Resources
Books
The best and most readable source for books by and about John Muir is the Internet Archive John Muir Collection. These books may be read online in a format approximating a real book. These public domain texts may also be downloaded to your computer or tablet, and for books still under copyright, many may be borrowed to read online. The site currently has about 210 books authored by John Muir, including reprints and extracts from his best writings, plus many books about Muir.
NEW!… The Life and Letters of John Muir, (2023) One Hundredth Anniversary reprint with additional introductions by Stephen Hatch and Michael Wurtz, and an Epilogue by Harold Wood. Learn more with 4 video interviews about the book.
Also, the Sierra Club provides the complete text of each of John Mur’s books in HTML format, organized by chapter, usually with the original illustrations. This is easiest for searching and extracting quotes. The following list is arranged by date of publication.
- Picturesque California and the Region West of the Rocky Mountains, from Alaska to Mexico (1888 – 1890). – Complete text of Muir’s writings in this book he edited.
- The Mountains of California (1894).
- Our National Parks (1901).
- Stickeen (Illustrated overview of Muir’s celebrated story of an adventure with a dog on a glacier)
- “Stickeen: The Story of a Dog” , by John Muir — the 1909 originally published version, with annotations (file size = 54 K)
- “Stickeen: An Adventure with a Dog and a Glacier” , by John Muir — exerpted from Travels in Alaska
- My First Summer in the Sierra (1911).
- As first published in the The Atlantic Monthly in 1911. (off-site link)
- Edward Henry Harriman (1911)
- The Yosemite , by John Muir (1912).
- The Story of My Boyhood and Youth (1913).
- Letters to a Friend (1915) – Letters written by Muir to his mentor, Jeanne Carr.
- Travels in Alaska (1915)
- A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf , by John Muir (1916).
- The Cruise of the Corwin (1917)
- Steep Trails (1919)
- The Life and Letters of John Muir, by William Frederic Badè (1924) – The full text of this two-volume book contains thousands of Muir’s letters and previously unpublished writings, along with Badè’s biography.
- John of the Mountains (1938) (edited by Linnie Marsh Wolfe) (book dust jacket)
- Studies in the Sierra (1950 reprint of 1874 serial)
Quotes
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.– Our National Parks , 1901, page 56.
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.
– My First Summer in the Sierra , 1911, page 110.
See also: John Muir Misquoted (referencing the common but inaccurate paraphrase: “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” JOHN MUIR NEVER SAID THAT.
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.
– The Yosemite (1912), page 256.
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean…
– John Muir quoted by Samuel Hall Young in Alaska Days with John Muir (1915) chapter 7, pg. 204. For a visual representation, see Alaska Days with John Muir, page 204, on Internet Archive.
This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on seas and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.
– John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, (1938), page 438.
When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.
– Travels in Alaska by John Muir, 1915, chapter 1, page 5.
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
– John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, (1938), page 313.
John Muir Quotes on Death – (PDF) – Through his many wilderness adventures, Muir had experiences around death which led him to an inner peace with death that is rare today.
Avoid Muir misquotes!
The above quotes have been carefully vetted by Muir scholars and librarians, with a citation given to the original source. For more authentic quotes, visit the John Muir Exhibit website Quotable Muir page:
Educational Resources
- Student Page – An online resource for students. Use this for researching your reports!
- My Hero: John Muir – Listen and Read along for ESL
- John Muir as a History Day Project
- Primary Sources for John Muir’s writings – Browse or Search online – This guide provides Finding Aids for the University of the Pacific Holt-Atherton Library Special Collections and finding primary sources of John Muir’s writings.
- NEW!… Review and Critique by Harold Wood of 2022 John Muir Symposium: New Perspectives on Peoples and Parks – focused on the current discussion on Muir and race. (March, 2024 review of April 2022 event).
- Nature’s Universal Abounding Glory by Bonnie Gisel (2006) (PDF)
- John Muir Postage Stamps and First Day Covers – Learn about the 1964 and 1998 postage stamps featuring John Muir, and the First Day Covers and Special Event Covers related to them.
