Harper Academic

The Quiet World

Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom, 1879-1960

by Douglas Brinkley

On Sale: 12/20/2011

Price: $23.99

The Quiet World

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The Quiet World

Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom, 1879-1960

by Douglas Brinkley

On Sale: 12/20/2011

Format:

Price: $23.99

About the Book

In this fascinating follow-up to his New York Times best-seller Wilderness Warrior, acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley documents the century-long struggle to save wild Alaska. The Quiet World explores the colorful diversity of Alaska’s wildlife and the forces that have threatened it over the years, from Klondike Gold Rush prospectors to industrial disasters like the Exxon-Valdez oil spill.

Brinkley pays tribute to those who have fought to preserve this pristine wilderness, from Theodore Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower to the Walt Disney Corporation, and examines the threats that continue to imperil our 49th state. The Quiet World is a compelling call-to-arms for sustainability, conservationism, and conscientious environmental stewardship — a warning that the land once called “Seward’s Folly” may go down in history as America’s greatest mistake.

Douglas Brinkley is a professor of history at Rice University and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair. Seven of his books, including The Wilderness Warrior, have been selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. The Great Deluge, his account of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

“The Quiet World is a fascinating and important read.” — Jon Krakauer

Critical Praise

“Douglas Brinkley has written a sweeping, blow-by-blow account of the struggle to preserve the last great remnants of American wilderness. An engaging appraisal of the crucial skirmishes in the battle over wild Alaska, The Quiet World is populated not only by the requisite luminaries like John Muir and Ansel Adams, but also by a cast of quirky, unexpected characters. The Quiet World is a fascinating and important read.” — Jon Krakauer

“A poignant cautionary tale for policymakers considering quick get-rich fixes to long-term problems with ecological implications. . . . In Brinkley’s hands, the still-raging battle to save Alaska’s wild character is riveting.” — The Christian Science Monitor

“Engrossing. . . . The Quiet World brims over with information and insight, passion and insistence. . . . A bit like Alaska itself: large, formidable, raw and ultimately unforgettable.” — The Washington Post

“Brinkley carves well-known figures with the tools of a skilled biographer. . . . This volume is required reading for anyone even mildly interested in the antecedents to U.S. environmental policy in the 21st century.” — The Los Angeles Times

“An important book.” — The Houston Chronicle

“A richly detailed, passionate and partisan account. . . . In lush prose, [Brinkley] captures Alaska’s pristine beauty.” — The Minneapolis Star Tribune

“A very readable history of the preservationist movement across the nation.” — The Seattle Times

The Quiet World succeeds as a steadily paced and well-researched history. But what happily makes this sprawling story so readable is how the Rice University scholar lovingly spins a tale of how ‘a noble band of conservationist revolutionaries’ saved Alaska-from its exploiters and for the rest of us. . . .The Quiet World brims with vivid characters.” — The Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Product Details

  • ISBN: 9780062005977
  • ISBN 10: 0062005979
  • Imprint: Harper Perennial
  • On Sale: 12/20/2011
  • Trimsize: 6.000 in (w) x 9.000 in (h) x 0.950 in (d)
  • Pages: 624
  • List Price: $23.99
  • BISAC1 : HISTORY / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)
  • BISAC2 : NATURE / Environmental Conservation & Protection
  • BISAC3 : NATURE / Regional