53 pages • 1 hour read
Wilderness and the American Mind
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Brief
432
Book • Nonfiction
North America • 16th-20th Century
1967
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash traces the evolving relationship between US citizens and wilderness from colonial times to the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Nash explores this transformation through historical figures, pivotal moments, and ideological shifts, influenced by enlightenment, Romanticism, and transcendentalism. He highlights the impact of key figures like Thoreau and Muir in the preservation movement and discusses ongoing ideological debates, offering his own solutions for a balanced coexistence between civilization and the environment.
Informative
Contemplative
Inspirational
Nostalgic
Reviews & Readership
2,144 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Roderick Nash's Wilderness and the American Mind is a seminal exploration of America's evolving relationship with wilderness. Reviews praise its thorough research and insightful historical analysis, highlighting Nash's ability to contextualize the cultural significance of nature. Some find the prose dense and occasionally dry, but overall, it's deemed essential for environmental studies.
Who Should Read Wilderness and the American Mind?
Readers passionate about environmental history and conservation, especially those intrigued by the evolution of American wilderness ideals, will enjoy Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash. Comparable to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden or Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, this book captures the essence of environmental philosophy.
2,144 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
432
Book • Nonfiction
North America • 16th-20th Century
1967
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.