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Summary: I never thought I'd enjoy a book about nature
Review: ...and then John McPhee proved me wrong. This book explores the issues of environmental conservation and preservation, but rather than bring more hysteria (or glibness) to the debate, McPhee gives the reader brilliantly observed pieces on three passionate subjects, all of whom represent different schools of environmental thought. This book is much more engaging than I've made it sound here. I was in a Tom Clancy phase about 8 years ago, and at the time fancied them the most thrilling things I'd likely ever read. McPhee proved me wrong.
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Summary: Another great book by John McPhee
Review: A collection of 3 narratives, these are stories of the interactions between David Brower, a militant environmentalist and former head of the Sierra Club, and three of his natural enemies from the worlds of engineering, government, and real estate development. McPhee does a brilliant job of getting the reader into the hearts and minds of these people without taking sides, and you won't look at environmental issues quite the same again. I was especially impressed with McPhee's exploration of Floyd Dominy, a builder of monumental dams and the man behind the notorious Glen Danyon dam. I couldn't put this book down. John McPhee is an amazing writer who has tackled just about every subject. I think it's much easier to shop McPhee in an online setting like Amazon.com than to try to locate him at your local bookstore. He has covered so many topics that no one really knows where to shelve his books, and used book dealers have an especially hard time of it. Southern California readers will enjoy his book "The Control of Nature" if only for his wonderful piece entitled "Los Angeles against the Mountains." You cannot go wrong with John McPhee!
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Summary: Arguably McPhee's finest book
Review: As the other reviewers here have noted, this is John McPhee's superb recounting of three episodes in the life of famous environmental activist David Brower. The three people he encounters are a geologist, a land developer, and a dam builder. The structure of the book allows a revealing contrast between one of America's greatest environmental activists on three key issues. These are: 1) the desirability and advisability of exploring and mining for ore and minerals in protected wilderness areas, 2) whether it is preferable to develop land on the Atlantic Coast or allow it to be developed, and 3) the desirability of damming major rivers in the Southwest.My favorite portion of the book featured Brower's encounter with the fascinating Charles Fraser, one of America's greatest and most gifted land developers. At debate was whether to develop Cumberland Island as a recreational and residential area, or whether to leave it wild and protect it as a National Seashore. The editorial reviewer inaccurately stated that Fraser was successful in his goal to develop it. He was not. Today Cumberland Island is a designated National Seashore. Fraser had hoped to develop Cumberland much as he had Hilton Head. What is compelling about Fraser is his desire to develop land on the one hand, with an intent to respect the physical surroundings to the greatest possible degree. Brower himself says in the book that while he is opposed to developing Cumberland Island, if anyone were to develop it, he would want Fraser to be that person. The section of the book in which Brower and dam builder Floyd Dominy discuss a wide range of issues is fascinating not just in contrasting two fundamentally opposed viewpoints, but in bringing out both Brower's most conspicuous success and failure. The success was his leading the Sierra Club in opposing building a dam in the Grand Canyon. The tragedy was that in focusing on opposing the Grand Canyon, Brower and the Sierra Club were unable to fight the building of the Glen Canyon River Dam, for environmentalists and conservationists perhaps the single greatest tragedy since the building of the Hetch Hetchy Dam early in the 20th century. In building this dam, the ironically named Lake Powell was created. Many environmentalists refer to his as Lake Foul. The irony stems from the fact that it was named in "honor" of John Wesley Powell, who led the first expedition of Europeans to explore the entirety of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Powell was deeply opposed to the development of the American West beyond the ability of the water supply to support the local population. He would, therefore, have been horrified to find such an anti-monument as this lake bearing his name. Edward Abbey's books are filled with vituperative attacks on the devastation wrought by the building of the Glen Canyon River Dam. There are several organizations that continue calling for the draining of Lake Powell. Why is there so much outrage at this dam? In creating Lake Powell, the water covered some of the most excruciatingly beautiful landscape not only in the United States but the world. Just before the dam was completed and the waters filled the area, photographer Eliot Porter took a number of remarkable photographs chronicling the magnificence of what was lost. Instead of being covered with water, the area should have been declared a national park. The poignancy of the final section of McPhee's book is the since of the tragedy of the dam, and the two who struggled over its building, meet and talk.
