Beyond the Wall - by Edward Abbey (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From "the Thoreau of the American West" (Larry McMurtry, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lonesome Dove), a collection of essays on the unique characteristics of American desert landscapes.

In this wise and lyrical book about landscapes of the desert and the mind, Edward Abbey guides us beyond the wall of the city and asphalt belting of superhighways to special pockets of wilderness that stretch from the interior of Alaska to the dry lands of Mexico.

From the Back Cover

No passports needed, no examinations to undergo, no special equipment required, no experience necessary. A journey into Edward Abbey's wilderness is the freest, cheapest, most nonprivileged of pleasures.

Review Quotes

"If not because his inspiration or his sincerity, then for his wit and wisdom, one must appreciate Edward Abbey."
--New Haven Review

"[Abbey's] gift for presentation of the concrete combines with his gift for conveying personal reactions to the natural world--his aches and pains as well as his sense of wonder--and pulls the reader imaginatively into this world."
--Western American Literature

"The Thoreau of the American West."
--Larry McMurtry, author of Lonesome Dove

About the Author

Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was born in Home, Pennsylvania. He received graduate and postgraduate degrees from the University of New Mexico, and attended the University of Edinburgh. He worked for a time as a forest ranger and was a committed naturalist and a fierce environmentalist; such was his anger, eloquence, and action on the subject that he has become a heroic, almost mythic figure to a whole host of environmental groups and to millions of readers. Abbey's career as a writer spanned four decades and encompassed a variety of genres, from essays to novels. One of his early successes was the novel The Brave Cowboy, which was made into the movie Lonely Are the Brave. His 1968 collection of essays, Desert Solitaire, became a necessary text for the new environmentalists. His other books include The Monkey WrenchGang, The Journey Home, Fool's Progress, and the posthumously released Hayduke Lives!