but that might be just me.

[Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 2011, the author discussed the impacts of development, deforestation and despoiling the land. AND his writing references research from the late 1800’s / early 1900’s that predicted what would happen if we neglected to care for our natural resources: out of control forest fires, loss of habitat for indigenous people, ecosystem disruption, food chain disruptions, and on and on and . . . Pretty much exactly what we now. Well-researched and reported. 5 stars rounded up to 10!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up

I was utterly shocked by the # of times the author used "boomers" throughout the book.

[Dan Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book by Brinkley I have read (the other two being The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America and Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America), and this is far and away the least of them. Whereas the two Roosevelt biographies had a natural focus, The Quiet World does not. Narratively, it spends a chapter focused on various persons who had an impact on the wilderness movement and it's impact on Alaska. Consequently, there's a lot of back-and-forth chronologically and repeated information. (One particular gripe of mine is that Brinkley spends and entire (long) chapter to the supposed influence of the Beat poets on the wilderness movement, but never devotes one to the Native Alaskans. They are treated as almost tangential or coincidental to the entire enterprise. This is an outrageous omission.)
[Audiobook note: Andrew Garman is a perfectly adequate narrator, neither particularly enjoyable nor unenjoyable.]

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Douglas Brinkley provides a magisterial account of the efforts to save and preserve the Alaska wilderness in the period from 1879 - 1960. Basically, Professor Brinkley is a hugely talented writer and an impeccable researcher. He brings his material vividly to life. His descriptions of the places he is writing about awe-inspiring; while there are photographs included in this edition, the words create pictures every bit as beautiful as the photos. He gives us a large cast of fascinating characters, bring them to life in fine detail. This is a masterly-conceived, brilliantly presented book about an extremely important subject.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a good primer to understand how the public lands of Alaska became protected; and why. Many individuals from the environmental movement make and appearance; such as Roosevelt, the Muries, Roosevelt, etc.... Surprises for me were Walt Disney and William O. Douglas . I was not aware of how much an effect they had on the environmental movement until reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone planning a trip to Alaska for the first time.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not always the most exciting read (or in my case, listen), there's a lot that is interesting here and it's worth the time. I spent 14 years in Fairbanks, Alaska, so it was even more interesting hearing about how the conservation movement evolved over time.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If interested in the history of Alaska and/or conservation, this is a worthy read. It could have used another edit given some repetition, jumping around, and overly long sections, but that shouldn’t stop you from giving it a go.

Some memorable excerpts:

TR’s doctrine of conservation had 3 primary tenets: p. 65
1. It recognized all these ‘outdoor’ resources as one integral whole
2. It recognized their‘conservation through wise use’ as a public responsibility, and their private ownership as a public trust
3. It recognized science as a tool for discharging that responsibility

“As if foreshadowing the New Deal, [TR] urged young people to form a youth army to protect wilderness areas from vandals. ‘There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm.’” P. 100

Another TR quote - “life is a campaign, and at best we are merely under-officers or subalterns in it.” P. 112

“Conservation was a term of compromise whereas wilderness was preservation at its purest.” P. 141

“Conservationist circles in America during WWI were like an Underground Railroad, with an inexhaustible spirit. The members passed along circulars, newsletters, and correspondence…” p. 171

CCC section - ‘FDR saw the restoration of the land - the prevention of dust bowls and floods through soil conservation practices, the rotation of crops, the planting of trees as intimately bound up with restoring the livelihoods of the people living on the land.” P. 253

“As an iron-willed individualist, Douglas was concerned that the freedom associated with exploring the wilderness, hitchhiking, backpacking, camping, and mountain climbing was being constricted by anti-vagrancy laws. (Kurt Vonnegut supported this belief, saying the Constitution protected our right to fart around) - p. 303

[Greyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lot of text and lots of characters, Brinkley takes the human-ecological history of the territory through statehood. All the big players are here, TR and Muir and Ansel, along with Rockwell Kent, the Murie family, Justice Douglas and others. It's more a history of individuals than the state itself - not surprising since he's a biographer. The wildlife, wilderness, and Park/Refuge destinations are set as a stage for the women and men of this story to act.

Also, without hundreds of photographs or actually being in these places there are only so many ways to describe the varied glacial landscapes, mountains, rivers, lakes, and tundra so I give him credit for 500 pages of description that never got repetitive.

I will say also that it's rather convenient to end the story at 1960 while only alluding to oil exploration as a bogeyman throughout. The exploration, drilling, and pipeline project from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez - along with the Exxon-Valdez spill go unmentioned. The commercial fish trawlers and industrial tourism industry - extraction (hunting/fishing) and expanding road system as well. But, this book is about the heroes.