- Journal Writing with John Muir
- Keeping a Nature Journal – Make your own nature journal. Template included using red ribbon like John Muir.
- John Muir Observer Journal – A blank journal to help you observe the world as John Muir did.
- John Muir and Native Americans – Insights about Muir’s evolving views of Native Americans.
- Lesson Plan: Life and Legacy of John Muir – In this 4-part 2017 video series from C-SPAN Classroom, Author James Hunt describes Muir’s early life, how his experiences in nature led to his philosophy on life, nature, relationships and death, and Harold Wood talks about the global impact of John Muir’s exploration and his legacy.
- Liberty Ship SS John Muir – Story and Photos about the World War II Liberty Ship named for John Muir.
- Spiritual Journey with John Muir” – a full church service led by Rev. Christie Anderson and Worship Associate Mary Lou Holly, Unitarian Universalist Church of Kent, Ohio, August 7, 2016. (off-site link)
Near beginning of this presentation, one minute into the recording, there is a choir performance of Jonathan Sprout’s song “Come Back Home” about Muir’s love of the wilderness. MP3 - The NPSHistory.com website features a page about John Muir National Historic Site including a large collection of brochures, documents, books, and a timeline of John Muir.
- Wilderness Preservation History – including the Hetch Hetchy debate and rebutting the current “Big Lie” against Wilderness.
For Teachers and Youth Group Leaders
NEW! Through the Eyes of John Muir:: A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Looking at our World by Janice Kelley
This curriculum, aligned to both Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, can be applied in and outside the classroom for students to learn how to see through the eyes of John Muir – as environmental stewards, scientists, historians and advocates. Each lesson is presented within the context of John Muir’s own actions. These Standards apply to grades 3 and 4. Most activities are applicable to or can be modified to meet the needs of older students.
Streaming Video
“John Muir: A Glorious Journey” by National Park Service. A 20-minute introductory film shown on demand throughout the day at John Muir National Historic Site, Martinez, California. Covers the story of Muir’s life, with special emphasis on his life in Martinez, and his efforts for Yosemite National Park and Hetch Hetchy. Unavailable for purchase, this film is highly recommended for viewing on site at the John Muir National Historic Site or on You Tube:
- John Muir: A Glorious Journey – Official NPS website – 22 min.
- John Muir: A Glorious Journey – Complete film on YouTube – provided by aprilhareau
Life and Letters of John Muir – video interview introductions of 2023 centennial edition. (off-site link)
Videos discussing the 100th anniversary edition of The Life and Letters of John Muir published in 2022 and 2023 in print, ebook, and audiobook format by Crazy Wisdom Publishing. Volume 1 Introduction and Preface by Michael Conti and Stephen Hatch. Volume 2 Introduction by Mike Wurtz and Epilogue by Harold W. Wood, Jr.
Bill Oliver – Songs of our Conservation Heritage– (YouTube) – Meet eco-musician Bill Oliver and hear a set of his original songs of our Conservation Heritage – featuring John Muir and his legacy, including William O. Douglas and Dave Brower, along with songs about Muir’s Hetch Hetchy, and ending with his biggest hit, “Have to Have a Habitat.” Recorded live on Zoom, September 3, 2020.
“California’s Golden Parks: John Muir Home” #129″. Streaming Video. Free streaming video available from Huell Howser California’s Gold Archive from Chapman University. Huell Howser Productions, 2004. 30 minutes.
Part of Huell Howser’s “California’s Golden Parks” television series, this episode involves views and interviews conducted on location at John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, the Victorian residence in Martinez where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914. After a brief introductory interview of National Park Service spokesman Tad Shay and a visit to Muir’s “scribble den,” Huell interviews the woman, Faire Sax, who, with her husband Henry, was responsible for restoring and preserving this important site, and then placing it under the protection of the National Park Service. An inspiring example of the difference one or a few people can make!
