Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness
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- Author：Edward Abbey
- ISBN：0008283338
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Summary
In this shimmering masterpiece of American nature writing， Edward Abbey ventures alone into the canyonlands of Moab， Utah， to work as a seasonal ranger for the United States National Park Service。
Living out of a trailer， Abbey captures in rapt， poetic prose the landscape of the desert; a world of terracotta earth， empty skies， arching rock formations， cliffrose， juniper， pinyon pine and sand sage。 His summers become spirit quests， taking him in search of wild horses and Ancient Puebloan petroglyphs， up mountains and across tribal lands， and down the Glen Canyon by river。 He experiences both sides of his new home; its incredible beauty and its promise of liberation， but also its isolating， cruel side， at one point discovering a dead tourist at an isolated area of the Grand Canyon。
In his own irascible style， Abbey uses his time in the desert to meditate on the tension between nature and civilisation， and outlines a personal philosophy that would come to heavily influence the environmentalist movement。 Now published in a special edition to celebrate its 50th Anniversary， this classic seems remarkably prescient， and has lost none of its power。
Living out of a trailer， Abbey captures in rapt， poetic prose the landscape of the desert; a world of terracotta earth， empty skies， arching rock formations， cliffrose， juniper， pinyon pine and sand sage。 His summers become spirit quests， taking him in search of wild horses and Ancient Puebloan petroglyphs， up mountains and across tribal lands， and down the Glen Canyon by river。 He experiences both sides of his new home; its incredible beauty and its promise of liberation， but also its isolating， cruel side， at one point discovering a dead tourist at an isolated area of the Grand Canyon。
In his own irascible style， Abbey uses his time in the desert to meditate on the tension between nature and civilisation， and outlines a personal philosophy that would come to heavily influence the environmentalist movement。 Now published in a special edition to celebrate its 50th Anniversary， this classic seems remarkably prescient， and has lost none of its power。
Reviews
Amy Mayhem
，
Got through 17% before his griping about modernization and tourists turned me off for good。 Started out ok。 I recommend the first 15%。 If you read farther and it gets better let me know， maybe I'll skip to the good stuff。 Got through 17% before his griping about modernization and tourists turned me off for good。 Started out ok。 I recommend the first 15%。 If you read farther and it gets better let me know， maybe I'll skip to the good stuff。 。。。more
Purple
，
I think I’ve learned my lesson。 After trying Walden， and wild this year and now this（I’ve DNFed all 3）， I don’t think I’ll ever find someone like quite like louis lamour。 I will continue my search of course， possibly Zane Grey which I haven’t read extensively mostly because I find him extremely boring。 Gary Paulson was pretty good， not way too boring。 Ok nevermind。 This book， I did not like。 But I give credit where credit is due， the 2 stars are the credit， I won’t expound
JJune
，
This book asks: ‘What if Thoreau went to the desert instead of Walden pond， but was also a huge racist who supports eugenics’？
Brad
，
I picked this up at Arches on a weekday when they closed the entrance by 9 due to the amount of traffic。 Imagine what Abbey would think and write today。
Marge Congress
，
This was a hard book to read， literally。 The print size was small and the spacing was narrow。 I kept losing my place。 The book was just too much for me。 His political ravings were sometimes very un-PC， his naming of every flower， plant， monument drove me nuts。 However， he is a master story teller， and I loved that part of it。 Just not my cup of tea。
John Patch
，
Just a suggestion， read it when you are in the desert， it will certainly add to the beauty of your adventure。
Heather
，
