A Passion for Nature
The Life of John Muir
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Narrated by:
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Jim Frangione
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By:
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Donald Worster
About this listen
"I am hopelessly and forever a mountaineer," John Muir wrote. "Civilization and fever and all the morbidness that has been hooted at me has not dimmed my glacial eye, and I care to live only to entice people to look at Nature's loveliness. My own special self is nothing".
In Donald Worster's magisterial biography, John Muir's "special self" is fully explored as is his extraordinary ability, then and now, to get others to see the sacred beauty of the natural world. A Passion for Nature is the most complete account of the great conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club ever written. It is the first to be based on Muir's full private correspondence and to meet modern scholarly standards. Yet it is also full of rich detail and personal anecdote, uncovering the complex inner life behind the legend of the solitary mountain man. It traces Muir from his boyhood in Scotland and frontier Wisconsin to his adult life in California after the Civil War and up to his death on the eve of World War I. It explores his marriage and family life, his relationship with his abusive father, his many friendships with the humble and famous (including Theodore Roosevelt and Ralph Waldo Emerson), and his role in founding the modern American conservation movement. Inspired by Muir's passion for the wilderness, Americans created a long and stunning list of national parks and wilderness areas, Yosemite the most prominent. Yet the audiobook also describes a Muir who was a successful fruit-grower, a talented scientist and world-traveler, a doting father and husband, a self-made man of wealth and political influence. A man for whom mountaineering was "a pathway to revelation and worship."
For anyone wishing to more fully understand America's first great environmentalist, and the enormous influence he still exerts today, Donald Worster's biography offers a wealth of insight into the passionate nature of a man whose passion for nature remains unsurpassed.
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By: David K. Randall
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Frontier Grit
- The Unlikely True Stories of Daring Pioneer Women
- By: Marianne Monson
- Narrated by: Caroline Shaffer
- Length: 5 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Discover the stories of 12 women who heard the call to settle the West and who came from all points of the globe to begin their journeys. As a slave Clara watched helplessly as her husband and children were sold, only to be reunited with her youngest daughter as a free woman six decades later. As a young girl, Charlotte hid her gender to escape a life of poverty and became the greatest stagecoach driver who ever lived. As a Native American, Gertrude fought to give her people a voice and to educate leaders about the ways and importance of America's native people.
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only ok
- By Jane Orr on 06-14-21
By: Marianne Monson
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American Eden
- David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic
- By: Victoria Johnson
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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When Dr. David Hosack tilled the country's first botanical garden in the Manhattan soil more than 200 years ago, he didn't just dramatically alter the New York landscape; he left a monumental legacy of advocacy for public health and wide-ranging support for the sciences. In melodic prose, historian Victoria Johnson eloquently chronicles Hosack's tireless career to reveal the breadth of his impact. The result is a lush portrait of the man who gave voice to a new, deeply American understanding of the powers and perils of nature.
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NYC as a semi-rural city
- By Elliott Wolfe, M.D. on 04-25-19
By: Victoria Johnson
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Fordlandia
- The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City
- By: Greg Grandin
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Fordlandia by National Book Award finalist Greg Grandin tells the enthralling tale of Henry Ford’s failed attempts to transform a Connecticut-sized chunk of Brazilian rainforest into a homespun slice of American utopia.
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An eye-opening account of an arrogant man's folly
- By Melissa on 09-17-13
By: Greg Grandin
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Heaven’s Ditch
- God, Gold, and Murder on the Erie Canal
- By: Jack Kelly
- Narrated by: Andrew Reilly
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The technological marvel of its age, the Erie Canal grew out of a sudden fit of inspiration. Proponents didn't just dream; they built a 360-mile waterway entirely by hand and largely through wilderness. As excitement crackled down its length, the canal became the scene of the most striking outburst of imagination in American history. Zealots invented new religions and new modes of living. The Erie Canal made New York the financial capital of America and brought the modern world crashing into the frontier.
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An under told story of the United States.