[Lauren Schnoebelen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me way too long to get through and that definitely tainted my experience reading this. Due to the density of the material, it felt more like reading a textbook than a more narrative nonfiction targeted towards the general public. That being said, I definitely learned a lot. I appreciated how this really showed the repetitiveness of comments, names, and concerns that can come from the two-party political system in America, especially when it comes to environmental issues. Many of the slogans and comments we see today sound extremely similar to what was laid out in this book at the turn of the 20th century. It's made me want to look more into the history of the US political parties. As for the rest of the book, I found I enjoyed more of the conversations in the second half of the book compared to the first which focused on the role Walt Disney played in conservation as well as the political battle over nuclear weapons testing among other things.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book was recommended to me, I didn't realize that its scope went far beyond the story of protecting Alaska's wilderness. It's really the history of the modern (20th century) conservation movement--from John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt to Aldo Leopold to William O. Douglas to Stewart Udall. I was interested to learn about the importance of such noted people as FDR, Walt Disney, and Allen Ginsberg in the movement, and, of course, many other people who may not be household names, but played a big role in protecting what is perhaps the last true wilderness on Planet Earth. The book has inspired me to take another trip to Alaska to explore Glacier Bay and the Denali Wilderness Area.

[Kenneth Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that follows the story of fighting for conservation in Alaska. The book begins with the efforts of John Muir. He traveled in Alaska and became one of the first advocates for conservation. The book tells us about the efforts of Theodore Roosevelt and his part in saving Alaska.
In reading the book we meet many people and follow their efforts for conservation. Many of the people introduced are not that well known to me, but their stories were fascinating.
The reader learns of the wildlife and the land that they live on. We see the relationship between man, wildlife and the land. The struggle to preserve nature from exploitation and destruction. These treasured lands are under constant threat from being exploited.

[Sue Roselle]

Compelling history of the commitment to maintaining the environmental integrity of Alaska. Book begins with John Muir in 1869 and ends with Dwight Eisenhower's creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Range in 1960. The role of every environmental leader during this 80 year period is included. And, this history can provide essential guidance to future development of all wilderness areas. Excellent writing which offers both a detailed story and a review of the history of the environmental movement. Highly recommend.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book. I live in Alaska so the most interesting thing to me is hearing about how all the legendary names in the conservation movement shaped the Alaska of today. T. Roosevelt, Muir, Leopold, Marshall, Adams, Sheldon, Karsten’s, Douglas, Bierstadt, London, etc.—they’re all there with their fingerprints pressed into the corners of Alaska’s history. The book is a little dry for people who may not be familiar with Alaska locations already, but having traveled across this state for almost two decades, I loved how it filled in so many lines.

[Paul Whitman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of national conservation and preservation in the whole United States is so intertwined in the history of the Alaska Territory and its journey to statehood. This book is long but such an excellent cataloging of the many men and women who dedicated their lives to making sure people for hundreds of years can see full undisturbed and wild ecosystems.

Highest praise I can give this book is I want to move to Alaska and never spend another second in the lower 48.

[Matthew Sartor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book, think good overview on Alaska conservation history. The story starts strong, but I think gets bogged down into to many people. Felt a little disjointed at the end, and maybe just too much for this subject. Felt a comprehensive work on the subject, and made me even more excited for my upcoming trip.

[Will DeMan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my fourth Brinkley read, and it’s by far the weakest. The end was a slog, bogged down by the need to introduce every individual who played a role in the establishment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The strongest section was the opener on John Muir and the Gilded Age rush for Alaska.

[James Chally · Rating 3 out of 5]

As riveting as the tales of legislative efforts for Alaskan conservation in the 1950’s are it still took me the better part of a year to finish this book. It’s certainly readable and informative, but If the names Olaus Murie and Gifford Pinchot don’t stoke your enthusiasm, this probably isn’t the book for you.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry, yet informative.

[andyxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly don't remember exactly when I started this book but it took me two weeks. Nonfiction, especially history, tends to be hard for me to get through even if I enjoy it.

[Jon Wlasiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides a grand narrative of the modern wilderness movement in Alaska.

[AJ B · Rating 3 out of 5]

19:06 07/28/21
Audio
Bus from Anchorage to Denali

Not great. Long and lots of different stories made it hard to follow chapter to chapter. But I enjoyed individual chapters

[Paula Schumm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this nonfiction audiobook in preparation for a trip to Alaska. It is the account of how Alaskan frontier has been saved from abuse and destruction. Recommended.

[Haden Penrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice history of conservation in the US and how Alaska was part of it.

[Lori Kline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have given it 4 stars except for one sentence about sled dogs in Alaska that has to be a mistake and made me wonder what other mistakes there were.

[Parker Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

great survey of the history of conservation policy in Alaska and dovetails excellently with my current fascination of extraction vs preservation in shaping American masculinity...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brinkley's writing style is a bit odd. Sometimes chatty, sometimes serious, sometimes reaching a height of liberal progressive scolding (along the lines of...too bad you died of shellfish poisoning, Warren G. Harding. A shame you didn't see fit to regulate the industry, huh? Oh wait, you're dead; you can't hear me.)
Footnotes are often weird non-sequiturs, or self-indulgent asides. He will then refer to the text of said footnotes in the main text, which is off-puttingly presumptuous since the nature of footnotes is that not everyone will read them.
Still, it's an exhaustive treatment of the subject from a very character-driven perspective--Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, Aldo Leopold and some lesser known conservation heroes are given good treatment here.
I also highly recommend reading this at intervals between viewings of the tv show "Alaska State Troopers." The absurdity casts the book in a fascinating light.

One major, major flaw--the maps in the book are grossly inadequate. Anyone unfamiliar with Alaskan geography will be frustrated by the microscopic and incomplete labeling on the only statewide map, and a dearth of more focused regional maps. Grrr.