Near the end of Desert Solitaire， Edward Abbey describes the desert as "desolate and still and strange， unfamiliar and often grotesque in its forms and colors， inhabited by rare， furtive creatures of incredible hardiness and cunning， sparingly colonized by weird mutants from the plant kingdom， most of them as spiny， thorny， stunted and twisted as they are tenacious" （241-242）。 But the desert， to Abbey， is also "the most beautiful place on earth" （1）。 In particular， he's enchanted by the area aro Near the end of Desert Solitaire， Edward Abbey describes the desert as "desolate and still and strange， unfamiliar and often grotesque in its forms and colors， inhabited by rare， furtive creatures of incredible hardiness and cunning， sparingly colonized by weird mutants from the plant kingdom， most of them as spiny， thorny， stunted and twisted as they are tenacious" （241-242）。 But the desert， to Abbey， is also "the most beautiful place on earth" （1）。 In particular， he's enchanted by the area around Arches National Monument （now Arches National Park） near Moab， Utah， where he worked as a park ranger for two summers in the late 1950s and a third summer at some point after that。 The book is part nature-writing， part polemic: Abbey describes the rocks and plants and animals around him and also rants about the over-development of the wilderness and the mismanagement of land and the laziness （as he sees it） of people who want to see nature without leaving their cars， or without actually really spending time in it。 His politics， as presented in this book， are paranoid-leaning and/or generally distasteful to me， but the way he writes about the desert landscape he so clearly loves is really pleasing， and that was enough for me to keep reading。 I've never been to Arches （or to the desert at all） but I enjoyed reading Abbey's descriptions of the park's "natural arches， holes in the rock， windows in stone， no two alike" and of the "space and light and clarity and piercing strangeness of the American West，" and of desert rains where "the falling water evaporates halfway down between cloud and earth （5， 12， 113）。 I liked reading about canyon pools and waterfalls， and intense summer storms， and quicksand， and Abbey's various adventures and misadventures， like when he helps move some cattle to their summer grazing land with a rancher and a ranch hand and is grumpy when he realizes no one has brought any lunch， or when （not in the Arches， but on a previous trip near the Grand Canyon） he's hiking alone and goes looking for a shortcut back to his campsite and finds himself at a dead end above a sheer drop/isn't at all sure he'll be able to get back up to where he started。 And I especially liked the chapter in which Abbey and a friend take a rafting trip on the Colorado River while the Glen Canyon Dam is under construction: Abbey describes the whole book as an elegy， but this chapter is especially poignant because Abbey knows for certain that once the dam is built， this part of the landscape will be changed entirely， and it's a delight to read about Abbey and his friend as they float along， stopping to camp， fishing for catfish or taking hikes through side-canyons， seeing the ruins of Anasazi cliff-dwellings， and more。 。。。more
John Robertson
，
Outstanding， beautiful writing。
Vamsi Krishna KV
，
At this point of time， I've come closer to the understanding that some of the most cherished books in life are not always the perfect books。 They are cherished despite their imperfections and pitfalls， and those flaws and fallibility make them appear only more intimate， human and humane。 Desert Solitaire is definitely one of them。Lastly， if every young adult is given a Desert Solitaire， or even better if they are given an opportunity to experience the nature in its raw and wild beatitudes like A At this point of time， I've come closer to the understanding that some of the most cherished books in life are not always the perfect books。 They are cherished despite their imperfections and pitfalls， and those flaws and fallibility make them appear only more intimate， human and humane。 Desert Solitaire is definitely one of them。Lastly， if every young adult is given a Desert Solitaire， or even better if they are given an opportunity to experience the nature in its raw and wild beatitudes like Abbey does， the world effortlessly becomes a better place。Complement this with Leopold's tA Sand County Almanac for enhanced experience 。。。more
Carolyn
，
4 stars。 I really appreciate Abbey’s style of writing and general sense of humor。 His descriptions of the desert make it come to life。 I’d love to hear his modern perspective of the trampling of the Big 5 National Parks in Utah today。 I also find it interesting that the two environmental classics often paired together are Cadillac Desert （I adored） and this book because they were so so so different but each good in their own way。 This was a good read
Melissa
，
