The National Parks

Starred review from September 7, 2009
Duncan and Burns, who last teamed on Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip, rejoin in this visually stunning guide to the unforgettable landscapes and fascinating history of America's national parks. A companion to the documentary miniseries, this book provides not only an armchair tour of the parks but lessons in American history and biography, as Duncan and Burns attempt to answer the question, "Who are we?" through the foundation and legacy of American conservation. From Yellowstone, the first national park, to Acadia to the Everglades, readers will learn the origins of many of the parks, monuments, and historic areas across the U.S., illustrated with more than a century's worth of photographs. A recurring theme throughout history has been the value and purpose of conservation and beauty, versus utility and tourism, and the story of the parks brings it into brilliant focus; readers will meet characters like John Muir, Horace Albright, Stephen Mather, Adolph Murie, and others who helped create the existing park system (with no shortage of attention paid to Theodore Roosevelt). Likely to inspire adventure-seekers of all generations, this broad, deep, evocative survey is just the kind of volume readers have come to expect from filmmaker and cultural historian Burns.

The audio version of Duncan's companion volume to his and Ken Burns's film (which seems much the same as the film's narration) is both a history of the parks and an argument in their defense. Danny Campbell's slightly hoarse voice is likable, unpretentious, and effortlessly expressive. There's an occasional sloppy pronunciation, but more importantly, he's easy to listen to over the long haul. The story drags a bit to start with, but Campbell's pacing doesn't flag, and things pick up thereafter. Burns reads the introduction, Duncan the conclusion, and a number of serviceable, professional voices supply longer quotations and the responses in interviews. This audio covers the ground well--even without the stunning visuals of the film. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine