My First Summer in the Sierra (Dover Books on Americana)
Joseph LeConte. A Journal of Ramblings Through the High Sierras of California
personal narrative
A Journal of Ramblings Through the High Sierras of California by the "University Excursion Party (High Sierra Classics Series)
Yosemite Association/Heyday Books (1994)
$7.95
John Muir. My First Summer in the Sierras
personal narrative
personal narrative
A Journal of Ramblings Through the High Sierras of California by the "University Excursion Party (High Sierra Classics Series)Yosemite Association/Heyday Books (1994)
$7.95
Eminent geologist and ecologist, Professor Joseph LeConte recorded these “wayside notes” on his first trip to Yosemite Valley in the summer of 1870. Departing from the University of California the day after classes ended, “Professor Joe” and his nine traveling companions ventured to Yosemite “regular pioneer style, cooking their own provisions, and sleeping under the open sky, whenever a convenient place was found; each man was to bestride his own horse, carry his own bedding behind his saddle, and his clothing, with the exception of one change of underwear, on his back.” LeConte’s prose is vibrant and vigorous, and he manages to relay his deep scientific knowledge of the areas geology and ecology without being pretentious.
Of particular note is his record of meeting John Muir for the first time. The two were to become close friends and colleagues as advocates for Yosemite and other wild places, but in the summer of 1870 they were just young men discovering a place (Yosemite Valley) more beautiful and sublime than they ever could have imagined.
Author David Robertson has said this book is "perhaps second only to Muir's My First Summer in the Sierra on the all-time Yosemite best books list." ~ C. Bryan
Comments (0)John Muir. My First Summer in the Sierras
personal narrative
Today many people know of John Muir as a seminal leader of the modern environmental movement and the revered champion of Yosemite, but in 1868 he was merely a young man searching for adventure, natural beauty, and a summer job. Though he wrote many books and articles over his career, My First Summer resounds with a voice that reflects Muir’s thrill in first discovering the beauty of Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows. In his account he references many places that are recognizable to visitors today.
Muir's prose is full of adventure and joy. He was a man who would develop a deep love for Yosemite, and the seeds are here: "No temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite." ~ C. Bryan
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