If you're planning a trip to Utah to visit America's National Park treasures of Arches， Canyonlands， Zion， Bryce， THIS IS A MUST READ （"Since you cannot get the desert into a book any more than a fisherman can haul up the sea with his nets。。。" （xii）！4。5 stars Full discloser: I selected Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness as a "theme" read while traveling to the following National Parks in Utah: Arches， Canyonlands， Zion， Bryce; and these in Arizona: Grand Canyon （North Rim） and Horsehoe If you're planning a trip to Utah to visit America's National Park treasures of Arches， Canyonlands， Zion， Bryce， THIS IS A MUST READ （"Since you cannot get the desert into a book any more than a fisherman can haul up the sea with his nets。。。" （xii）！4。5 stars Full discloser: I selected Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness as a "theme" read while traveling to the following National Parks in Utah: Arches， Canyonlands， Zion， Bryce; and these in Arizona: Grand Canyon （North Rim） and Horsehoe Bend in Glen Canyon--all overwhelmingly breathtaking landmarks Abbey mentions， even if you are "sun-dazed， blear-eyed， parched as an old bacon rind" （115） in the summer。Visiting Delicate Arch especially （the famed arch on the cover of this edition） while simultaneously reading Abbey's passionate prose about nature greatly enhanced my experience both of the parks and the book。 It's a fact that I would not have rated the book as highly had I not just seen these magnificent natural wonders， breathed in the red dust， beheld the windows in stone， or hiked under the lonely sky simply because I would not have had the context to truly UNDERSTAND what he was talking about。 But I was ***experiencing*** my own head drooping like a parched sunflower in the paralyzing heat and the numbing sunlight as Abbey was describing it， "。。。a country where shelter from the sun is sometimes almost as precious as water" （114）。Abbey's descriptive prose is lyrical:"There are several ways of looking at Delicate Arch。 Depending on your preconceptions you may see the eroded remnant of a sandstone fin， a giant engagement ring cemented in rock， a bow-legged pair of petrified cowboy chaps， a triumphal arch for a procession of angels， an illogical geologic freak， a happening--a something that happened and will never happen quite that way again， a frame more significant than its picture， a simple monolith eaten away by weather and time and soon to disintegrate into a choas of falling rock。。。" （36）。 Abbey earned $1。95 per hour in 1956 and 1957 when he worked as a park ranger。 In the month of May， he wrote: "I have not seen a soul anywhere in Arches National Monument today" （38） [now called Arches National Park]。 Can you possibly imagine？ 1。5 million visitors come to the 33，000-acre Arches each year， and that number is growing。 Parking lots at trailheads often fill before 7:30 am， causing temporarily restricted access until congestion lessens。 Periods of restricted access can last 3-5 hours。 On our visit， we woke up at 4:30 AM to get a parking space at the trailhead of Delicate Arch （July 2021）。 And this is exactly what Abbey's anguished howl is about: industrial tourism "Wheelchair Explorers" （49）， paved roads for "accessibility" （48）， and wilderness preservation （52）。 But I'm conflicted because the very thing he rants about allows me （and millions of others） to encounter the power and beauty of nature。He rants about God， his lack of belief （God？ who the hell is He？） （184）， and then in another breath references several hymns from his childhood， write "rocks。。。where God Himself， so to speak。。。have seen fit to deposit them" （61）， and says "through God's window into eternity" （192）。All in all， Desert Solitaire is Abbey's passionate love letter to the preservation of nature in its purest forms: silence， water， rock， air。"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit， and as vital to our lives as water and good bread" （169）。 。。。more
Renaissance
，
Really enjoyed this book because it involved a person's relationship with nature and includes philosophy， political commentary， humor， biography， ecological concerns--a real "beef stew" of perspectives。 Also， its focus is Moab and a remote local within Arches National Park （where I've been twice now）， so I recognize a fair number of the locations mentioned in the book。 One of the more enjoyable reads I've experienced--and that's the best commendation I can give it！ Really enjoyed this book because it involved a person's relationship with nature and includes philosophy， political commentary， humor， biography， ecological concerns--a real "beef stew" of perspectives。 Also， its focus is Moab and a remote local within Arches National Park （where I've been twice now）， so I recognize a fair number of the locations mentioned in the book。 One of the more enjoyable reads I've experienced--and that's the best commendation I can give it！ 。。。more
Sarah
，
Audiobook
Wolfgang Heim
，
If you've ever visited （or plan to visit） Arches National Park （or really any of the southern or eastern Utah parks）， read this！ If you've ever visited （or plan to visit） Arches National Park （or really any of the southern or eastern Utah parks）， read this！ 。。。more
Darryl Knudsen
，
