The Mountains Of California By John Muir – Book Review

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Mountain Journey
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Book Review: The Mountains of California by John Muir

John Muir (1838-1914) was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, philosopher, and conservationist. Muir was a pioneer in the preservation of wilderness in the US. He founded the Sierra Club and helped to establish Yosemite National Park, plus he wrote many detailed books and informative articles throughout his lifetime.

The Mountains Of California by John Muir
The Mountains Of California by John Muir

Today Muir continues to inspire people like you to appreciate, respect, and enjoy the wild places of the world. His name is on trails, wilderness areas, beaches, mountains, glaciers, passes, campsites, parks, highways, and even an asteroid. But perhaps the best way to get a glimpse into the mind of John Muir is to read his books.

The Mountains Of California By John Muir On Amazon.com

One of Muir’s first books was The Mountains of California. Originally published in 1894, The Mountain of California by John Muir was released as an e-Book in October 2018 by Vertebrate Publishing. If you enjoy nature writing, travelogues, and philosophy, then this book is definitely worth reading.

In The Mountains of California by John Muir, Muir takes readers on an journey through the Sierra Nevada. Readers will be captivated by Muir’s descriptions of this “sublime wilderness of mountains, their snowy summits towering together in crowded abundance, peak beyond peak…” Muir goes into detail about  “storms and avalanches, lakes and waterfalls, gardens and meadows, and interesting animals” forest, glaciers, and beyond. It’s fascinating.

Muir’s eye for detail brings this pristine mountain paradise to life in an exciting and informative way. Through Muir’s travels and explorations of this untouched landscape, he is able to document his surroundings and findings in an eye-opening way. His detailed descriptions paint a beautiful picture of the California mountains. Luckily, Muir was able to  experience these mountain environments and share them with readers from around the world.

John Muir circa 1902 | Photo: Library of Congress | Photo In Public Domain (PD-US) | By unattributed [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
John Muir circa 1902 | Photo: Library of Congress | Photo In Public Domain (PD-US) | By unattributed [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The Mountains of California by John Muir will most certainly allow you to explore the Sierra Nevada via your e-reader, but Muir also beckons readers to explore these wild places for themselves. As he writes in the book, “but the best words only hint at its charms. Come to the mountains and see.” And you should go, mountains are always best experienced in person.

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At the end of this e-Book, there are a handful of photographs of John Muir. But I wish that this e-Book included the various images/illustrations that many other editions of The Mountains of California do. Luckily, you can supplement this e-book with those illustrations courtesy of the SierraClub.org.

Throughout the book, you’ll get a glimpse into wilds of California, but you’ll also see that Muir has a mindset that wilderness is not only a necessity, but also “fountains of life.” After reading this book, you’ll want to get outside and experience nature. It will change your life.

See Also: The Best John Muir Quotes

Vertebrate Publishing sent an e-Book copy of The Mountains of California by John Muir to Mountain Journey to read and review.

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