Edward Abbey

[Michael Slade]

I can't remember if I bought DS in Moab or if that was Monkeywrench Gang (the hardcover commemeritive one?). I still have my original DS from my 10th Grade english class, thats the one I actually read, not surprising at all if I have a double of it though I picked up a couple more neat Utah region books today and a reaaally neat 70's era book on the Jeep trails of Colorado in prep for the WC Ouray run this year If you ever find yourself with some time in SLC, stop by Sam Wellers rare books, he has an extensive collection of all things Utah, particularly LDS books and early pioneer stuff. Also has lots of maps, photos, etc. I could have easily wasted a couple of hours and thousands of dollars there today.

I've not spent any time in Sam's place, but I've spent many hours at Ken Sanders looking at old original maps of Utah for my project. One day I'd like to see my book being sold there next to Abbey's. I'm not a huge fan of EA, but I probably ought to at lease revisit DS to either quench or fuel my current attitude towards him.

I do like the fact that he's buried in the desert and no one knows where he is. Very romantic.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

I've not spent any time in Sam's place, but I've spent many hours at Ken Sanders looking at old original maps of Utah for my project. One day I'd like to see my book being sold there next to Abbey's. I'm not a huge fan of EA, but I probably ought to at lease revisit DS to either quench or fuel my current attitude towards him.

I do like the fact that he's buried in the desert and no one knows where he is. Very romantic.

Insert foot in mouth... I've got my stores mixed up!

I was at Ken Sanders today... thats where the EA stuff resides. Both are worthy stops... but Sanders has the edge on Utah historical stuff and the massive lead on the EA stuff.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Kurt you are becoming more and more liberal each day.. Ken Sanders is a favorite of local NPR listeners, I swear he is on there every other month

 

[sinuhexavier]

We have all of his books in our first editions collection.

I discovered his writing through Doug Peacock a fellow Montana native. Doug would come into our school, The Headwaters Academy, every so often to talk about bears and issues pertaining to wilderness.

On my first trip to Moab in 1991, I by chance ran into Doug in the Needles district. I told him I always thought of him as a Mountain man not a desert rat... He said to me "...be careful because this desert has a way of infecting you with a sickness of which you will never find a cure." This being my first time on the Plateau, I thought this was all hippie bull****.

He told me to read Desert Solitaire while I was still in the area and it would change my life.

And it did.

I have been back to the Colorado Plateau every year since, sometimes several times, I even lived near Escalante for 3 months one Fall and in Castle Valley one Spring.

 

[dmc]

Abbey is an author I truly enjoy and have read all his books a few times. When I was young and idealistic it really hit home. I prefer his non-fiction and actually think DS is one of his less interesting works. I brought David Petersen's Letters from Abbey with me and on my trip and gave up 2/3s of the way through because of the cockiness and abstinence of some of the letters. My own opinion is that Ed did suffer from the apathy he often mentioned in his writing when it came to 'walking the walk.' What I do think he did very well is speak FOR his audience instead of TO his audience as he often claimed a good writer should do. Maybe he didn't practice what he preached so entertainingly and arrogantly advocated but he did inspired many others to do so and that to me makes him a success.

I'd much rather read Stegner now days but there is always room for Abbey's gruff and tacit delivery.
dmc

 

[dmc]

We have all of his books in our first editions collection.

I discovered his writing through Doug Peacock a fellow Montana native. Doug would come into our school, The Headwaters Academy, every so often to talk about bears and issues pertaining to wilderness.

On my first trip to Moab in 1991, I by chance ran into Doug in the Needles district. I told him I always thought of him as a Mountain man not a desert rat... He said to me "...be careful because this desert has a way of infecting you with a sickness of which you will never find a cure." This being my first time on the Plateau, I thought this was all hippie bull****.

He told me to read Desert Solitaire while I was still in the area and it would change my life.

And it did.

I have been back to the Colorado Plateau every year since, sometimes several times, I even lived near Escalante for 3 months one Fall and in Castle Valley one Spring.

pretty cool to have hayduke himself recommend an Abbey book. if the rumors are true of course.
dmc

 

[Paul R]

I am half way through Desert Solitaire for my first time but I am loving it!
If nothing else he has a great way of describing how the Moab area felt during that time era...

 

[Mike S]

I have been back to the Colorado Plateau every year since, sometimes several times, I even lived near Escalante for 3 months one Fall and in Castle Valley one Spring.

Castle Valley - great little place. I have a friend who lives there and visit whenever I get to Utah.

 

[DesertRose]

We have all of his books in our first editions collection.

I discovered his writing through Doug Peacock a fellow Montana native. Doug would come into our school, The Headwaters Academy, every so often to talk about bears and issues pertaining to wilderness.

On my first trip to Moab in 1991, I by chance ran into Doug in the Needles district. I told him I always thought of him as a Mountain man not a desert rat... He said to me "...be careful because this desert has a way of infecting you with a sickness of which you will never find a cure." This being my first time on the Plateau, I thought this was all hippie bull****.

He told me to read Desert Solitaire while I was still in the area and it would change my life.

And it did.

I have been back to the Colorado Plateau every year since, sometimes several times, I even lived near Escalante for 3 months one Fall and in Castle Valley one Spring.

Very cool that you have firsts - we'd love to hear more about your titles when we meet up (nice to find more crazy bibliofiles out there, too - most of ours are in storage while we save up for building the house, but we still don't stop buying . . . )

I've enjoyed reading how Ed Abbey has inspired so many different people, of different ages and experiences.

He never intended to be an icon - it sat uneasily on him. He was a gruff old X$%^Xd who had a great talent for expressing a sense of place - that's what we're all connecting with.

I agree with DMC - Stegner was much more eloquent, deep, and mature, but sometimes that's what made Abbey fun - very raw.

 

[kellymoe]

My first exposure to Abbey was when working as a river guide in the Spring of 89. One of the guides I worked with came into the guide house and talked of going to a wake. The difference was that she looked kind of excited about going. This seemed odd until she told me about Abbey. About 10 years later I was at my grandparents house. My grandparents were old desert rats and spent a good part of their life exploring Baja and the Southwest. My grandma handed me a book called Desert Solitaire. She told me to read it on my next trip out to the desert. I kept the book in my 1969 Land Rover and planned to read it on my next trip. My next trip was out to the Saline Valley in the early Spring. While kicking back with a cold beer and a cheap cigar I started to read Desert Solitaire. During that trip and while reading the book I began to see the desert in a whole new way. There is somethng about that book that gets under your skin. It's the only book I continue to read on an annual basis. Although I dont agree with everything Abbey stood for I have to thank him for making my love for the desert more personal than I could have ever imagined. Thanks grandma.

 

[Hltoppr]

Now...the sight of a copy of Desert Solitaire in an old rover would leave me no option but to seek out the owner and chat....

-H-

 

[sinuhexavier]

His chapter in DS of going into the Maze in an old Rover is one of my favorite that I constantly go back to.

My first time down the flint trail I read the chapter the night before... Imagine my surprise when a Series Rover was sitting at the Hans Flat Ranger Station...

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Doug Peacock is in fact Hayduke according to a radio show I heard, RadioWest with Doug Fabrizio, that he was on...

 

[dmc]

Doug Peacock is in fact Hayduke according to a radio show I heard, RadioWest with Doug Fabrizio, that he was on...

oh abbey claimed that he was but no one can be that way in real life. just an exaggeration of the personality.
dmc

 

[sinuhexavier]

Doug speaks of his relationship with EA in depth in his book "Walking It Off"... Some great adventures to read, both internal and external...