Peaks, Politics & Passion

"In this beautifully presented book, one of our country's eminent environmental historians tells the story of a great American achievement: the preservation of the Teton Mountains and their sagebrush pains and rivers. Robert Righter was exactly the right person for this assignment, for he is a careful, meticulous scholar who lives near this place and understands its natural values as well as the motivations of those who sought to save it for posterity. His work stands tall and elegant like the Tetons in national park history." - Donald Worster

In Crucible for Conservation Robert Righter elegantly chronicled the early history of Grant Teton National Park to 1950. Now, he has brought the story up to date with this new, deeply-researched book that examines the difficult and often vexing challenges in the decades since, including private land inholdings, historic preservation, fire and wildlife management, and the airport. Righer, one of our finest national park historians, richly lluminates the recent history of one of our superlative national parks. He has given us a gem and a classic. - Mark Harvey

Bob Righter's Peaks, Politics & Passion is a book only he could write. The park itself, won for the public after one of the most vicious ideological battles over the park idea in American history, has since 1950 become an iconic international symbol of America. but it is also Bob Righter's backyard. Give me an author any day who understands big history, knows policy detail, has a fair mind, and looks out the window at his subject over coffee every morning. That's rare in combination, and a book this informed and intimate is what comes from it. - Dan Flores