My First Summer in the Sierra

When we try to pick out anything by itself,
we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
John Muir

The name John Muir has come to stand for the protection of wild land and wilderness in both America and Britain. Born in Dunbar in 1838, Muir is famed as a pioneer of American conservation and his passion, discipline and vision still inspire.

Combining acute observation with a sense of inner discovery, Muir's writings of his summer in what would become the great national park of Yosemite in California raise a close awareness of nature to a spiritual dimension. His journal provides a unique marriage of natural history, lyrical prose and amusing anecdote, retaining a freshness, intensity and brutal honesty which will amaze the modern reader.

Praise for My First Summer in the Sierra:

'The richness of his writing roots deeper into the terrain than any other wilderness writer known to me.'

Los Angeles Times

'Muir's book continues to inspire...it stands among the enduring classics of environmental literature.'

Gregory McNamee