The National Parks: America's Best Idea Hardcover – September 8, 2009
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Description
The companion volume to the twelve-hour PBS series from the acclaimed filmmaker behind The Civil War, Baseball, and The War. America’s national parks spring from an idea as radical as the Declaration of Independence: that the nation’s most magnificent and sacred places should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. 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. The authors recount the adventures, mythmaking, and intense political battles behind the evolution of the park system, and the enduring ideals that fostered its growth. They capture the importance and splendors of the individual parks: from Haleakala in Hawaii to Acadia in Maine, from Denali in Alaska to the Everglades in Florida, from Glacier in Montana to Big Bend in Texas. And they introduce us to a diverse cast of compelling characters—both unsung heroes and famous figures such as John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ansel Adams—who have been transformed by these special places and committed themselves to saving them from destruction so that the rest of us could be transformed as well. The National Parks is a glorious celebration of an essential expression of American democracy. Read more
Details
Product details Publisher : Alfred A. Knopf Publication date : September 8, 2009 Edition : First Edition Language : English Print length : 432 pages ISBN-10 : 0307268969 ISBN-13 : 978-0307268969 Item Weight : 3.95 pounds Dimensions : 9.3 x 1.1 x 11 inches Best Sellers Rank: #39,250 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5 in Ecotourism Travel Guides #22 in Travel Pictorial Reference Books #62 in Environmentalism Customer Reviews: 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (794)
Customer reviews
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like the other major characters (as well as the two ...
This fast-paced thriller is pure Raymond Chandler—filtered through Doris Kearns Goodwin. The historical blends seamlessly with the insightfully speculative and the entirely fictional as the political left and right gird for war on two continents. The battle lines drawn in Raymond Hardie’s No Man’s Land are, eerily, being retraced today. The scapegoating, the fearmongering, the bloviation, the soulless pursuit of money all seem to jump out of today’s headlines. But No Man’s Land is set firmly in 1933, as fascinating—and frightening—a year as one can imagine: the end of Prohibition, the heart of the Depression, the rise of both Hitler and FDR, the birth of the New Deal and the death of the gold standard, the first faint but unmistakable drumbeats of WWII. (It is also the year Chandler published his first short story, “Blackmailers Don’t Shoot.”) The book is built around a plot by wealthy, right-wing businessmen to overthrow FDR. Cameos are made by such historic luminaries as General Smedley Butler, who first reported the planned coup against Roosevelt; FDR himself; and the evil propaganda twins, Joseph Goebbels and J. Edgar Hoover. But center stage belongs to the fictional protagonist, Frank Kelly, an LA-based labor lawyer. Kelly, like the other major characters (as well as the two featured nations, the United States and Germany), is both shaped and haunted by the Great War. He is a distinctive blend of tough and tender: a former Marine who can throw a punch and likes to drink with longshoremen, but who also loves jazz, sides with working-class underdogs, and struggles to come to terms with the death of his wife. Hard-boiled or soft, Kelly is a good egg who must call on all his strengths in a desperate attempt to save the leader of the free world.
This fast-paced thriller is pure Raymond Chandler—filtered through Doris Kearns Goodwin. The historical blends seamlessly with the insightfully speculative and the entirely fictional as the political left and right gird for war on two continents. The battle lines drawn in Raymond Hardie’s No Man’s Land are, eerily, being retraced today. The scapegoating, the fearmongering, the bloviation, the soulless pursuit of money all seem to jump out of today’s headlines. But No Man’s Land is set firmly in 1933, as fascinating—and frightening—a year as one can imagine: the end of Prohibition, the heart of the Depression, the rise of both Hitler and FDR, the birth of the New Deal and the death of the gold standard, the first faint but unmistakable drumbeats of WWII. (It is also the year Chandler published his first short story, “Blackmailers Don’t Shoot.”) The book is built around a plot by wealthy, right-wing businessmen to overthrow FDR. Cameos are made by such historic luminaries as General Smedley Butler, who first reported the planned coup against Roosevelt; FDR himself; and the evil propaganda twins, Joseph Goebbels and J. Edgar Hoover. But center stage belongs to the fictional protagonist, Frank Kelly, an LA-based labor lawyer. Kelly, like the other major characters (as well as the two featured nations, the United States and Germany), is both shaped and haunted by the Great War. He is a distinctive blend of tough and tender: a former Marine who can throw a punch and likes to drink with longshoremen, but who also loves jazz, sides with working-class underdogs, and struggles to come to terms with the death of his wife. Hard-boiled or soft, Kelly is a good egg who must call on all his strengths in a desperate attempt to save the leader of the free world.
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Better than the film?
