MUIR, John "Our National Parks" [Houghton Mifflin Company, 1909]

MUIR, John. Our National Parks.

Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1909. New and Enlarged Edition. 8.5" x 5.75", x + 382 pp + 32 illustrated plates and two-page map spread. Publisher’s teal cloth, gilt-lettered and pictorially stamped in gilt and black on the upper board with a central Yosemite scene; spine gilt with floral device. Top edge gilt. Binding shows general edge wear with rubbing at corners and spine ends; some loss to gilt on spine and boards. Spine toned and worn but fully legible. Front hinge cracked. Text block evenly toned, with light damp staining to the margins of several gatherings. Gift inscription on FFEP and partially-removed bookplate inside front cover. Overall a Good+ copy of a substantial and well-used volume.

This expanded edition gathers Muir’s essays on Yosemite, Sequoia, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and other protected landscapes at a moment when the American national park system was still being defined. Muir’s writing combines firsthand observation with sustained advocacy for preservation, reflecting his central role in shaping early conservation policy. The book documents the transition of wilderness from scenic curiosity to protected national heritage in the early twentieth century.