"Like Muir himself, Essential Muir packs an astounding range of experience into a lithe frame: ecstatic yet scientific descriptions of Yosemite; the heartrending tale of that "wee, hairy, sleekit beastie," Stickeen; reflections on the society of Eskimos; Muir's touching tribute, after a lifetime of wonder, to the mighty baobob trees of Africa; and more. Fred D. White's selection from Muir's writings, and his illuminating commentary, reveal the coherence and drama of a remarkable life: new readers will understand why Muir has become an American icon, and readers who are familiar with his work will be delighted with this fresh look. Muir's fierce love of all of nature, from squirrels to glaciers (but perhaps not sheep), continues to inspire us nearly a century after his death."--Book jacket.

Part one. The visionary inventor: "Knowledge and inventions," from The story of my boyhood and youth -- "The world and the university," from The story of my boyhood and youth -- Part two. The wandering minstrel: "Through the Cumberland Mountains, the river country of Georgia, and across Florida to Cedar Keys," from A thousand-mile walk to the gulf -- Part three. The nature scribe and rhapsode: "A near view of the High Sierra," from The mountains of California -- "A wind-storm in the forests," from The mountains of California -- "Yosemite falls at midnight," from The life and letters of John Muir -- "Nut time in Squirrelville," from The life and letters of John Muir -- "Yosemite glaciers," New York Tribune, Dec. 5, 1871 -- Part four. The global adventurer: "Eskimos and walrus," from The cruise of the Corwin -- "Stickeen vs. the glacier," from Stickeen -- Part five. The planet steward: "God's first temples: how shall we preserve our forests?" Sacramento Daily Union, Feb. 5, 1876 -- "The wild parks and forest reservations of the West," Atlantic Monthly, August 1897.