Abbey’s is a great description of the rock， wildlife and even spirit of the desert。 Too bad he distorts all three through a lens that is sexist， misanthropic， and at times even misogynist （e。g。， the deeply misogynist tale of the Uranium prospector family）。 Having said that， I expect his reflections on the desert， sexist though they are， are indeed just that: faithful reflections of the times and of the movement。 He distills not only the desert into evocative， emblematic， and often poetic represe Abbey’s is a great description of the rock， wildlife and even spirit of the desert。 Too bad he distorts all three through a lens that is sexist， misanthropic， and at times even misogynist （e。g。， the deeply misogynist tale of the Uranium prospector family）。 Having said that， I expect his reflections on the desert， sexist though they are， are indeed just that: faithful reflections of the times and of the movement。 He distills not only the desert into evocative， emblematic， and often poetic representations and vignettes; he does the same for the man-centered ethos of the vanguard of the nascent movement to protect， steward， and ultimately preserve wilderness。 In other words， mine is less a critique of him as an “out-of-touch，” “cranky old man” and more a recognition and critique of how sexist and misanthropic this movement itself was and has been。 Thank goodness there are so many， hard at work， leading us out of that barren wasteland。 Despite all of the above， I do recommend the book。 It’s important， in my view， to understand from whence we’ve come。 Further， his evocative passages are at times stunningly beautiful， even transcendental…Reviewers note: I “read” this as a book on tape during my drive from California and back， into and out of the desert wilderness of northeastern Colorado and Utah， for a six-day self-support whitewater kayaking trip through Dinosaur National Monument on the Yampa River， a landscape not dissimilar from the one Abbey describes， as it is one that is only just a bit further upstream。 Over the past 25 years， I’ve now enjoyed seven glorious and extended non-commercial river trips through the nearby deserts of Utah and Colorado near the confluence of the Yampa and Green rivers。PLEASE LIKE IF YOU ENJOYED OR OTHERWISE FOUND THIS REVIEW USEFUL。 Thank you！ Comments welcome。 。。。more
Matt
，
Spoke to my heart， as I love the preservation of the American wilderness
Chris Loveless
，
Boring stuff。 A mans story of tranversing the wilderness。
Avery Durham
，
One of the wittiest， most insightful books on the interaction between individuals and their natural environment that I’ve ever read。 If Huck Finn was written as a memoir in 1970s American southwest， I think it would read just like this。
Eric
，
Absolutely majestic and inspired writing here by Abbey。 It was hard to read this and not think of Thoreau and Kerouac while reading this。 Abbey's love for Arches NP， southeastern Utah， and the beauties of nature （especially deserts）， in general， are evident on nearly every page。 Some of his statements about society were troubling （because they were true？） and， like a lot of art from the past， some of the cultural references included here have not aged well - nothing too major though。 All in all， Absolutely majestic and inspired writing here by Abbey。 It was hard to read this and not think of Thoreau and Kerouac while reading this。 Abbey's love for Arches NP， southeastern Utah， and the beauties of nature （especially deserts）， in general， are evident on nearly every page。 Some of his statements about society were troubling （because they were true？） and， like a lot of art from the past， some of the cultural references included here have not aged well - nothing too major though。 All in all， this was just flat out solid writing。 The prose seemed to be so effortlessly written that it was clear right away that Abbey had some serious chops。 I'm awestruck by his talent。 。。。more
Elynn
，
This is a personal account of an early park ranger at Arches National Park。 It was very interesting to see how it was run early on。 The ranger has very strong opinions of people in nature and can be too cynical and doomsday-like sometimes， but I think some of his ideas definitely have merit。 We need to be more out in nature experiencing it （hiking， biking， etc） and not just driving through。 He thinks the creation of paved roads to increase access destroys the natural experience。 He can be a bit This is a personal account of an early park ranger at Arches National Park。 It was very interesting to see how it was run early on。 The ranger has very strong opinions of people in nature and can be too cynical and doomsday-like sometimes， but I think some of his ideas definitely have merit。 We need to be more out in nature experiencing it （hiking， biking， etc） and not just driving through。 He thinks the creation of paved roads to increase access destroys the natural experience。 He can be a bit extreme， but I can very much agree with his desires and I can see the results of some of the things he feared。 。。。more
