Unspoiled Beauty: A Personal Guide to Missouri Wilderness This book by Charles J.
Farmer has general reference information about the eight Missouri Wilderness Areas, along with
personal stories of visits to each. Its a good place to start learning about Missouri Wilderness, and
the foreward was written by MWC member John Karel.
Earth's Song Written by Leonard Hall and published by University of Missouri Press in 1981,
this book unfortunately appears to be out of print. Leonard Hall lived on a farm near Caledonia, MO
and, amongst other things, published many articles in the St. Louis Post Dispatch. What makes this
particular set of writings interesting to MWC is Chapter 8: "A Legacy of Wilderness". Written
at a time when Missouri's Wilderness Areas were just getting established (except for Hercules
Glades and Mingo, which were already designated), the chapter provides a unique perspective on
Bell Mountain Wilderness and Irish Wilderness Areas; Current, Jack's Fork, and Eleven Point Rivers;
and Missouri wild lands philosophy.
The Enduring Wilderness: Protecting our National Heritage through the Wilderness Act By Doug
Scott. An excellent, easy to navigate reference book about the history, present, and future of the
Wilderness Act.
Wilderness and the American Mind This book by Roderick Nash was first published
in 1967, yet remains one of the most important wilderness books available today.
The Idea of Wilderness: From Prehistory to the Age of Ecology By Max Oelschlaeger. This is a
full-blown, scholarly study on the notion of "wilderness". A good book, but not light reading.
International Journal of Wilderness This
magazine provides a forum for reporting and discussing wilderness ideas and events;
inspirational ideas; planning, management, and allocation strategies; education; and research and
policy aspects of wilderness stewardship.
Sand County Almanac By Aldo Leopold. This is a classic conservation text if ever there was one.
While most of the writings are more generally about nature, conservation, and related observations
and philosophies, there are some important ideas about wilderness and wild lands in this book. Aldo
was one of the early conservationists to recognize and promote the idea of wilderness, and
co-founed the Wilderness Society in 1935.
The Singing Wilderness By Sigurd Olson. Published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1956, this was Olson's
first book and it was immensely successful, becoming a classic of American nature writing. For Sigurd
himself, it was the culmination of a long and hard-fought dream.
Listening Point By Sigurd Olson. The short chapters in this book all focus on The Listening Point
- the site of Olson's cabin on Burntside Lake on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. He somewhat
begrudgingly acknowledges his own role in the destruction of the wilderness by building this cabin,
but the Listening Point is his spiritual connection to the wilderness to the north of him.
Wilderness Visionaries By Jim Dale Vickery. Biographies on the following important writers:
Thoreau, Muir, Robert Service, Bob Marshall,Olaus Johan Murie, and most importantly for the North
Woods region- Aldo Leopold, Calvin Rutstrum, Sigurd Olson. The book also has bibliographies and source
notes.
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