THE JOY OF YOSEMITE; SELECTED WRITINGS

Enid Michael was one of the original Nature Guides in Yosemite National Park, and the first woman Ranger Naturalist in the Park. She served from 1920-1942. Her output of 537 articles constitutes the largest body of writings on Yosemite of any author. A botanist and ornithologist, she has written charming and informative descriptions of bird and animal behavior, and described many species of plants to be found in the park. She was an accomplished and intrepid hiker and climber, and has written much about her off-trail adventures, ranging from spotting a rare species of bird to hair-raising descents down icy, slippery canyons. Michael was a gifted writer, and her great clarity of writing is a boon to the nonspecialist. She also had a charming way of telling less serious stories, such as those of “Maggie” the grouse and “Jiggs” the pampered deer.
Only a small fraction of Michael’s articles could be included in the book. The text version of her entire corpus, together with indexes, can be found on the DVD included with this book. The DVD also includes approximately 30 minutes of Charles and Enid Michael’s noted Yosemite movies.
The volume is edited with an introduction and notes by Fernando Peñalosa, whose book Yosemite in the 1930s, was published in 2002 by Quaking Aspen Books.

Available from the Yosemite Association for $15.00 plus shipping and handling.