Conservationist John Muir presented by Harold Wood, introduced by Doug McConnell. C-Span aired this presentation by Harold Wood on the legacy of John Muir made for the California Historical Society on November 13, 2014. A brief excerpt is included on a Facebook video of John Muir as the Father of Modern Ecology published by “Brut Nature.”
“The Unruly Mystic: John Muir” (2018 original; updated in 2021, with a new cut of the film known as The Scotland Cut, exclusively available on Vimeo.com) – Documentary. 1 hour 10 minutes. This film focuses on the uniquely spiritual or mystical insights to be gained from of the remarkable life and writings of John Muir. John Muir was among the first to teach us that the gift of wild nature has unparalleled value for its spiritual nourishment, yet his message continues to be a primary inspiration today. Outstanding video photography of “nature’s temples” are intertwined with perceptive interviews from people who are inspired by nature’s beauty, and who were often inspired to encounter that beauty by John Muir. The filmmaker combines his own special sense of connectedness with nature – – something that goes beyond mere “outdoor recreation” — with insights about Muir and the sacredness of nature from psychologists, authors, park rangers, and practitioners from varied spiritual traditions, as well as from everyday people. The film engagingly goes beyond just quoting Muir in the soundtrack (by a narrator with a Scottish accent), but provides the written words on screen to help the reader fully engage with Muir’s message. As followers of Muir attest, today we recognize the necessity of not just passively enjoying nature, but for actively working to protect nature’s treasures in order for everyone to experience them.
“John Muir Was Not a Hiker” – Video Interview of Harold Wood by the Irish Hiiker Podcast. (November 30, 2023). (YouTube)
Scottish-American John Muir was America’s most famous and influential naturalist and conservationist, and a co-founder of the Sierra Club.
He has been called “The Father of our National Parks,” “Wilderness Prophet,” and “Citizen of the Universe.” He once described himself more humorously, and perhaps most accurately, as, a “poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist etc. etc. !!!!”
He was at turns an explorer, mountaineer, conservationist, botanist, amateur geologist, loving husband and devoted father, farmer, citizen lobbyist, and, most remembered today, an inspirational writer about nature and wildness.
He first developed a passion for wild places growing up in his birthplace of Dunbar, Scotland, near a wild seacoast. At age 10, he emigrated to Wisconsin in the United States with his family, to discover an even bigger wilderness. After a brief sojourn at the University of Wisconsin and some time in Canada, he walked a thousand miles from Indiana to Florida, and later from San Francisco to Yosemite, where he found his life-long spiritual home. Many other adventures were to come, from exploring wild Alaska, to the Himalayan Mountains in India to hunting down Baobab trees in Africa and traveling up the Amazon to fulfill a long-postponed life dream. Muir embraced all nature from mosquitoes to mountain ranges, recognizing that everything is connected to everything else.
His passion for wild places led to a quest to protect them, teaching us all that all wild creatures and the natural world deserve to exist for their own sake.
Until recently, John Muir was widely celebrated within the Sierra Club, including its highest award and numerous references in Sierra Magazine and its predecessor Sierra Club Bulletin. Throughout the twentieth century, with a renaissance in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Muir was still routinely celebrated by the Sierra Club, which in 1961 had established its highest award in his name. In 1989, Sierra Club Books (which no longer exists) published a photographic coffee table book combining text from John Muir’s the Yosemite with spectacular Galen Rowell photographs. In 2001, author Kit Stolz wrote that Muir’s was “a legacy with legs“: “What’s most impressive about Muir’s legacy is its vibrancy so long after his death.” (Sierra, Nov-Dec, 2001). In 2010, the Sierra Club celebrated John Muir’s 172nd birthday by unveiling the updated and redesigned online John Muir Exhibit. Perhaps someday the current controversy within the Sierra Club will subside, recognizing that Muir’s life has been factually besmirched and his legacy will continue far into the future.
The John Muir Global Network extends its grateful acknowledgement to the scores of scholars, poets, historians, scientists, nature lovers, and admirers from all around the world who contribute to this site.
Cover Photograph of Giant Sequoia by Miguel Vieira – Licensed by CC-by 2.0.