Nick Vitale
，
Mixed thoughts on this one。 It was written by a guy in the 60's who went to be a ranger and it shows。 Some parts of how Abbey behaves in the book have not aged well。 Ultimately it's a very selfish and indulgent form of environmentalism that makes Abbey the center of his own universe。 Also， sometimes he really stretches for some prose that really falls flat， and he constantly does this strange gatekeeping thing for what counts as being remote。3-stars because sometimes being self-indulgent in natu Mixed thoughts on this one。 It was written by a guy in the 60's who went to be a ranger and it shows。 Some parts of how Abbey behaves in the book have not aged well。 Ultimately it's a very selfish and indulgent form of environmentalism that makes Abbey the center of his own universe。 Also， sometimes he really stretches for some prose that really falls flat， and he constantly does this strange gatekeeping thing for what counts as being remote。3-stars because sometimes being self-indulgent in nature is evocative enough for something I'm missing right now。 。。。more
Will
，
One of the most entrancing books I’ve read in a long while。 Beautiful depictions of the desert and it’s inhabitants （plants， animals， and people alike） and provoking thoughts on the industrialization of tourism and taming of wilderness。
Janet Schneider
，
3。5*
Emilyx
，
Half of Desert Solitaire is Edward Abbey gatekeeping Arches National Park， which I think is hilarious， and the other half is him poetically describing the Arizona desert。 My family knows that I am obsessed with Arizona canyons; I will not shut up about that one time I took a trip there， pruning apricot trees under the direction of a crazy park ranger named Chuck。 So， naturally， I appreciate Abbey's appreciation of this environment。 He loves the Arizona desert and canyon land so much it is practi Half of Desert Solitaire is Edward Abbey gatekeeping Arches National Park， which I think is hilarious， and the other half is him poetically describing the Arizona desert。 My family knows that I am obsessed with Arizona canyons; I will not shut up about that one time I took a trip there， pruning apricot trees under the direction of a crazy park ranger named Chuck。 So， naturally， I appreciate Abbey's appreciation of this environment。 He loves the Arizona desert and canyon land so much it is practically his religion。 At the beginning， Abbey notes that the majority of the book is lifted from journal entries he wrote when he was a ranger living alone in the vast park; at times， I am sure he was suffering from sunstroke while writing， as it is so fanatically beautiful， somewhat feverish， adjective-rich， and transporting。 Under a wine-dark sky I walk through light reflected and re-reflected from the walls and floor of the canyon， a radiant golden light that glows on rock and stream， sand and leaf in varied hues of amber， honey， whiskey—the light that never was is here， now， in the storm-sculptured gorge of the Escalante。That crystal water flows toward me in shimmering S-curves， looping quietly over shining pebbles， buff-colored stone and the long sleek bars and reefs of rich red sand， in which glitter grains of mica and pyrite—fool's gold。 The canyon twists and turns， serpentine as its stream， and with each turn comes a dramatic and novel view of tapestried walls five hundred—a thousand？—feet high， of silvery driftwood wedged between boulders， of mysterious and inviting subcanyons to the side， within which I can see living strands of grass， cane， salt cedar， and sometimes the delicious magical green of a young cottonwood with its ten thousand exquisite leaves vibrating like spangles in the vivid air。 The only sound is the whisper of the running water， the touch of my bare feet on the sand， and once or twice， out of the stillness， the clear song of a canyon wren。 That being said， Abbey does suffer from grandiosity throughout his book。 He is misanthropic， subtly sexist， and obnoxiously existentialist， going on anti-government tangents unbefitting and hypocritical for a national park ranger。 （The chapter where he waxes philosophical to Moon-Eye the horse made me roll my eyes more than a little。） My man thinks he's a modern cowboy。 Needless to say， I could never be friends with someone like Edward Abbey。 But in Desert Solitaire his love of the Arizona desert is redemptive and profound。 Men come and go， cities rise and fall， whole civilizations appear and disappear—the earth remains， slightly modified。 The earth remains， and the heartbreaking beauty where there are no hearts to break。 