Sierra Club Books Explained

Sierra Club Books
Parent:	Sierra Club
Founder:	David Brower
Successor:	Counterpoint LLC (Adult books) Gibbs Smith (Children's books)
Distribution:	Publishers Group West
Publications:	Books
Topics:	Environmentalism

Sierra Club Books was the publishing division, for both adults and children, of the Sierra Club, founded in by then club President David Brower. They were a United States publishing company located in San Francisco, California with a concentration on biological conservation. In the adult division of the organization was sold to Counterpoint LLC and the children's books division to Gibbs Smith.

History

The Sierra Club started its book program in, when David Brower, an editor with the University of California Press, became the club's executive director. In, they published the first of its climbers’ and hikers’ guides. In, when the Sierra Club Books began, they published the ‘Exhibit Format Book Series’, a collection of nature photography and in they published their first color volume, Elliot Porter's In Wilderness Is the Preservation of the World.

Volumes intended for club members had been published prior to . In addition, books under their name had been published before, but done through already established publishers, as was the case with This Is Dinosaur, published by Alfred A. Knopf.

Their first in-house book, volume 1 in the Exhibit Format series, was This is the American Earth, published in . In, they introduced color photography to the series with the publication of In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World with photographs by Eliot Porter and Island In Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula with photographs by Philip Hyde. The series won the Carey–Thomas Award for creative publishing, by Publishers Weekly. Fifty thousand copies were sold in the first four years, and by sales exceeded . The books were successful in introducing the public to wilderness preservation and to the Sierra Club. Paperback reprints of many of the Exhibit Format books were published by Ballantine Books.

After Brower left the Club in, the club came under the leadership of Jon Beckmann from to . During Beckmann's tenure the program expanded and diversified considerably, publishing books by established and emerging writers such as Wendell Berry, Robert Bly, Galen Rowell, and David Rains Wallace as well as field guides, fiction, poetry, and books on environmental activism, such as the Sierra Club Battlebooks. Many Sierra Club books were produced by the Yolla Bolly Press run by Jim and Carolyn Robertson in Covelo, California. The program continued for two decades after, first under Peter Beren, the former marketing director, then under Helen Sweetland, the former children's books editor. The press closed in with the adult division of the organization being sold to Counterpoint LLC and the children's books division to Gibbs Smith.

The Club continues to publish the Sierra Club Wilderness Calendar and the Sierra Club Engagement Calendar annually, which are perennial bestsellers. They are distributed to the book trade by Publishers Group West.

Partial bibliography

Exhibit Format

• This is the American Earth, Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall^[1]
• Words of the Earth, photographs by Cedric Wright^[2]
• Time and the River Flowing: Grand Canyon, Philip Hyde and Franćois Leydet^[3]
• These We Inherit: The Parklands of America, Ansel Adams^[4]
• In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World, Henry David Thoreau^[5]
• The Place No One Knew: Glen Canyon on the Colorado, Eliot Porter^[6]
• Ansel Adams: A Biography, Volume 1: The Eloquent Light, Nancy Newhall^[7]
• The Last Redwoods: Photographs and Story of a Vanishing Scenic Resource, Philip Hyde and Franćois Leydet^[8]
• Gentle Wilderness: The Sierra Nevada, John Muir and Richard Kauffman^[9]
• Not Man Apart: Photographs of the Big Sur Coast, Robinson Jeffers^[10]
• The Wild Cascades: Forgotten Parkland, Harvey Manning^[11]
• Everest: The West Ridge, Thomas F. Hornbein^[12]
• Summer Island: Penobscot Country, Eliot Porter^[13]
• Glacier Bay: The Land and the Silence, Dave Bohn^[14]
• Navajo Wildlands: As Long as The Rivers Shall Run, Stephen Jett^[15]
• Kauai and the Park Country of Hawaii, Robert Wenkam^[16]
• Baja California and the Geography of Hope, Joseph Wood Krutch^[17]
• Central Park Country: A Tune Within Us, Mireille Johnston^[18]
• Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness - Vol. 1: Discovery, Eliot Porter^[19]
• Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness - Vol. 2: Prospect, Eliot Porter^[20]

Battlebooks

• Oil on Ice: Alaskan Wilderness at the Crossroads, Tom Brown^[21]
• Mercury: How Much Are We Eating?, Katherine and Peter Montague^[22]

Yolla Bolly Press

• The Wilder Shore, David Rains Wallace^[23]
• The Yosemite, John Muir^[24]

Material World

• Material World: A Global Family Portrait, Charles C. Mann^[25]
• Women in the Material World, Faith D'Aluisio^[26]

