Windshield Wilderness

Cars, Roads, and Nature in Washington's National Parks

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 20th Century
Cover of the book Windshield Wilderness by David Louter, University of Washington Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Louter ISBN: 9780295989846
Publisher: University of Washington Press Publication: November 23, 2009
Imprint: University of Washington Press Language: English
Author: David Louter
ISBN: 9780295989846
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Publication: November 23, 2009
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Language: English

In his engaging book Windshield Wilderness, David Louter explores the relationship between automobiles and national parks, and how together they have shaped our ideas of wilderness. National parks, he argues, did not develop as places set aside from the modern world, but rather came to be known and appreciated through technological progress in the form of cars and roads, leaving an enduring legacy of knowing nature through machines.

With a lively style and striking illustrations, Louter traces the history of Washington State�s national parks -- Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades -- to illustrate shifting ideas of wilderness as scenic, as roadless, and as ecological reserve. He reminds us that we cannot understand national parks without recognizing that cars have been central to how people experience and interpret their meaning, and especially how they perceive them as wild places.

Windshield Wilderness explores what few histories of national parks address: what it means to view parks from the road and through a windshield. Building upon recent interpretations of wilderness as a cultural construct rather than as a pure state of nature, the story of autos in parks presents the preservation of wilderness as a dynamic and nuanced process.Windshield Wilderness illuminates the difficulty of separating human-modified landscapes from natural ones, encouraging us to recognize our connections with nature in national parks.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In his engaging book Windshield Wilderness, David Louter explores the relationship between automobiles and national parks, and how together they have shaped our ideas of wilderness. National parks, he argues, did not develop as places set aside from the modern world, but rather came to be known and appreciated through technological progress in the form of cars and roads, leaving an enduring legacy of knowing nature through machines.

With a lively style and striking illustrations, Louter traces the history of Washington State�s national parks -- Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades -- to illustrate shifting ideas of wilderness as scenic, as roadless, and as ecological reserve. He reminds us that we cannot understand national parks without recognizing that cars have been central to how people experience and interpret their meaning, and especially how they perceive them as wild places.

Windshield Wilderness explores what few histories of national parks address: what it means to view parks from the road and through a windshield. Building upon recent interpretations of wilderness as a cultural construct rather than as a pure state of nature, the story of autos in parks presents the preservation of wilderness as a dynamic and nuanced process.Windshield Wilderness illuminates the difficulty of separating human-modified landscapes from natural ones, encouraging us to recognize our connections with nature in national parks.

More books from University of Washington Press

Cover of the book Olympic National Park by David Louter
Cover of the book Eric Voegelin by David Louter
Cover of the book Classical Seattle by David Louter
Cover of the book Molecular Feminisms by David Louter
Cover of the book Where the Salmon Run by David Louter
Cover of the book Plume by David Louter
Cover of the book Darwin's Pharmacy by David Louter
Cover of the book Transforming Patriarchy by David Louter
Cover of the book Fair Trade from the Ground Up by David Louter
Cover of the book HIV Interventions by David Louter
Cover of the book Spectacle by David Louter
Cover of the book Heritage Management in Korea and Japan by David Louter
Cover of the book Disarmament Sketches by David Louter
Cover of the book Kirtland Cutter by David Louter
Cover of the book Ellavut / Our Yup'ik World and Weather by David Louter
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy