A memoir of childhood and a celebration of the natural world, from one of the founding fathers of modern conservation
William Frederic Badè Books
William Frederic Badè was a broadly learned scholar with diverse interests, best known as the literary executor and biographer of John Muir. Badè was also an archaeologist who led excavations at Tell en-Nasbeh in Palestine, now believed to be the biblical city of Mizpah in Benjamin based on his work. He was an ordained Moravian minister, a professor of ancient languages, a theologian and Bible scholar, a mountaineer, a conservationist, and a naturalist. He served on the faculties of the Moravian Theological Seminary and the Pacific School of Religion, where he also became interim president and dean, and founded the school's Palestine Institute. He served as president of the Sierra Club from 1919 to 1922 and edited the club's bulletin for twelve years.
Our National Parks
- 240 pages
- 9 hours of reading
John Muir (1838–1914) ranks among America's most important and influential environmentalists and nature writers. Devoted to the preservation of wilderness areas, Muir founded the Sierra Club and was active in the establishment of Yosemite National Park. Our National Parks, originally published in 1901, includes ten articles that previously appeared in The Atlantic Monthly. Muir wrote them in hopes of exciting interest in the parks, certain that visitors would fall in love with the scenic grandeur as he had—and that their enthusiasm would ensure the parks' preservation. Six of this volume's ten chapters are devoted to Muir's beloved Yosemite, exploring the forests, fountains, streams, and animals of the Sierra Nevada. The great naturalist also visits the meadows, geysers, waterfalls, and lakes of other parks, including Yellowstone, Sequoia, and General Grant. Muir's warmth and humor brighten every page, and vintage photographs provide atmospheric accompaniment to his words. These essays are essential reading for anyone wishing to visit (or revisit) the national parks of the Western United States as well as those who want to help protect America’s wilderness areas.
Steep Trails
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
A patron saint of twentieth-century environmental activity, John Muir's appeal to modern readers is that he not only explored the American West but also fought for its preservation. Steep Trails collects together his essays and letters written as he traveled, capturing the personal, heartfelt connection he had with the lands he roamed.
The Writings of John Muir; Volume 5
- 340 pages
- 12 hours of reading
This book is a comprehensive collection of the writings of John Muir, one of the greatest environmentalists and naturalists of all time. It includes Muir's most famous and influential works, along with detailed commentary and notes by William Frederic Badè, making it a must-read for anyone interested in environmentalism and the conservation of wilderness areas.