NATIONAL PARKS AMERICA'S BEST IDEA--National park lovers simply cannot live without this 402 page hardback coffe table book. Not a travel book, this lavishly illustrated work looks instead at the creation of the parks and their meaning and relevance today. It features interviews with park rangers, superintendents, and some of our best contemporary outdoor writers, including Paul Schullery, Nevada Barr, and Terry Tempest Williams. Through the hundreds of historic photos and brilliant text, you'll find confirmation that national parks are truly America's perpetual gift to the world.

mystery and myth?" review by Gary Carden.