The Autobiography of John C. Van Dyke: A Personal Narrative of American Life, 1861-1931 - Hardcover

Peter Wild is the editor of a series of fiction anthologies based on the songs of rock and pop bands. His articles and fiction have appeared in "The Independent" (London), "The Guardian" (London), "The Big Issue", "Word Riot", "NOO Journal", and "3: AM" magazine.

John C. Van Dyke was a professor of art history at Rutgers University and the author of many books, including The Open Spaces, The Mountain, and Autobiography. Peter Wild is a professor of English at the University of Arizona. His books include The Secret Life of John C. Van Dyke and Daggett: Life in a Mojave Frontier Town.

Early in this century, nature writer and art history professor Van Dyke (1856-1932) extolled the beauty of the American West in such books as The Desert (1901) and The Grand Canyon (1916), which were based on his personal observations. Wild, an English teacher at the University of Arizona, presents an edited and footnoted version of Van Dyke's previously unpublished autobiography. Born into a prosperous New Jersey family, Van Dyke traveled widely and knew many prominent figures of his time, including Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie. He also wrote vivid accounts of visits to Europe and the West Indies. In the introduction, Wild reveals that some of Van Dyke's adventurous experiences in the southwest were fabricated and posits that he obtained details on western wildlife from his brother, Theodore, the true outdoorsman in the family. A work of scholarship for specialists. Photos not seen by PW.
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