In this book, John Hanson Mitchell sets out on an extraordinary journey to uncover the essence of wilderness. Instead of traveling to the outermost boundaries of the earth in his quest he ends up exploring the green realms of his childhood and the haunted gardens of Italy, the original source of inspiration for painters and conservationists who shaped the American concept of wilderness. In looking at America's National Parks, the boisterously crowded and smoggy "wilds" sent the author on a pilgrimage into the invluence of Italy's seemingly tamed and ordered landscapes. He encounters there the great god Pan, who was born in the mountain fastness of Arcadia and purportedly died with the birth of Christianity but who, as Mitchell argues, can still be found even today if you know how to look. Searching for wildness, Mitchell is ultimately pulled inward back home, back to what Thoreau called "contact" - an abiding, enduring, and daily connection with the world of nature. He comes to realize that the wildest place may be right in his own backyard. An extremely original, beautifully written book. The boards are textured burgundy paper and green spine, with a colophon and author's initials in gold. The lettering on the spine is gold. 194 pages, this is a great book! 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

GARDENS ITALY GARDENING REGIONAL WILDERNESS PAINTERS CONSERVATIONISTS HEDGE MAZE RENAISSANCE GARDENS