This is a nice bit of American history to savor, along with beautiful pictures of our most celebrated national parks. This companion book to the PBS series at least partially solves three of the problems with the film: (1) The book is organized logically and permits one to follow a story from start to finish without the jumping around and repetition of the TV series. (2) If the TV series was a bit too long-winded for you, you can read the parts of the book that interest you and move on. (3) (This point applies only to those who saw the film in High Definition on PBS and found the quality of the film to be disappointing. DVD and smaller-screen viewers will not have noticed any problem.) The disappointing quality of the 16mm film used for the motion-picture segments on TV is obviously a non-issue in the book, as we have only the still photos, which are quite stunning. (I should note that there is another option available on Amazon to deal with the disappointing video quality: the Blu-ray disk is superior to the HDTV broadcast to a degree that I would not have thought possible if I had not seen it with my own eyes. It still would have been better if it had been shot on 35mm film or direct-to-video, but at least the film as seen on the Blu-ray is not irritatingly bad. The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray ])
This is a nice bit of American history to savor, along with beautiful pictures of our most celebrated national parks. This companion book to the PBS series at least partially solves three of the problems with the film: (1) The book is organized logically and permits one to follow a story from start to finish without the jumping around and repetition of the TV series. (2) If the TV series was a bit too long-winded for you, you can read the parts of the book that interest you and move on. (3) (This point applies only to those who saw the film in High Definition on PBS and found the quality of the film to be disappointing. DVD and smaller-screen viewers will not have noticed any problem.) The disappointing quality of the 16mm film used for the motion-picture segments on TV is obviously a non-issue in the book, as we have only the still photos, which are quite stunning. (I should note that there is another option available on Amazon to deal with the disappointing video quality: the Blu-ray disk is superior to the HDTV broadcast to a degree that I would not have thought possible if I had not seen it with my own eyes. It still would have been better if it had been shot on 35mm film or direct-to-video, but at least the film as seen on the Blu-ray is not irritatingly bad. The National Parks: America's Best Idea [Blu-ray ])
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The National Parks
Anyone with a passion for the outdoors, our national parks, or photography will value this superb historical and photographic record of our national parks system. For a documentary, the book reads easily. I found myself wanting to continue reading on and on. I found the book more interesting than the TV series that aired shortly after its release. The photographs range from wonderful old sepias from the early days of photography to modern color images of today. I understand why the parks are not discussed in an orderly fashion, one park at a time - the book covers the development of the park system rather than one park at a time as a travel book might. The perspectives and details of the individuals who influenced the national park system emphasizes how individual people shape our society and make things happen through the influence of relationships. While it would be easier to negotiate the book if it were organized park by park, the impact of the book would be lost. Kudos to Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. This book is a keeper.
Anyone with a passion for the outdoors, our national parks, or photography will value this superb historical and photographic record of our national parks system. For a documentary, the book reads easily. I found myself wanting to continue reading on and on. I found the book more interesting than the TV series that aired shortly after its release. The photographs range from wonderful old sepias from the early days of photography to modern color images of today. I understand why the parks are not discussed in an orderly fashion, one park at a time - the book covers the development of the park system rather than one park at a time as a travel book might. The perspectives and details of the individuals who influenced the national park system emphasizes how individual people shape our society and make things happen through the influence of relationships. While it would be easier to negotiate the book if it were organized park by park, the impact of the book would be lost. Kudos to Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. This book is a keeper.
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ABSOLUTELY STUNNING BOOK!
I bought this book in December 2009 and had quite a few sessions on a rainy afternoon going through this book!. I am an Australian and have always been interested in the gorgeous national parks the USA has to offer. I visited Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago so I was fascinated by both the old black and white pictures and the story behind the parks shown in this book. Also saw the documentary on television and the book is a great companion to the film series. I would have to rate this book highly as I have read most of it which I rarely do with a coffee table style book. As said before by other reviewers, this is not a book for a traveller but if you are interested in the history of the National Parks, this one would have to be the best there is. I have been trying to buy a copy of the DVD for many months but it retails here new for AU$120.00. I was lucky to score a copy for half that price last week on ebay so am looking forward to viewing the series again in conjuction with my book!.
I bought this book in December 2009 and had quite a few sessions on a rainy afternoon going through this book!. I am an Australian and have always been interested in the gorgeous national parks the USA has to offer. I visited Yosemite, Bryce Canyon, and the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago so I was fascinated by both the old black and white pictures and the story behind the parks shown in this book. Also saw the documentary on television and the book is a great companion to the film series. I would have to rate this book highly as I have read most of it which I rarely do with a coffee table style book. As said before by other reviewers, this is not a book for a traveller but if you are interested in the history of the National Parks, this one would have to be the best there is. I have been trying to buy a copy of the DVD for many months but it retails here new for AU$120.00. I was lucky to score a copy for half that price last week on ebay so am looking forward to viewing the series again in conjuction with my book!.
