The National Parks: America's Best Idea | Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns

The National Parks: America's Best Idea | Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns | National Parks by Ken Burns

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The Quantum Theory... Aladdin (Disney Sp... The National Parks...

	The National Parks: America's Best Idea Dayton Duncan, Ken Burns Knopf, 2009 - 432 pages average customer review:based on 50 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The companion volume to the twelve-hour PBS series from the acclaimed filmmaker behind The Civil War, Baseball, and The War

America?s national parks spring from an idea as radical as the Declaration of Independence: that the nation?s most magnificent and sacred places should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. In this evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan delve into the history of the park idea, from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite and the creation of the world?s first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, through the most recent additions to a system that now encompasses nearly four hundred sites and 84 million acres.

The authors recount the adventures, mythmaking, and intense political battles behind the evolution of the park system, and the enduring ideals that fostered its growth. They capture the importance and splendors of the individual parks: from Haleakala in Hawaii to Acadia in Maine, from Denali in Alaska to the Everglades in Florida, from Glacier in Montana to Big Bend in Texas. And they introduce us to a diverse cast of compelling characters?both unsung heroes and famous figures such as John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ansel Adams?who have been transformed by these special places and committed themselves to saving them from destruction so that the rest of us could be transformed as well.

The National Parks is a glorious celebration of an essential expression of American democracy.

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A MUST HAVE for me....

I knew from the time I watched the TV series that I had to have this book. For me, it's important history as well as a beautiful picture book... Perfect coffee-table book!
The National Parks: America's Best Idea

National Parks by Ken Burns

This is one of the most beautiful books about our national parks. Not only are the pictures breathtaking, but the stories that go with them and talk about the history makes it personal and adds to every single picture. I bought this for a friend who is really into nature and he loved it. I would recommend this book to every nature lover.

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Absolute BEST book on National Parks

Bought this for each of my kids & their families. Written by Ken Burns who produced the National Park series recently. Outstanding background, history and pictures of the parks.

written version of the movies

This book is literally a written version of the movies. I really like having it because of the quality images, but would probably be more likely to recommend the abridged CDs. The CDs are great for long car rides and are easier to follow than the movies because the narrator's voice is less likely to put you to sleep than the movies' narrator.

Great TV series, disappointing book

Loved the PBS series on the Nat'l Parks, so expected more from the book.
Would've sent it back but was too lazy to do so over the holidays.
Guess I expected more full-color pictures and modern-day descriptions
of each park. The history is interesting of course, but the book wasn't what
I thought it would be.

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