[at-l] RE: An old favorite

[lpatton@mailer.fsu.edu (Linda Patton)]

Paul wrote:
> Recently, I started re-reading _An Appalachian Trail Reader_  ,
> edited by David Emblidge....

Correcto!  Truly a wonderful book.  Here's the entry I made in 
my "AT Bibliography"
-------------------------
THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL READER
by David Emblidge
Oxford University Press, Orders: 2001 Evans Rd., Cary NC 27513
1996, 400 pp., illus., maps, ISBN 0195100913 (hard cover) $27.50
1997, 400 pp., illus., maps, ISBN 0195100905 (paperback) $15.95

        The dust cover has an accurate description of this book:

"A lively and eye-opening introduction to a national treasure, "The 
Appalachian Trail Reader" collects trail diaries, poems, and essays that
reflect the meaning  of this great wilderness trail across both time and
geography. Here are the works of both well-known writers and anonymous
raconteurs, including Henry David Thoreau, JamesDickey, Aldo Leopold, 
James MacGregor Burns, Richard Wilbur, and many others. The  trail's 
founding fathers  Benton MacKaye and Myron Avery speak here, too, about
their visions and plans. Excerpts from Appalachian Trail hikers' journals,
from the 1930's to the 1990's, provide a firsthand, intimate portrait of 
walking the  trail. Scientists' close observations of the natural world 
mingle with poets' evocations of the sweetness or the rigors of the 
wilderness experience.  Early Appalachian explorers report the thrill of 
seeing uncharted territory and wildlife for the first time. Here, too, are
historians who remind us of how American recreational hiking developed 
against a background of evolving ideas of the wilderness itself. Taken as 
a whole, this patchwork quilt of voices, both eloquent and raw, offers a 
surprisingly varied pattern of appreciation for thewilds of the 
Appalachians and for its famous footpath, the Appalachian Trail.
        With the addition of maps of the trail and photographs displaying 
its scenic beauty, "The Appalachian Trail Reader" presents a rich 
introduction to the trail  for those planning a walking trip, and a vivid
scrapbook for those who have already hiked its mountains or valleys."

        Speaking for myself, some of the most interesting items in this 
anthology were the Thru-Hiker Reports to the Appalachian Trail Conference,
since these are not normally available in published form. I wonder if ATC 
would take this hint and publish volumes of some of the best of these 
reports.

        Posted by Earthworm on Dec 12, 1998.
----------------------------
NB:  No hints taken as of yet.  ;-)  eArThworm

Linda L. Patton, Reference Librarian, Strozier Library, Florida State Univ.
      Tallahassee, FL 32306-2047 (850)644-5019 lpatton@mailer.fsu.edu