The wilderness writings of Howard Zahniser / edited by Mark Harvey ; foreword by William Cronon ; designed by Barry Schwartz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zahniser, Howard.

Cronon, William, author of introduction, etc.

Contributor:

Harvey, Mark W. T. (Mark William Thornton), editor.

Schwartz, Barry, designer.

Series:

Weyerhaeuser Environmental Classics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Zahniser, Howard.

Zahniser, Howard--Political and social views.

United States. Wilderness Act.

United States.

Wilderness areas--United States.

Wilderness areas.

Nature conservation--United States.

Nature conservation.

Wilderness areas--Government policy--United States.

Nature conservation--Government policy--United States.

United States--Environmental conditions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (249 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Seattle, Washington : University of Washington Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Howard Zahniser (1906-1964), executive secretary of The Wilderness Society and editor of The Living Wilderness from 1945 to 1964, is arguably the person most responsible for drafting and promoting the Wilderness Act in 1964. The act, which created the National Wilderness Preservation System, was the culmination of Zahniser's years of tenacious lobbying and his work with conservationists across the nation. In 1964, fifty-four wilderness areas in thirteen states were part of the system; today the number has grown to 757 areas, protecting more than a hundred million acres in forty-four states and Puerto Rico. Zahniser's passion for wild places and his arguments for their preservation were communicated through radio addresses, magazine articles, speeches, and congressional testimony. An eloquent and often poetic writer, he seized every opportunity to make the case for the value of wilderness to people, communities, and the nation. Despite his unquestioned importance and the power of his prose, the best of Zahniser's wilderness writings have never before been gathered in a single volume. This indispensable collection makes available in one place essays and other writings that played a vital role in persuading Congress and the American people that wilderness in the United States deserved permanent protection. Mark Harvey, author of the standard biography of Zahniser, provides prefaces to the essays that outline the contexts in which they were written as well as a general introduction to the man whose vision, decency, and quiet passion shine from the pages of this book. Mark Harvey is professor of history at North Dakota State University and the author of Wilderness Forever : Howard Zahniser and the Path to the Wilderness Act and A Symbol of Wilderness : Echo Park and the American Conservation Movement; "Howard Zahniser authored the Wilderness Act of 1964 and was its most tireless advocate. A quiet, self-effacing man who felt no need to call attention to himself, he was also a graceful and eloquent writer whose essays--widely scattered in hard-to-find periodicals--deserve to be much more widely read than they have been. This first-ever anthology gathers his most important wilderness writings into a single volume to make them available to modern readers as never before"--William Cronon"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Evangelist for the Wilderness

Part 1. The Makings of a Nature Writer

Part 2. Transition to The Wilderness Society

Part 3. Campaigning for Wilderness

Part 4. Threats to Wild Lands

Part 5. The Campaign for the Wilderness Bill

Part 6. The Last Hurdle

Part 7. Testimonies

Excerpts from the Wilderness Act of 1964.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780295805153

0295805153

OCLC:

887265945