Sierra Club Books
Encyclopedia
Sierra Club Books is the publishing division of the Sierra Club
, founded in 1960 by then Sierra Club President David Brower. Volumes intended for club members had been published prior to 1960. In addition, books under their name had been published before 1960, but done through already established publishers, as was the case with This Is Dinosaur, published by Alfred A. Knopf
. Their first in-house book, volume 1 in the Exhibit Format series, was This is the American Earth, published in 1960. In 1962, they introduced color photography to the series with the publication of In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World with photographs by Eliot Porter
and Island In Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula with photographs by Philip Hyde (photographer)
. The series won the 1964 Carey-Thomas Award for creative publishing, by Publishers Weekly
. Fifty thousand copies were sold in the first four years, and by 1964 sales exceeded $10 million. Soon they were publishing two new titles a year in the Exhibit Format series, but not all did as well as In Wildness. The books were successful in introducing the public to wilderness preservation and the Sierra Club, but lost money for the organization, some $60,000 a year after 1964. Paperback reprints of many of the Exhibit Format books were published by Ballantine Books
. Other books published by Sierra Club Books include various field guides, and books on environmental activism, such as the Sierra Club Battlebooks. They publish the Sierra Club Wilderness Calendar and the Sierra Club Engagement Calendar annually, which are perennial bestsellers.
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, founded in 1960 by then Sierra Club President David Brower. Volumes intended for club members had been published prior to 1960. In addition, books under their name had been published before 1960, but done through already established publishers, as was the case with This Is Dinosaur, published by Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. is a New York publishing house, founded by Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. in 1915. It was acquired by Random House in 1960 and is now part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group at Random House. The publishing house is known for its borzoi trademark , which was designed by co-founder...
. Their first in-house book, volume 1 in the Exhibit Format series, was This is the American Earth, published in 1960. In 1962, they introduced color photography to the series with the publication of In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World with photographs by Eliot Porter
Eliot Porter
Eliot Furness Porter was an American photographer best known for his color photographs of nature.-Early life:...
and Island In Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula with photographs by Philip Hyde (photographer)
Philip Hyde (photographer)
Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
. The series won the 1964 Carey-Thomas Award for creative publishing, by Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
. Fifty thousand copies were sold in the first four years, and by 1964 sales exceeded $10 million. Soon they were publishing two new titles a year in the Exhibit Format series, but not all did as well as In Wildness. The books were successful in introducing the public to wilderness preservation and the Sierra Club, but lost money for the organization, some $60,000 a year after 1964. Paperback reprints of many of the Exhibit Format books were published by Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
. Other books published by Sierra Club Books include various field guides, and books on environmental activism, such as the Sierra Club Battlebooks. They publish the Sierra Club Wilderness Calendar and the Sierra Club Engagement Calendar annually, which are perennial bestsellers.
Exhibit Format
- (edited by David Brower, unless otherwise indicated)
- This is the American Earth, Ansel AdamsAnsel AdamsAnsel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....
and Nancy NewhallNancy NewhallNancy Wynne Newhall was an American photography critic. She is best known for writing the text to accompany photographs by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, but was also a widely published writer on photography, conservation, and American culture.Newhall was born Nancy Wynne in Lynn, Massachusetts,...
, 1960 - Words of the Earth, Cedric WrightCedric WrightGeorge Cedric Wright was an American violinist and wilderness photographer of the High Sierra. He was Ansel Adams's mentor and best friend for decades.-Family:...
- These We Inherit: The Parklands of America, Ansel Adams
- "In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World", selected text by Henry David ThoreauHenry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
, edited by, and with photographs by, Eliot Porter, 1962 - The Place No One Knew: Glen CanyonGlen CanyonGlen Canyon is a canyon that is located in southeastern and south central Utah and northwestern Arizona within the Vermilion Cliffs area. It was carved by the Colorado River....
on the Colorado, photographs by Eliot Porter - The Last Redwoods: Photographs and Story of a Vanishing Scenic Resource, Philip HydePhilip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
and Franćois Leydet - Ansel Adams: A Biography. Volume 1: The Eloquent Light, Nancy Newhall
- Time and the River Flowing: Grand Canyon, Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
and Franćois Leydet - Gentle Wilderness: The Sierra Nevada, excerpted text from John Muir, photographs by Richard Kauffman
- Not Man Apart: Photographs of the Big SurBig SurBig Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...
Coast, excerpted poetry from Robinson JeffersRobinson JeffersJohn Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. Most of Jeffers' poetry was written in classic narrative and epic form, but today he is also known for his short verse, and considered an icon of the environmental movement.-Life:Jeffers was born in... - The Wild CascadesNorth Cascades National Park Service ComplexNorth Cascades National Park Complex is a complex of the United States National Park Service located in the north-central portion of the state of Washington...
: Forgotten Parkland, Harvey ManningHarvey ManningHarvey Manning was a noted author of hiking guides and climbing textbooks, and a tireless hiking advocate. Manning lived on Cougar Mountain, within the city limits of Bellevue, Washington, calling his home the "200 meter hut"...