- By JayHey on 08-28-16
By: Jack Kelly
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Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher
- The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis
- By: Timothy Egan
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, Egan's book tells the remarkable untold story behind Edward Curtis's iconic photographs, following him throughout Indian country from desert to rainforest as he struggled to document the stories and rituals of more than eighty tribes. Even with the backing of Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan, it took tremendous perseverance. The undertaking changed him profoundly, from detached observer to outraged advocate.
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STUPENDOUS!
- By Curious Artist Librarian on 10-29-12
By: Timothy Egan
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Bold Spirit
- Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America
- By: Linda Lawrence Hunt
- Narrated by: Pat Stien
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1896, a Norwegian immigrant and mother of eight children named Helga Estby was behind on taxes and the mortgage when she learned that a mysterious sponsor would pay $10,000 to a woman who walked across America. Hoping to win the wager and save her family's farm, Helga and her teenaged daughter Clara, armed with little more than a compass, red-pepper spray, a revolver, and Clara's curling iron, set out on foot from Eastern Washington.
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Norwegian boldness!
- By MAF/BPF on 04-03-18
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The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States
- By: Mark Fiege
- Narrated by: William Bahl
- Length: 19 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In the dramatic narratives that comprise The Republic of Nature, Mark Fiege reframes the canonical account of American history based on the simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred. Revisiting historical icons so familiar that schoolchildren learn to take them for granted, he makes surprising connections that enable readers to see old stories in a new light.
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Will surely listen to it many times over.
- By Thomas Lopez on 01-24-20
By: Mark Fiege
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The Age of Gold
- The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream
- By: H.W. Brands
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill on the American River, it completely transformed the territory of California. Hundreds of thousands of people sped to California by any means possible, and small cities sprung up to service their needs as they sought the precious metal. By 1850, California had become a state; it had also become a symbol of where the nation was going.
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Very Enjoyable
- By Claire on 01-15-04
By: H.W. Brands
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Founding Gardeners
- The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation
- By: Andrea Wulf
- Narrated by: Antonia Bath
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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From the author of the acclaimed The Brother Gardeners, a fascinating look at the founding fathers from the unique and intimate perspective of their lives as gardeners, plantsmen, and farmers. For the founding fathers, gardening, agriculture, and botany were elemental passions, as deeply ingrained in their characters as their belief in liberty for the nation they were creating. These stories reveal a guiding but previously overlooked ideology of the American Revolution.
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"Outstanding Listen"
- By C. on 05-06-11
By: Andrea Wulf
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Liberty for All?
- A History of US, Book 5
- By: Joy Hakim
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Early nineteenth-century America could just about be summed up by Henry David Thoreau's words when he said, "Eastward I go only by force, but westward I go free." It was an exuberant time for the diverse citizens of the United States, who included a range of folk, from mountain men and railroad builders to whalers and farmers, as they pushed forward into the open frontier. And all their hopes and fears are captured in Liberty for All?
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Great survey of pre-Civil War US history
- By EmilyK on 01-05-15
By: Joy Hakim
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i would prefer david reading it
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What listeners say about A Passion for Nature
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Andrea G
- 02-12-16
The amazing life and mind of John Muir
What did you love best about A Passion for Nature?
I should have liked to have known him. An inspiring life dedicated to the natural world. humanity owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to John Muir
What does Jim Frangione bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Jim Frangione is the perfect narrator. His tone is likable and easy. Jim brings the listened into the story and one actually feels a part of it.
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- joecap1
- 01-12-23
A true gem
What an amazing man. Thank you John Muir.
Great narration. Great content.
Need to get to Yosemite.
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- Helen R. Cook
- 05-22-16
Badly read
One of the worst readers ever - mispronunciations, incorrect emphasis throughout. Sloppy work!
However, the story is well written and well worth hearing
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-13-21
London Dry
Very dry and long-winded but had some great anecdotes. Definitely worth a read if you're a friend of conservation
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- Anonymous User
- 01-20-18
Beautiful story and cause
Worster captures the life or Mr. Muir beautifully. Truly an inspiration to listen to his words. Great work.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Faith A. Laughlin
- 06-25-15
Very informative.
