National Parks: The American Experience,  4th Edition
Like John Muir, Al Runte has felt the siren call of our saved—and sacred—places, and, like John Muir, he has found a way to share their glories with power and poetry. This is a sensitive, well-written history of our land and the complicated people who call it home. (Ken Burns )Alfred Runte brilliantly demonstrates why he is considered one of America's preeminent environmental historians. Not only does National Parks sing with inspiration, but it is the most trustworthy synthesis scholars have on the American preservation movement. Everybody should read this marvelous study. Highly recommended! (Douglas Brinkley )Congratulations to Al Runte on the fourth edition of National Parks: The American Experience. Al understands and captures not only the history of our national parks but also their importance to the United States and the world. From Al's childhood experiences in national parks to all the research he has done on their history and value, his fourth edition captures why our national parks are America's best idea. (Fran P. Mainella )Having had a role in the beginnings of this important book, it is an honor to celebrate its fourth edition. Al Runte reminds us how dramatically the valuation of national parks has changed in little more than a century. Read it and you will learn why national parks can be considered a distinctively American idea, indeed a contribution of our nation to world civilization. (Professor Emeritus Roderick Frazier Nash )Alfred Runte gives a comprehensive discussion of America's parks. National Parks is a choice and solidly recommended addition to natural history collections. (Midwest Book Review)