Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (1988-04-30)

Edward Abbey's book about working at the Arches Nat'l Monument in the 60's is enthralling. Though his comments about the bureaucracy and laziness of tourists were harsh, his descriptions of the rocks, plants and animals of the region were unsurpassed. His trips into the area were high adventure, and the reader breathed a sigh of relief when he survived them.

If you are planning to visit Arches National Park, this is a must-read. Even if you're not, it gives you the flavor of the area (which is spectacular) written by a true love of nature and wilderness. Also some insight into Abbey's view of civilization creeping into the wild...and then some.

I don't always agree with everything Edward Abbey has written in his many, many books. But I greatly enjoy reading what he has to say. If you have never read anything by Abbey but are interested in starting, this is the best book to begin with. I wouldn't trust any outdoors guide if they haven't read this book (bonus points if they carry a dog-eared copy with them down the river or up the mountain).

Although I have not spent much time in the desert, I feel like I want to after reading Desert Solitaire. If you enjoy reading beautiful descriptions of nature and incredible storytelling, interspersed with thoughtful comments about humankind (and how we have a tendency to mess up nature) this book is for you. I place Abbey's writing with that of Thoreau and Steinbeck - he is that good.

Edward Abbey uses a particular writing using brute honestly and sarcasm. He is an enjoyable writer (which is what he wanted to be from a movie we watched in class: his goal was to entertain). We only read certain chapters in the book, yet I found myself putting the rest of the book on my list to read later.

Great read! We miss Ed's observations of his beloved wild country and his scathing criticisms of civilization wanting to over-develop wild places!
Just imagine what Ed would say about the proposed Confluence gondola debacle... definitely not printable!!!

Abbey truly loved the high desert country and opposed rampant development. I agree with his point of view, especially when city folks moved to rural or semirural lands and demand big city conveniences at the expense of Mother Earth.

Abbey's prose is a bit unorthodox and curmudgeony at times, but I think that's why I enjoy it so much. You can see the passion he has for public lands and equally the disdain he shows for industrial tourism.

This is the Edward Abbey book that launched a collection in my home. While traveling sola around New Mexico more than 20 years ago, I came across this as a tattered paperback book and knew I'd found "my favorite book". And it remains so to this day.

As someone born and raised in Moab, Utah 5 miles from Arches and Canyonlands National Parks this book has been a foundational read for my life. The emotional attachment one experiences when surrounded by the desert and red rocks are captured in Abbey's beautiful writing. He saw in 1970 what was going to happen as "we discovered" the desert and we began to love it to a point of exploitation.
This book is a masterpiece in environmental writing and a call to awareness that the earth deserves better than we humans often deliver. It also is the foundation for great writers like Terry Tempest Williams and builds on the legacy of Wallace Stegner.
If you haven't read it, read it. If you have read it, read it again.

Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness was a gift, so I haven't read the book. My brother enjoyed the book, because he had just spent three days at Arches National Park. Shipped and received on time.

Recommended by a daughter who had just visited the area. Down to earth analysis of where we are going with our planet, and it's not very good. Beautiful use of language by Abbey, evokes gorgeous images and a yen for experiencing the outdoors.

Thirty years after my first reading of this book, I read it again on my Kindle. As moving and relevant as ever, a must read for anyone who loves the red rock country of the Colorado Plateau. Abbey's prescient observations still ring loud and clear. Down the River, his story about one of the last river runs before Glen Canyon Dam was plugged, let me live again my own life-changing Colorado River experiences.

More than just autobiographical musings from a young man, this telling narrative reflects on the relationship of human to nature, culture to wilderness. Yes, the descriptive passages are lovely but the passage of thought bouncing from readings to reality are the key to the impact this book can have on personal thought. It is a book that can change culture and for enviro activists a look into the history of the eco-activist movement.

A recent article on Grand Canyon quoted Abbey and triggered my need to read Desert Solitaire. How I wish authors of today could write with this skill and passion. Its been too long since my last visit to the desert. Abbey reminds me why we all need to return there.

I had to read this book for Environmental Studies. It was dry in some spots but in others I couldn't put the book down. The author rants about the government and he calls things out. It left me feeling sick many times, but as he said in the authors note in the beginning, "There is a way of being wrong which is also sometimes necessarily right".

A wonderful account of a rangers yrs time taking care of the Moab state park. It takes place when it was still virgin territory - meaning not over run by man but still being enjoyed in its natural Beaty by man. Wonderful insures on Indian life, cowboys etc. read it - you will enjoy it.

This book should be required reading for everyone. By far, this is one of my favorite books. There's alot to learn from this book. Abbey's insights into Industrial Tourism are great. His descriptions of locales stir the imagination. His radical propositon of new park rules make perfect sense. This is a book the folks in charge of our National Parks should be forced to read.

The vivid writing of Mr. Abbey kept Desert Solitaire on the tips of my fingers and in my dreams for weeks. Edward Abbey uses language that allows the reader to relax, seemingly at his side, while touring the deserts of Utah.
If you are planning to run for the mountains of Utah out of fear of the approaching Y2K, keep your eyes open and you may just catch a glimpse of Mr. Abbey's spirit wandering in his heaven.
Caution: This book is not for the meek humored.