Having heard bits and pieces over my life about Muir, I enjoyed learning this more detailed view.
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- Daniel
- 05-19-20
Marquette County Man
great biography of a man who grew up in the same county, even though it was decades apart. Learned a lot about the Sierra club and the national parks and national forest creation. History from a different point of view than I was accustomed to.
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- Harold W. Wood Jr.
- 05-15-14
A good biography for historical perspective
Where does A Passion for Nature rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
The narration of this book somewhat matches the kind of book this is - - it is not literature, nor a paean to greatness, nor an adventure story, as previous Muir biographies have been. Rather, this book goes into depth about Muir's life and puts it into historical perspective, in a fairly academic way. Unfortunately, the performance of this narrator was not nearly as good as most of the audiobook I have come to expect on audible.com.
What was one of the most memorable moments of A Passion for Nature?
Muir's entire life was memorable, from his adventures in the mountains and on glaciers, and in his conservation battles.
What didn’t you like about Jim Frangione’s performance?
This is one of the worst - read narrations I have heard in an audio book. The performer spoke in a fairly academic monotone which I suppose in some ways matches the kind of book this is, but several times he mis-pronounced some fairly common scientific terms, like the word "lichen." Jim Franigione may be a professional narrator, but seems to be the kind that reads labels rather than literature.
Although Muir himself clearly had a "passion for nature" which is gloriously expressed in Muir's writings, and included in many of the quotes used here, you would never know it from this narration. For one thing, the narrator read the quotes in the same tone of voice he read the main text. It was thus often very hard to tell what was a quotation and what was Donald Worster's main text. The narrator didn't even seem to try to make the quotes stand out from the rest of the text. I have come to expect far better in most audiobooks.
The publisher should have selected a narrator who is used to reading fiction - many audible audio books have performers that have different "voices" for every different character, and many have a talent for different accents as well. This book cried out for someone who could read Muir with a Scottish accent, and put a little "passion" into Muir's passionate writing, while then returning to a normal narrative for the rest of the text. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. I can't say it ruined the book, because the book itself was good writing - for a historical biography, but it did diminish it.
Any additional comments?
The important thing to remember is that this is a historical perspective of John Muir's life, written by a noted academic. As such, it is not quite as "readable" as some of the earlier biographies of Muir's life, which read much more like an adventure story, as in the case of the Pulitzer prize winning biography by Linnie Marsh Wolfe, which extols Muir's greatness. But if you want to understand better how Muir's life fit in with other things that were happening during his life, in a highly objective manner, this is the best biography for that. The author is a historian, not a novelist or an environmentalist or a story-teller. So his objectivity seems to make this biography a bit more dry than other Muir biographies where the authors quickly get caught up in the excitement of Muir's life. But earlier biographies have their own problems, such as inaccuracies and failing to contain more recent information. This biography is in many ways more thorough and more accurate than prior Muir biographies.
In addition, as well as putting the life of John Muir in context, the author puts quite a bit of his own interpretations into the narrative. This is of interest to those who know something about Muir, whether you agree with him or not, because it can at least provoke discussion. If you don't know much about Muir, then perhaps a more straightforward biography is better for you.
As a history book, it is a good book, for audiences with a more scholarly bent. If you are looking for something more exciting to read about Muir's life, there are several earlier biographies that do that, but may not cover Muir's life as thoroughly.
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30 people found this helpful
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- Jarred King
- 07-16-18
Great read
Amazing man amazing story a true American hero! The mountains are calling and I must go.
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- EngineerDAD
- 06-22-17
Why don't we learn about John Muir in school
I am not normally a biography/autobiography listener but this book was recommended to me by a friend so I got it. I was drawn into Muir's story and had to think for all he had done from our country and people in general why have I never heard of him before.
To be honest there were some slow parts but in all it was a pretty interesting story. The production was done very well and the Narrator did a very good job.
I would recommend this book to anyone.
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