Our National Parks, by Ansel Adams
published 1992 - read 2004

The sampling of Adams's photography of the national parks is, of course, breathtaking.  His dedication to perfect prints is well-known and shows in every single image.  But the surprise of this book is the smartly edited collection of letters and essays by Adams on the topic of the national parks system and what it should mean.  In Adams's mind, a great deal of what the parks were involved in was rubbish, and ultimately degraded the pure, spiritually-uplifiting experience of magnificent natural places.  Whether you agree or not, he argues his case eloquently and sincerely; very much worth the read.

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