, foreword by William O. DouglasWilliam O. DouglasWilliam Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
(1965) - Everest: The West Ridge, Thomas F. HornbeinTom HornbeinThomas "Tom" Hornbein is a well-known American mountaineer.Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hornbein developed an interest in geology as a teenager. His study of geology led to a fascination with mountains. Eventually he also became interested in medicine; he studied and worked as an anesthesiologist...
, with photographs from the American Mount Everest Expedition - Summer Island: PenobscotPenobscot BayPenobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
Country, Eliot Porter - Navajo Wildlands: As Long as the rivers Shall Run, Stephen Jett, photographs by Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
(Kenneth BrowerKenneth BrowerKenneth Brower is an American nonfiction writer.He is best known for his many books about the environment, national parks, and natural places, many of them in hundreds of libraries and by major publishers, including several titles in the series The Earth's Wild Places published by the Friends of...
, editor) - Kauai and the Park Country of Hawaii Robert Wenkam (Kenneth Brower, editor)
- Glacier BayGlacier Bay National Park and PreserveGlacier Bay National Park is a national park in Alaska. The area around Glacier Bay in southeastern Alaska was first proclaimed a U.S. National Monument on February 25, 1925. It was changed to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve on Dec. 2, 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation...
: The Land and the Silence, Dave Bohn - Baja CaliforniaBaja CaliforniaBaja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
and the Geography of Hope, Joseph Wood KrutchJoseph Wood KrutchJoseph Wood Krutch was an American writer, critic, and naturalist.Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, he initially studied at the University of Tennessee and received a masters degree and Ph.D. from Columbia University. After serving in the army in 1918, he travelled in Europe for a year with friend...
, photographs by Eliot Porter (Kenneth Brower, editor) - Central ParkCentral ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
Country: A Tune Within Us, Mireille Johnston, photographs by Nancy and Retta Johnson (introduction by Marianne MooreMarianne MooreMarianne Moore was an American Modernist poet and writer noted for her irony and wit.- Life :Moore was born in Kirkwood, Missouri, in the manse of the Presbyterian church where her maternal grandfather, John Riddle Warner, served as pastor. She was the daughter of mechanical engineer and inventor...
)- The Earth's Wild Places (published in cooperation with The Conservation FoundationWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
)(Kenneth Brower, editor)
- The Earth's Wild Places (published in cooperation with The Conservation Foundation
- 19. Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness 1. Discovery, photographs by Eliot Porter, introduction by Loren EiseleyLoren EiseleyLoren Eiseley was an American anthropologist, educator, philosopher, and natural science writer, who taught and published books from the 1950s through the 1970s. During this period he received more than 36 honorary degrees and was a fellow of many distinguished professional societies...
, with selected text from Charles DarwinCharles DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, Herman MelvilleHerman MelvilleHerman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
, and others. - 20. Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness 2. Prospect, photographs by Eliot Porter, introduction by John B. Milton, text by Eliot Porter and Kenneth Brower
Battlebooks
- Oil on Ice: Alaskan Wilderness at the Crossroads, Tom BrownTom Brown (naturalist)Tom Brown, Jr. is an American naturalist, wilderness tracker and the author of numerous books, including a series of field guides. Brown attributes his tracking skills and his spiritual philosophy to the teachings of a Lipan Apache elder named Stalking Wolf, who instructed Brown during his childhood...
(B-1) - Mercury, Katherine and Peter Montague (B-2) (1971)
Material World
- Material World: A Global Family Portrait, Charles C. MannCharles C. MannCharles C. Mann is an American journalist and author, specializing in scientific topics.He is the coauthor of four books, and contributing editor for Science and Atlantic Monthly. In 2005 he wrote 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, followed in 2011 by 1493: Uncovering the New...
, photographs by Peter MenzelPeter MenzelPeter J. Menzel is an American freelance photojournalist best known for his coverage of scientific and technological subjects. His work has appeared in many national and international publications including National Geographic, Forbes, Fortune, Wired, Geo, Stern, Paris Match, Life and Le Figaro...
, introduction by Paul KennedyPaul KennedyPaul Michael Kennedy CBE, FBA , is a British historian at Yale University specialising in the history of international relations, economic power and grand strategy. He has published prominent books on the history of British foreign policy and Great Power struggles...
(1994) - Women in the Material World, Faith D'Aluisio, photographs by Peter Menzel, foreword by Naomi WolfNaomi WolfNaomi Wolf is an American author and political consultant. With the publication of The Beauty Myth, she became a leading spokesperson of what was later described as the third wave of the feminist movement.-Biography:...
(1996)
Other
- Island in Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula, Harold GilliamHarold GilliamHarold Gilliam is a San Francisco based writer, newspaperman and environmentalist, graduate of UC Berkeley, book author and former columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner newspapers. The "Harold Gilliam Award for Excellence in Environmental Reporting", given by the Bay Institute of...
