The national parks America's best idea : an illustrated history

Dayton Duncan

Book - 2009

In this evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan delve into the history of the park idea, from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite and the creation of the world's first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, through the most recent additions to a system that now encompasses nearly four hundred sites and 84 million acres.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Alfred A. Knopf 2009.
Language
English
Main Author
Dayton Duncan (-)
Other Authors
Ken Burns, 1953- (-)
Edition
1st ed
Item Description
Maps on endpapers.
"Based on a film by Ken Burns, produced by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns, written by Dayton Duncan."
Physical Description
xix, 403 p. : ill. (some col.), col. maps ; 29 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. 389-391) and index.
ISBN
9780307268969
  • Our best selves : A treasure house of nature's superlatives
  • The scripture of nature : Homeland: an interview with Gerard Baker
  • For the benefit of the people : Transcendence: an interview with Shelton Johnson
  • Empire of grandeur : Stories of discovery: an interview with Nevada Barr
  • Going home : Redefining beauty: an interview with Paul Schullery
  • Great nature : Democracy at its best: an interview with Juanita Greene
  • The morning of creation : This is what we loved: an interview with Terry Tempest Williams
  • Afterword: the best day.
Review by Choice Review

Duncan and Burns have produced a magnificent companion to the documentary film series bearing the same title. This six-chapter book, well illustrated with effective photos and eloquent essays, is enhanced by personal interviews to exemplify how national parks matter to American people as a source of peace, inspiration, and knowledge. The authors effectively communicate a key message: the idea of national parks is never static, nor is it perfect. Instead, the idea continually undergoes evolution and refinement, reflecting changes in America's demographics and social values. Unlike many general readings on national parks that focus on beauty and accomplishments, this book cautions readers about the current challenges facing national parks to remind Americans that continual engagement in national park issues is essential if this "best idea" is to stand the test of time and generations. Overall, this volume is a good contribution to the national park and conservation literature. It will serve very nicely as general reading for public libraries, supplementary reading for undergraduate classes, and substantive training material for park interpreters, educators, and managers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, public, and professional readers, all levels. Y.-F. Leung North Carolina State University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review

This large-sized, lavishly illustrated book accompanies a 12-hour PBS series by Burns, who has made such remarkable documentaries as The Civil War, Baseball, and The War, and by Duncan, Burns' collaborator in producing documentaries and accompanying texts. Approximately 400 current sites are designated national parks in this country; the point of the series and the book is to document the history of the national park system as well as the history of individual parks. As cited here, national parks were an invention by Americans; the concept of setting aside large tracts of land for public use arose in the U.S. The works of various individuals that stood behind the creation of the park system are detailed and celebrated. Adamant that this book is not a tour guide but a history of a vastly important trend and feature of American civic and ecological thinking and planning, the authors nevertheless have done a great service in arousing reader and viewer interest in making some travel plans.--Hooper, Brad Copyright 2009 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Duncan and Burns, who last teamed on Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip, rejoin in this visually stunning guide to the unforgettable landscapes and fascinating history of America's national parks. A companion to the documentary miniseries, this book provides not only an armchair tour of the parks but lessons in American history and biography, as Duncan and Burns attempt to answer the question, "Who are we?" through the foundation and legacy of American conservation. From Yellowstone, the first national park, to Acadia to the Everglades, readers will learn the origins of many of the parks, monuments, and historic areas across the U.S., illustrated with more than a century's worth of photographs. A recurring theme throughout history has been the value and purpose of conservation and beauty, versus utility and tourism, and the story of the parks brings it into brilliant focus; readers will meet characters like John Muir, Horace Albright, Stephen Mather, Adolph Murie, and others who helped create the existing park system (with no shortage of attention paid to Theodore Roosevelt). Likely to inspire adventure-seekers of all generations, this broad, deep, evocative survey is just the kind of volume readers have come to expect from filmmaker and cultural historian Burns. (Sept.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.


Review by Library Journal Review

Based on Burns's film series, which traces the history of national parks in the United States. Different voices are used for longer quotations; despite the missing visuals, the production gets the job done admirably. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.