Other

• Island in Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula, Philip Hyde (photographer)^[27]
• On the Loose, Terry and Renny Russell^[28]
• The Population Bomb, Paul R. Ehrlich^[29]
• On the Shore of the Sundown Sea, T.H. Watkins^[30]
• Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region, Walter A. Starr, Jr.^[31]
• The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, Wendell Berry^[32]
• Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas, Donald Worster^[33]
• The Dark Range: A Naturalist's Night Notebook, David Rains Wallace^[34]
• Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, Steve Roper and Allen Steck^[35]
• Annapurna: A Woman's Place, Arlene Blum^[36]
• The Klamath Knot: Explorations in Myth and Evolution, David Rains Wallace^[37]
• The River Why, David James Duncan
• In a Grain of Sand: Exploring Design by Nature, Andreas Feininger^[38]
• Wild by Law: The Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and the Places It Has Saved, Tom Turner^[39]
• California's Wild Heritage: Threatened and Endangered Animals in the Golden State, Peter Steinhart^[40]
• In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations, Jerry Mander^[41]
• Mother Earth: Through the Eyes of Women Photographers and Writers, Judith Boice, editor^[42]
• Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind, Theodore Roszak, Allen D. Kanner and Mary E. Gomes^[43]
• The Monkey's Bridge: Mysteries of Evolution in Central America, David Rains Wallace^[44]
• Bay Area Wild: A Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area, Galen Rowell and Michael Sewell^[45]
• The Winemaker's Marsh: Four Seasons in a Restored Wetland, Kenneth Brower^[46]
• Galen Rowell: A Retrospective, Andy Grundberg^[47]
• Gloryland: A Novel, Shelton Johnson^[48]