, photographs by Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
, foreword by Stuart Udall (1962) - On the Loose, Terry & Renny Russell (1967)
- The Population BombThe Population BombThe Population Bomb was a best-selling book written by Paul R. Ehrlich and his wife, Anne Ehrlich , in 1968. It warned of the mass starvation of humans in the 1970s and 1980s due to overpopulation, as well as other major societal upheavals, and advocated immediate action to limit population growth...
, Paul R. EhrlichPaul R. EhrlichPaul Ralph Ehrlich is an American biologist and educator who is the Bing Professor of Population Studies in the department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University and president of Stanford's Center for Conservation Biology. By training he is an entomologist specializing in Lepidoptera , but...
(1968) (co-published by Ballantine BooksBallantine BooksBallantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
) - On the Shore of the Sundown Sea, T.H. Watkins (editor, American West PublishingWestern History AssociationThe Western History Association was organized in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico, to "promote the study of the North American West in its varied aspects and broadest sense." Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western History Association is headquartered at...
), illustrated by Earl Thollander (1973) - The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, Wendell BerryWendell BerryWendell Berry is an American man of letters, academic, cultural and economic critic, and farmer. He is a prolific author of novels, short stories, poems, and essays...
(1977) - Fifty Classic Climbs of North AmericaFifty Classic Climbs of North AmericaFifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. It is considered a definitive piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspiration for more recent climbing books, such as Mark...
, Steve RoperSteve RoperSteve Roper is a noted climber and historian of the Sierra Nevada in the United States. He along with Allen Steck are the founding editors of the Sierra Club journal Ascent.Roper is the winner of the Sierra Club's Francis P...
& Allen SteckAllen SteckAllen Steck is an American mountaineer and rock climber, and a native of Oakland, California.-Mountaineering:Steck started climbing with his brother George. In 1940 when Allen was 16, the two completed the first ascent of the northwest ridge of Mount Maclure . He served in the U.S. Navy during...
(1979) ISBN 0-87156-292-8 - Annapurna: A Woman's Place, Arlene BlumArlene BlumArlene Blum is an American mountaineer, writer, and environmental health scientist. She is best known for leading an all-woman ascent of Annapurna , a climb that was also the first successful American ascent...
(1980), ISBN 0-87156-236-7 - The River WhyThe River WhyThe River Why is an independent film based on the 1983 Sierra Club novel of the same name by David James Duncan.The film stars Zach Gilford, William Hurt and Amber Heard and is directed by Matthew Leutwyler.Showtime broadcast the film in August 2011...
, David James DuncanDavid James DuncanDavid James Duncan is an American novelist and essayist, best known for his two bestselling novels, The River Why and The Brothers K...
(1983) - In a Grain of Sand: Exploring Design by Nature, Andreas FeiningerAndreas FeiningerAndreas Bernhard Lyonel Feininger was a German American photographer, and writer on photographic technique, noted for his dynamic black-and-white scenes of Manhattan and studies of the structure of natural objects....
(1986) - Wild by Law: The Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and the Places It Has Saved, Tom Turner, photographs by Carr Clifton, Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde (photographer)Philip Hyde was a pioneer landscape photographer and conservationist. He attended Ansel Adams' photography program at the California School of Fine Arts, now the San Francisco Art Institute, beginning with the Summer Session in 1946 and enrolling in the full-time professional photography training,...
and others (1990) (published in association with the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund) - California's Wild Heritage: Threatened and Endangered Animals in the Golden State, Peter Steinhart, introduction by Robert I. Bowman, in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and GameCalifornia Department of Fish and GameThe California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
and the California Academy of SciencesCalifornia Academy of SciencesThe California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
(1990) - In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations, Jerry ManderJerry ManderJerold Irwin "Jerry" Mander is an American activist and author, best known for his 1977 book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television...
(1991) ISBN 9780871565099 - Mother Earth: Through the Eyes of Women Photographers and Writers, Judith Boice, editor (1992)
- Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind, Theodore RoszakTheodore RoszakTheodore Roszak may refer to*Theodore Roszak , Polish-American sculptor and painter*Theodore Roszak , historian and author of The Making of a Counterculture...
, et al (1995) ISBN 0-87156-406-8 - Bay Area Wild: A Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San Francisco Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, Galen RowellGalen RowellGalen Avery Rowell was a noted wilderness photographer and climber. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972.-Early life and education:...
with Michael Sewell (1997) - Galen Rowell: A Retrospective, foreword by Tom BrokawTom BrokawThomas John "Tom" Brokaw is an American television journalist and author best known as the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1982 to 2004. He is the author of The Greatest Generation and other books and the recipient of numerous awards and honors...
, biographical introduction by Robert Roper, commentary by Andy Grundberg (2006) - Gloryland, Shelton JohnsonShelton JohnsonShelton Johnson is a ranger with the National Park Service, assigned to Yosemite National Park as of 2010. As of that year, he had worked in Yosemite for 17 years of his 24 year career. He began his career in Yellowstone National Park in 1987...
(2009) ISBN 9781578051441