John Muir’s Grand Yosemite: Musings & Sketches

John Muir was probably the foremost naturalist in the history of our country. We would surely not have such a marvelous, robust national park system were it not for him. In his day, before ubiquitous cameras, people commonly kept journals including sketches of natural wonders they encountered. Muir was no exception. Mike Wurtz has clearly done a great deal of research with John Muir’s journals as his central focus. This slim volume opens with a nice introduction letting readers know a bit about Muir, how Wurtz went about his work, how to use the book, and safety precautions. A map of Yosemite showing the twenty-five sites included faces the table of contents. Spreads of the twenty-five sites have a copy of a page from Muir’s journal which shows Muir’s rendering of the place. Facing that is a description of the location including GPS coordinates, a passage, almost always from Muir’s journals with a couple exceptions, and commentary by Wurtz, who clearly has great passion for his subject. Wurtz is both an exceptional writer and researcher. This book will be a delight for any who love Yosemite or who have an interest in history.