A PASSION FOR NATURE: THE LIFE OF JOHN MUIR, by Donald Worster, Oxford, 535 pages, $34.95
What is it that turned John Muir to nature?
Was it his stone-gray surroundings while growing up in Dunbar, Scotland? Was it the walks to gardens outside of the city with his grandfather? Was it the passion he gleaned from poets Robert Burns and William Wordsworth?
Maybe it was the discovery of a blue jay's nest of mesmerizing green eggs after his family immigrated to Wisconsin in 1849.
Or maybe it was all of the above, combined with a desire to see, to explore, that led Muir to transition from inventor to naturalist to one of the first environmentalists.
Donald Worster weaves the compelling story of the self-made man who founded the Sierra Club. The book begins slowly and mechanically, reminiscent of Muir's hometown, but as Muir develops and grows, the story picks up the pace to keep up with his life. And before you know it, 535 pages have been turned.
Muir, the world traveler, was plagued with an itch to see and be with nature. That itch led him on an extraordinary journey into nature's wonders and the company of presidents.
Worster's prose brings Muir to life. And it becomes easy to wish he still walked among us.
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com