{"product_id":"the-power-of-scenery-frederick-law-olmsted-and-the-origin-of-national-parks-9781496246394","title":"The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeatured in the \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eWall Street Journal'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003es 2021 Holiday Gift Books Guide\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e2021 Marfield Prize Finalist \u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWallace Stegner called national parks \"the best idea we ever had.\" But where did the idea originate? Before Yellowstone, with nothing to put up against Europe's cultural pearls--its cathedrals, castles, and museums--Americans came to realize that their plenitude of natural wonders might compensate for the dearth of manmade attractions. That insight guided the great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted as he organized his thoughts on how to manage the wilderness park centered on Yosemite Valley, at first a state-owned precursor to the national park model of Yellowstone. Haunting his thoughts were the cluttered and carnival-like banks of Niagara Falls, which served as an oft-cited example of what should \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e happen to a spectacular natural phenomenon.\u003cp\u003eOlmsted saw city parks as vital to the pursuit of happiness and wanted them to be established for all to enjoy. When he wrote down his philosophy for managing Yosemite, a new and different kind of park, he had no idea that he was creating a visionary blueprint for national parks to come. Dennis Drabelle provides a history of the national park concept, adding to our understanding of American environmental thought and linking Olmsted with three of the country's national treasures. \u003ci\u003eThe Power of Scenery\u003c\/i\u003e tells the fascinating story of how the national park movement arose, evolved, and has spread around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Dennis Drabelle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Nebraska Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 274\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.82lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.62d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781496246394","brand":"University of Nebraska Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46428559278217,"sku":"9781496246394","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_b834883b-279b-4b6c-b720-d0ed57306bba.jpg?v=1778012440","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/the-power-of-scenery-frederick-law-olmsted-and-the-origin-of-national-parks-9781496246394","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}