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Reviews
This is an important book both because this is the first biography of Benton MacKaye and because it explores the philosophy behind the Appalachian Trail.
In the first comprehensive biography of MacKaye, Larry Anderson does an impressive job of bringing an enigmatic figure into sharper focus and shedding light on the long list of important contributions MacKaye made to the American environmental movement... A readable, engrossing biography.
Larry Anderson's splendid biography of Benton MacKaye recounts the life of an American pioneer in regional and recreational planning, wilderness preservation, and environmental thought... A first-rate biography of a unique American thinker. Throughout, Anderson ably places MacKaye in political, cultural, and environmental contexts and reveals the reciprocal influences among MacKaye, Mumford, Stein, and others.
Anderson's thoroughly researched book is the first complete biography of MacKaye.
Benton MacKaye was a visionary whose original ideas deserve to be better known among contemporary planners, and this first detailed biography of MacKaye should become the standard account of his life and work.
A superb and much-anticipated biography of Benton MacKaye. Rich in detail (a sign of Anderson's diligent research) and smart in its analysis (an indication of his supple intellect), the book brings the often-quirky MacKaye to life. In weaving together his subject's private worries and public activism, Anderson has given us the definitive and first full biographical treatment of MacKaye, a remarkable achievement.
This biography provides the first complete portrait of a significant and unique figure in American environmental history. Drawing on extensive research, Larry Anderson traces MacKaye's extensive career, examines his many published works, and describes the importance of MacKaye's relationships with such influential figures as Lewis Mumford, Aldo Leopold, and Walter Lippmann.
Anderson's close biography fleshes out MacKaye's intellectually fascinating although sometimes physically trying and emotionally harrowing life... Anderson ties together the many strands of MacKaye's long life and his many enduring friendships and associations.
As much a biography of MacKaye's intellectual journey as it is a life story... It is unimaginable—after reading 400 pages of text and 50 pages of footnotes, scholarly in appearance and journalistic in approach—that an extant piece of writing by or about MacKaye has since escaped Anderson's attentions.
A detailed and sympathetic biography of visionary planner Benton MacKaye.
Anderson's lucid, well-researched, and sensitive story provides an illuminating on-the-ground snapshot of the inner workings of the intellectual networks, social relationships, governmental and business institutions, particular projects, and downright good and bad luck that constitute the fabric of historical movements such as conservation and regional planning.
This is a book that thoughtful hikers will enjoy.
There is no biography of Benton MacKaye and this is likely to become the standard work on this important American for many years. It is a major contribution to the history of the development of the wilderness conservation and recreation movement, as well as a thorough and engaging account of the life and work of one of its most innovative leaders.
Larry Anderson has written an excellent book, meticulously researched and well organized. The scholarship is impeccable. Environmental, intellectual, and planning historians will all find this biography an invaluable addition to the literature.
About
Book Details
Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6.125
x 9.25
Pages
468
ISBN
9780801890949
Illustration Description
30 halftones, 26 maps
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction. "Expedition 9"
Chapter 1. The MacKaye Inheritance, 1879–1896
Chapter 2. From Harvard Yard to the "Primaevial Forest", 1896–1903
Chapter 3. The Education of a Progressive
Acknowledgements
Introduction. "Expedition 9"
Chapter 1. The MacKaye Inheritance, 1879–1896
Chapter 2. From Harvard Yard to the "Primaevial Forest", 1896–1903
Chapter 3. The Education of a Progressive Forester, 1903–1911
Chapter 4. Raising Hell, 1911–1915
Chapter 5. Reclaiming America's Wild Lands for Work and Play, 1915–1916
Chapter 6. Employment and Natural Resources, 1917–1919
Chapter 7. Turning Point, 1919–1921
Chapter 8. First Steps along the Appalachian Trail, 1921–1923
Chapter 9. The Regional Planning Association of America and the Appalachian Trail Conference, 1923–1925
Chapter 10. The New Exploration, 1925–1928
Chapter 11. Trailwork and the "Townless Highway," 1928–1931
Chapter 12. "RP = TH + AT + HT," a Formula for the New Deal, 1931–1933
Chapter 13. The Tennessee Valley Authority 1934–1936
Chapter 14. The Wilderness Society, 1934–1936
Chapter 15. "Watershed Democracy," 1936–1945
Chapter 16. Wilderness in a Changing World, 1937–1950
Chapter 17. "Geotechnics of North America," 1944–1972
Chapter 18. Linking Action with Prophecy, 1953–1975
Epilogue. A "Planetary Feeling"Appendix. "An Appalachain Trail," by Benton MacKaye
Abbreviations
Notes
Note on Sources
Index
