The Writings of John Muir: The Manuscript Edition.

MUIR, John.

Item Number: 73083

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-24.

The Manuscript Edition of The Writings of John Muir. Octavo, 10 volumes, bound in contemporary gilt paneled and gilt floral full crushed brown niger morocco, gilt floral spine compartments, top edges gilt, green and brown gilt morocco doublures with the coat of arms of Anna W. S. Keator, green silked free endpapers, raised bands. Manuscript page from Muir bound into volume one from The Mountains of California. Illustrated with numerous photogravure and halftone plates, the gravure plates, tissue guards, each with photogravure frontispiece, with the first seven hand-colored; folding map in volume two. Edited by William Frederic Badè. With a manuscript leaf from John Muir in volume one. In fine condition. An exceptional example.

John Muir was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books describing his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada, have been read by millions. His activism has helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and many other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is a prominent American conservation organization. The 211-mile John Muir Trail, a hiking trail in the Sierra Nevada, was named in his honor. Other such places include Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier. In Scotland, the John Muir Way, a 130-mile-long route, was named in honor of him. In his later life, Muir devoted most of his time to the preservation of the Western forests. He petitioned the U.S. Congress for the National Park bill that was passed in 1890, establishing Yosemite National Park. The spiritual quality and enthusiasm toward nature expressed in his writings has inspired readers, including presidents and congressmen, to take action to help preserve large nature areas. Today Muir is referred to as the "Father of the National Parks."