Wilderness Essays

I may have finished reading this collection of essays, but, now that I have found him, I will never stop reading John Muir. Muir takes you deep into nature, deep into glaciers, deep into the wonders of Yosemite, deep into the glories of Yellowstone, and you don't want to return to 2019. His essays, unexpectedly, are not dated at all; the essays could have been written today, as the lands he writes about are still (many, thanks to his efforts) kept as holy ground. Muir writes like no other nature writer I've ever read, with the factual detail of a scientist and the eloquence of a poet.

Everyone should read these essays.

Did not finish.

Why did I pick this book
As many people probably do, I came across varying quotes from John Muir, and mentions of the powerful nature essays he's written. Interested, especially now that days are getting shorter and colder, I decided to pick up a copy from the local library.

The book
As the title says, this is a collection of various wilderness essays by John Muir, written throughout his lifetime. The first one when he is just a young man on the farm, writing about the oxen that drive their carts. Later as a nature researcher, on ‘missions' to examine a river etc.

My recommendation
This is a very old book, and its clearly visible in the style of writing. Long sentences, old words.. For me the style of writing was too ‘slow' and too outdated. I enjoyed the essay, where he paddles down a river with a group of men, accompanied by a stray dog that someone sort of adopts and which causes all kinds of trouble, the most because something actually happens.

If you like old-timey books and nature this is definitely worth a read, but I'm afraid its too slow for current generations.