Audiobook · read by volunteers
Yosemite
John Muir (1838–1914)
Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015), Carol Goode, rachelellen, Chris Chapman, Julian Jamison, Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Lisa Chau, Meredith Hughes, Sandra in Wales, United Kingdom, Cynthia Lyons (1946-2011) · 25 chapters · 6 h 59
About the book
Few people have written about a landscape with the passion of John Muir, and in The Yosemite he gives the valley his full attention. This is both a guide and a love letter. Muir walks the reader through the approach to the valley, past the great waterfalls and granite walls, and up into the high country of glaciers, meadows and forests. He describes the seasons, the storms, the creatures and the trees with a naturalist's precision and a believer's enthusiasm. Underneath it all runs a plea for wild places to be valued and protected. Ten LibriVox volunteers share the twenty-five parts of this recording, which lasts about seven hours, and together they offer a generous, immersive walk through one of the great landscapes of North America.
Introduction
John Muir (1838-1914) was born in Scotland and emigrated as a boy to the United States, where he became one of the best-known advocates for wilderness. He spent years exploring the Sierra Nevada in California, and his articles and books helped persuade the public and politicians that places like Yosemite deserved lasting protection. He is often remembered as a founder of the Sierra Club and as an influence on the American national park movement.
The Yosemite was published in 1912 and gathers much of his writing on the valley and the surrounding mountains. It is partly a practical guide, telling visitors what to look for, and partly an extended meditation on the forces that shaped the landscape, notably the glaciers that Muir studied with passion. His prose can be exuberant and sometimes quite romantic, but it comes from long, close observation, and he conveys the sense of a landscape as a living whole.
This recording is divided into twenty-five parts and lasts about seven hours. It was made by a group of LibriVox volunteers who take turns reading. The mixture of voices gives the book an unhurried, communal feel, as if different companions were pointing out the sights along the trail. For anyone who loves the outdoors, or who simply wants to understand why Yosemite became such a symbol of conservation, this is a worthwhile and enjoyable companion. Muir's enthusiasm is contagious, and even listeners who have never seen the valley may find themselves planning a journey by the time the last chapter ends.
Public domain
John Muir died in 1914: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text