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Staff writer reviews "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Staff writer reviews "National Parks: America's Best Idea"

Date published: 11/20/2009

THIS FALL, renowned filmmaker Ken Burns has taken viewers on an incredible journey through one of our country's greatest treasures--the national parks. Knopf has published a wonderful companion book to the series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

Even if you missed the series on PBS, the book is treasure trove of history delving into formation of the parks idea, chronicling discovery of sites such as the valley that would become Yosemite, and creation of the first national park at Yellowstone in 1872.

Our parks system covers nearly 84 million acres at close to 400 sites, each with a fascinating history detailed here, including the political battles that ensued as the country sought to preserve this land. The diversity of the parks, which stretch from Hawaii to Maine, is breathtaking.

This book celebrates all of these parks and the Americans who fought to establish and protect them.

--Sandy Mahaffey, newsroom librarian

THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA By Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns (Knopf, $50)

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Date published: 11/20/2009