Notes and References

1. Book: Adams . Ansel . Ansel Adams . Newhall . Nancy . Nancy Newhall . 1960 . This is the American Earth . 978-0-87156-001-8 . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
2. Book: . 2021 . Words of the Earth . 978-1-01494-274-6 . 1st pub. 1960 . 2nd . . . Sierra Club Books . . Newhall . Nancy . Nancy Newhall.
3. Book: Hyde . Philip . Philip Hyde (photographer) . Litton . Martin . Martin Litton (environmentalist) . 1960 . Time and the River Flowing: Grand Canyon . . Sierra Club Books . Brower . David . David Brower.
4. Book: Adams . Ansel . Ansel Adams . 1960 . These We Inherit: The Parklands of America . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
5. Book: Thoreau, Henry David . Henry David Thoreau . 1962 . In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World . . Sierra Club Books . . Porter . Eliot.
6. Book: Porter, Eliot . 1963 . The Place No One Knew: Glen Canyon on the Colorado . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
7. Book: Newhall, Nancy . Nancy Newhall . 1963 . Ansel Adams: A Biography, Volume 1: The Eloquent Light . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
8. Book: Hyde . Philip . Philip Hyde (photographer) . Leydet . Franćois . 1964 . The Last Redwoods: Photographs and Story of a Vanishing Scenic Resource . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
9. Book: Muir, John . John Muir . 1964 . Gentle Wilderness: The Sierra Nevada . 978-0-87156-106-0 . . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
10. Book: Jeffers, Robinson . Robinson Jeffers . 1965 . Not Man Apart: Photographs of the Big Sur Coast . 978-0-34525-539-6 . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
11. Book: Manning, Manning . Harvey Manning . 1965 . The Wild Cascades: Forgotten Parkland . . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . David . David Brower.
12. Book: Hornbein, Thomas F. . Tom Hornbein . 1998 . Everest: The West Ridge . 978-0-89886-616-2 . 1st pub. 1965 . . Sierra Club Books, Mountaineers . . Brower . David . David Brower.
13. Book: Porter, Eliot . Eliot Porter . 1966 . Summer Island: Penobscot Country . . Sierra Club Books . Brower . David . David Brower.
14. Book: Bohn, Dave . 1966 . Glacier Bay: The Land and the Silence . . Sierra Club Books . Brower . David . David Brower.
15. Book: Jett, Stephen . 1969 . Navajo Wildlands: As Long as The Rivers Shall Run . . . Sierra Club Books . . Kenneth . David . Kenneth Brower.
16. Book: Wenkam, Robert . 1969 . Kauai and the Park Country of Hawaii . . Sierra Club Books . Brower . Kenneth . Kenneth Brower.
17. Book: Krutch, Joseph Wood . Joseph Wood Krutch . 1967 . Baja California and the Geography of Hope . . . Sierra Club Books . Brower . Kenneth . Kenneth Brower.
18. Book: Johnston, Mireille . Mireille Johnston . 1968 . Central Park Country: A Tune Within Us . . . Sierra Club Books . Brower . David . David Brower.
19. Book: Porter, Eliot . Eliot Porter . 1968 . Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness - Vol. 1: Discovery . . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . Kenneth . Kenneth Brower.
20. Book: Porter, Eliot . Eliot Porter . 1968 . Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness - Vol. 2: Prospect . . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower . Kenneth . Kenneth Brower.
21. Book: Brown, Tom . Tom Brown (naturalist) . 1971 . Oil on Ice: Alaskan Wilderness at the Crossroads . . Sierra Club Books.
22. Book: Montague . Katherine . Montague . Peter . 1971 . Mercury: How Much Are We Eating? . . Sierra Club Books.
23. Book: Wallace, David Rains . David Rains Wallace . 1984 . The Wilder Shore . 978-0-87156-328-6 . . . Sierra Club Books, Yolla Bolly Press . . Brower . David . David Brower.
24. Book: Muir, John . 2018 . The Yosemite . 978-0-48683-488-7 . 1st pub. 1989 . . . Sierra Club Books, Yolla Bolly Press . Google Books.
25. Book: Mann, Charles C. . Charles C. Mann . 1994 . Material World: A Global Family Portrait . 978-0-87156-430-6 . . Material World . . Sierra Club Books, Catapult . Google Books.
26. Book: Faith, D'Aluisio . 1996 . Women in the Material World . 978-0-87156-398-9 . . Material World . . Sierra Club Books . . Brower.
27. Book: Hyde, Philip . Philip Hyde (photographer) . 1974 . Island in Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula . 978-0-68413-439-0 . . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
28. Book: Russell . Terry . Russell . Renny . 2001 . 1st pub. 1967 . On the Loose . 978-0-87905-995-8 . 2nd . . . Google Books.
29. Book: Ehrlich, Paul R. . Paul R. Ehrlich . 1971 . The Population Bomb . 978-1-56849-587-3 . 1968 . 2nd . . . Google Books.
30. Book: Watkins, T.H. . T.H. Watkins . 1990 . On the Shore of the Sundown Sea . 978-0-80184-129-3 . 1st pub. 1973 . 2nd . . . . Google Books.
31. Book: Starr, Walter Augustus . Walter A. Starr, Jr. . 2nd . . 1974 . Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region . . Sierra Club Books . 978-0-87156-172-5 . Google Books.
32. Book: Wendell, Berry . Wendell Berry . 1996 . The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture . 978-0-87156-877-9 . 1st pub. 1977 . 2nd . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
33. Book: Worster, David . Donald Worster . 1985 . Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas . 978-0-52126-792-2 . 1st pub. 1977 . 2nd . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
34. Book: Wallace, David Rains . David Rains Wallace . 1978 . The Dark Range: A Naturalist's Night Notebook . 978-0-87156-212-8 . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
35. Book: Roper . Steve . Steve Roper . Steck . Allen . Allen Steck . 1982 . Fifty Classic Climbs of North America . 978-0-87156-262-3 . 1st pub. 1979 . 2nd . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
36. Book: Blum, Blum . Arlene Blum . 1980 . Annapurna: A Woman's Place . 978-0-87156-236-4 . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
37. Book: Wallace, David Rains . David Rains Wallace . 2003 . The Klamath Knot: Explorations in Myth and Evolution . 978-0-52023-659-2 . 1st pub. 1983 . 2nd . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
38. Book: Feininger, Andreas . Andreas Feininger . 1986 . In a Grain of Sand: Exploring Design by Nature . 978-0-87156-763-5 . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
39. Book: Turner, Tom . 1990 . Wild by Law: The Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and the Places It Has Saved . Illustrated by Carr Clifton, Philip Hyde Et al.. . Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
40. Book: Steinhart, Peter . 1990 . California's Wild Heritage: Threatened and Endangered Animals in the Golden State . Introduction by Robert I. Bowman . . Sierra Club Books in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Game and the California Academy of Sciences.
41. Book: Mander, Jerry . Jerry Mander . 1991 . In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations . 978-0-87156-739-0 . 1st pub. . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
42. Book: Boice, Judith . 1992 . Mother Earth: Through the Eyes of Women Photographers and Writers . 978-0-87156-556-3 . . Sierra Club Books . . Boice . Judith.
43. Book: Roszak . Theodore . Theodore Roszak (scholar) . Gomes . Mary E. . Kanner . Allen D. . 1995 . Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind . 978-0-87156-406-1 . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
44. Book: Wallace, David Rains . David Rains Wallace . 2007 . The Monkey's Bridge: Mysteries of Evolution in Central America . 978-1-59534-040-5 . 1st pub. 1997 . 2nd . . Sierra Club Books, Trinity University Press . Google Books.
45. Book: Rowell . Galen . Galen Rowell . Sewell . Michael . 1999 . Bay Area Wild: A Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area . 978-1-57805-010-9 . 1st pub. 1997 . 2nd . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
46. Book: Brower, Kenneth . 2001 . Kenneth Brower . The Winemaker's Marsh: Four Seasons in a Restored Wetland . . 1-57805-058-8 . Google Books.
47. Book: Grundberg, Andy . 2006 . Galen Rowell: A Retrospective . 978-1-57805-115-1 . . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.
48. Book: Johnson, Shelton . Shelton Johnson . 2009 . Gloryland: A Novel . 978-1-57805-144-1 . . Sierra Club Books . Google Books.