Turning Plato and Hegel on their heads I sometimes choose to think， no doubt perversely， that man is a dream， thought an illusion， and only rock is real。 Rock and sun。Under the desert sun， in that dogmatic clarity， the fables of theology and the myths of classical philosophy dissolve like mist。 The air is clean， the rock cuts cruelly into flesh; shatter the rock and the odor of flint rises to your nostrils， bitter and sharp。 Whirlwinds dance across the salt flats， a pillar of dust by day; the thornbush breaks into flame at night。 What does it mean？ It means nothing。 It is as it is and has no need for meaning。 The desert lies beneath and soars beyond any possible human qualification。 Therefore， sublime。 。。。more
Lisa November
，
I'm giving this book 4 stars mainly because it is a long， love letter to the wilderness of the West， which I also love and hold dear。 Abbey writes tenderly and magnificently of the many wonders of Utah's deserts， mountains， canyons and rivers。 Originally published in 1968， this book is a victim of the author's own sexism and several other-isms that are hard to overlook in 2021。 I'm giving this book 4 stars mainly because it is a long， love letter to the wilderness of the West， which I also love and hold dear。 Abbey writes tenderly and magnificently of the many wonders of Utah's deserts， mountains， canyons and rivers。 Originally published in 1968， this book is a victim of the author's own sexism and several other-isms that are hard to overlook in 2021。 。。。more
Dylan
，
I remember the road trips of my early youth gazing out the window at the passing fields of northern Texas on the way to Colorado and seeing all the fences。 It was so consistent that I didn't find it weird， but it was building the idea in my head。 "I guess everything is owned， paved and fenced。" It was Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" which brought that idea into its utmost clarity。 Abbey is a loner， possibly a hermit。 He's anti-social， judgemental and prideful in the way that he speaks about ho I remember the road trips of my early youth gazing out the window at the passing fields of northern Texas on the way to Colorado and seeing all the fences。 It was so consistent that I didn't find it weird， but it was building the idea in my head。 "I guess everything is owned， paved and fenced。" It was Edward Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" which brought that idea into its utmost clarity。 Abbey is a loner， possibly a hermit。 He's anti-social， judgemental and prideful in the way that he speaks about how nature is treated in America and especially about the people who treat it that way。 And in that uncompromising way， Desert Solitaire is genius。 It is this coarse and brutal truth about the American instinct to pave that makes Abbey's writing， itself coarse and brutal sing so truly。 In discussion of Abbey you will find him referred to as a hypocrite， a reactionary， a wanna-be eco terrorist， just a real son of a bitch。 Well good， any culling of his language and tone and intent could only have hampered his frustration about the destruction and commoditization of such beautiful places。 。。。more
Tim
，
7。7/10When Abbey talks about nature and his love for the desert， it’s poetic and resonates with me; when he talks about nearly anything else it can come off irritatingly sarcastic。 All in all， the talk of nature outweighs the talk of civilization and this book is worth the read。
Carolin
，
This book was a wild ride。 The introduction reminded me of Hunter S。 Thompson， then we got into "salty hippy" territory （which I thought was fantastic）， then for a few awkward pages it went REALLY libertarian， but we came back from that。 This book is not NOT problematic， but certainly not out of the ordinary for its time （one is reminded of how long ago it was written when he talks about how maybe one day we'll land on the moon or Mars）。 I learned a ton about the desert and this was great fun to This book was a wild ride。 The introduction reminded me of Hunter S。 Thompson， then we got into "salty hippy" territory （which I thought was fantastic）， then for a few awkward pages it went REALLY libertarian， but we came back from that。 This book is not NOT problematic， but certainly not out of the ordinary for its time （one is reminded of how long ago it was written when he talks about how maybe one day we'll land on the moon or Mars）。 I learned a ton about the desert and this was great fun to read while camping in Utah。 。。。more
Brian
，
While I hated it at the start and struggled through the “old man yelling at a cloud” thoughts， by the end I was strangely attached to the crude prose Abbey writes and fell in love with his description of the desert and what it means to him。
Risa Procton
，