The Book of the National Parks, with Maps and Illustrations

xv, 436, [7] pp. Maps on endpapers and following text, black-and-white photographic frontispiece and plates. Robert Sterling Yard (1861-1945) was an American writer, journalist, and wilderness activist. He graduated from Princeton University and spent the first twenty years of his career in the editing and publishing business. In 1915, he was recruited by his friend Stephen Mather to help publicize the need for an independent national park agency. Their numerous publications were part of a movement that resulted in legislative support for a National Park Service (NPS) in 1916. Yard worked to promote the national parks as well as educate Americans about their use. After helping to establish a relationship between the NPA and the United States Forest Service, Yard later became involved in the protection of wilderness areas. In 1935, he became one of the eight founding members of The Wilderness Society. Yard is now considered an important figure in the modern wilderness movement. His works include The Book of the National Parks (1919), The National Parks Portfolio (1921) and Glimpses of Our National Parks (1927).