Benton
MacKaye
Conservationist, Planner, and
Creator of the Appalachian Trail

Larry Anderson

“There is no biography of Benton MacKaye and this is likely to become the standard work on this important American for many years. It is a major contribution to the history of the development of the wilderness conservation and recreation movement, as well as a thorough and engaging account of the life and work of one of its most innovative leaders.”

— Kermit C. Parsons, former dean of the College of
Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University

Planner and originator of the Appalachian Trail and a cofounder of the Wilderness Society, Benton MacKaye (1879-1975) was a pioneer in linking the concepts of preservation and recreation. Spanning three-quarters of a century, his long and productive career had a major impact on emerging movements in conservation, environmentalism, and regional planning. MacKaye’s seminal ideas on outdoor recreation, wilderness protection, land-use planning, community development, and transportation have inspired generations of activists, professionals, and adventurers seeking to strike a harmonious balance between human need and the natural environment.

This pathbreaking biography provides the first complete portrait of a significant and unique figure in American environmental, intellectual, and cultural history. Drawing on extensive research, Larry Anderson traces MacKaye’s extensive career, examines his many published works, and describes the importance of MacKaye’s relationships with such influential figures as Lewis Mumford, Aldo Leopold, and Walter Lippmann.

Author Larry Anderson is the former president and co-founder of the Harvard Common Press and the author of many articles on conservation, the environment and land-use planning. At the 2001 ALDHA Gathering, he delivered the first symposium co-sponsored by the A.T. Museum and ALDHA. The subject, of course, was Benton MacKaye. Appropriately enough, that year’s Gathering was at Dartmouth College, home of MacKaye’s papers.

The 464-page hardcover book is now available online for $45 through the Johns Hopkins University Press, located at
www.press.jhu.edu/press/books/titles/f02/f02anbe.htm

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Trailhead
New Boots • Gathering • Grapevine • Springer Fever
A.T. Companion • Headlamp Material • Work Trips • Side Trails