In this lavishly illustrated book well-known environmental historian Alfred Runte, a prominent figure on the Ken Burns documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea, tells the highly engaging story of the development of our national parks, from the first national park, Yellowstone, to the more recent decision to set aside vast tracts of Alaska for preservation.
Alfred Runte received his Ph.D from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is the author of Yosemite: The Embattled Wilderness, Trains of Discovery: Western Railroads and the National Parks, and Allies of the Earth: Railroads and the Soul of Preservation. He lives in Seattle, Washington.