For many people images of the major national parks in th US exist in the mind`s eye as Ansel Adams photographs. A dedicated environmentalist as well as renowned artist, he was one of the 20th century`s most ardent champions of the parks system. Through his photos, essays & letter-writing campaigns, he helped create new parks & better protect existing ones. He worked in more than 40 national parks over 50 years
- including Shenandoah, the Great Smoky Mountains & Acadia in the East
- & his work in the California High Sierra resulted in some of the most indelible images of the natural world ever made with a camera. 50 of the images in this volume have not been published in any authorized Ansel Adams book previously; many more are rarely seen. A substantial essay by photographic critic & historian Richard B. Woodward lays out Adams` significant role tracing the history of American conservation. The selection of photographs was made by Andrea G. Stillman, Adams` assistant late in life & a foremost expert on his work. A group of thumbnail images with brief narratives, enlivened by"ations from Adams, appears at the back of the book.