This groundbreaking book—now reissued with a new foreword and epilogue that bring the book up to the 2009 change in presidential administrations—traces the epic clash of values between traditional scenery-and-tourism management and emerging ecological concepts in America’s national parks.
“Preserving Nature inspired the greatest advances in scientific natural resource preservation in the history of the national parks.”—Stewart L. Udall, Secretary of the Interior, 1961–1969
“Anyone who hopes to understand the rich history of our national parks—or cares about their future—needs to read this penetrating book."—Dayton Duncan, writer and producer of The National Parks: America's Best Idea broadcast on PBS
“This book has changed the way I think about the National Park Service. Its honesty, clarity, and deep research all mark this book as a landmark in N.P.S. historical treatises.”—Robert C. Pavlik, Yosemite Association
Selected as one of the top twelve books on conservation by wilderness advocate Dave Foreman.
Preserving Nature won Eastern National’s 1997 Authors Award in the field of natural science or history, and Sellars won the 2008 George B. Hartzog, Jr., Award, given by the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, mainly for his contributions through this book.
