The Wilderness World of John Muir, a selection from his collected work.
Edwin Way Teale, First Mariner 2001

I can sometimes find chapters of detailed description of a scene, even a beautifully penned scene, somewhat dull after a while, and so these excerpts from John Muir’s journals were excellent. Arranges by subject such as The Forests of the West and Glacier Pioneer, the excerpts range from a page to a chapter in length and so avoid the feeling of reading edited highlights. The paintings of each scene are observed to the most minute detail and are full of joy. It is said that some have complained of Muir using the word “glorious” too much, but I found that the word really sums up the atmosphere that he describes. Much though these descriptions are inspiring, I much prefer the sections telling stories of his explorations and of the people and animals that he met. The stories range from the gentle, such as his long walk from Wisconsin to Florida, to the life-threatening, as he and dog Stickeen climbed across a crevasse in a storm, but all are told with great humour. His descriptions of the characters he meets are often comical but are always genuine.

Muir should be read when I need a kick to get off the sofa, away from lounging with books, and outside. In fact Muir had little time for dreaming through books; “I have a low opinion of books; they are but piles of stones set up to show coming travellers where other minds have been, or at best signal smokes to call attention”. I can hardly agree with him, but reading his joy of the wilderness is enough to guilt trip anyone to leaving the house!