Rating:
Summary: Arguably McPhee's finest book
Review: As the other reviewers here have noted, this is John McPhee's superb recounting of three episodes in the life of famous environmental activist David Brower. The three people he encounters are a geologist, a land developer, and a dam builder. The structure of the book allows a revealing contrast between one of America's greatest environmental activists on three key issues. These are: 1) the desirability and advisability of exploring and mining for ore and minerals in protected wilderness areas, 2) whether it is preferable to develop land on the Atlantic Coast or allow it to be developed, and 3) the desirability of damming major rivers in the Southwest. My favorite portion of the book featured Brower's encounter with the fascinating Charles Fraser, one of America's greatest and most gifted land developers. At debate was whether to develop Cumberland Island as a recreational and residential area, or whether to leave it wild and protect it as a National Seashore. The editorial reviewer inaccurately stated that Fraser was successful in his goal to develop it. He was not. Today Cumberland Island is a designated National Seashore. Fraser had hoped to develop Cumberland much as he had Hilton Head. What is compelling about Fraser is his desire to develop land on the one hand, with an intent to respect the physical surroundings to the greatest possible degree. Brower himself says in the book that while he is opposed to developing Cumberland Island, if anyone were to develop it, he would want Fraser to be that person. The section of the book in which Brower and dam builder Floyd Dominy discuss a wide range of issues is fascinating not just in contrasting two fundamentally opposed viewpoints, but in bringing out both Brower's most conspicuous success and failure. The success was his leading the Sierra Club in opposing building a dam in the Grand Canyon. The tragedy was that in focusing on opposing the Grand Canyon, Brower and the Sierra Club were unable to fight the building of the Glen Canyon River Dam, for environmentalists and conservationists perhaps the single greatest tragedy since the building of the Hetch Hetchy Dam early in the 20th century. In building this dam, the ironically named Lake Powell was created. Many environmentalists refer to his as Lake Foul. The irony stems from the fact that it was named in "honor" of John Wesley Powell, who led the first expedition of Europeans to explore the entirety of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Powell was deeply opposed to the development of the American West beyond the ability of the water supply to support the local population. He would, therefore, have been horrified to find such an anti-monument as this lake bearing his name. Edward Abbey's books are filled with vituperative attacks on the devastation wrought by the building of the Glen Canyon River Dam. There are several organizations that continue calling for the draining of Lake Powell. Why is there so much outrage at this dam? In creating Lake Powell, the water covered some of the most excruciatingly beautiful landscape not only in the United States but the world. Just before the dam was completed and the waters filled the area, photographer Eliot Porter took a number of remarkable photographs chronicling the magnificence of what was lost. Instead of being covered with water, the area should have been declared a national park. The poignancy of the final section of McPhee's book is the since of the tragedy of the dam, and the two who struggled over its building, meet and talk.
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Summary: Enduring Ec0-Activist...In Memoria...
Review: At 88, he died of cancer,at Berkeley, Nov. 6th,2K. It may well be that 'his' Sierra Club will prevail- to have Lake Powell drained--making Glen Canyon 'live' again. This effort,underway in court, would take more than 8 years to drain! & be biggest enviromental restoration project ever, a precendence. A fitting tribute to founder of Earth Island Institute....we lost Carl Reisner recently,(Cadillac Desert)
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Summary: Review, Encounters with the Archdruid
Review: Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee was an interesting book. We read it as part of our AP Environmental Science class. Three developers encounter Dave Brower, a conservationist with the Sierra Club. The reading was easy, but at times it was hard to follow because McPhee often jumps around and talks about the scientists' families. It was often repetitive because the developers and the conservationist argue about the same issues all the time. One of the strongest points of the novel is the description of the wilderness. It is very detailed and really gives the reader a sense of actually being there. Overall, the book is unbiased. It offers people the opportunity to explore both sides of environmental issues. It's a good book to read if you're really in the mood to read it, but it's not something most people would pick up and read. -GHHS AP Environmental Students
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Summary: too many dam dams
Review: Encounters with the Archdruid is an out-drawn, boring biography about David Brower. The three sections are repetitive and have no important facts about conservationists. The entire book is full of pointless arguements that usually end with Brower getting drunk. The reader can not even fully understand the opinions of Brower or the other characters because it is all being told by an unidentified narrator. This book is a waste of time and doesn't tell any stories of interest.
Rating: 
Summary: Encounters with the alcoholic
Review: Encounters with the Archdruid is an out-drawn, boring biography about David Brower. The three sections are repetitive and have no important facts about conservationists. The entire book is full of pointless arguements that usually end with Brower getting drunk. The reader can not even fully understand the opinions of Brower or the other characters because it is all being told by an unidentified narrator. This book is a waste of time and doesn't tell any stories of interest.
Rating: 
Summary: Encounters With The Archdruid
Review: Encounters with the Archdruid, by John McPhee, was interesting because it showed the progression of the battles that preservationists go through for the environment. Throughout this book, two point of views are taken, the convervationist and the preservationist. Each presents valid arguments, and at times becomes boring after a lot of the same arguments have occurred. In general, this book is easy to follow, and is recommended to people who want to learn basic opinions of protecting our environment.
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Summary: Tree Huggers Unite
Review: I can add little to the body of positive reviews here, but want to emphasise the importance of this book for anyone trying to understand and come to terms with the mindset of the dam builders, (or should that be Damn Builders) of the mid twentieth century.
From our perspective in the 21st Century the idea of damming the Grand Canyon seems obscene yet it was considered, and actually did happen to Glen Canyon. This book offers real "as it happened insight" to the thinking behind those decisions and perhaps that insight offers us lessons for decisions we may now be taking.
The other areas covered by the book are equally as fascinating, although previously unfamiliar territory to me, and only highlight McPhee's talents as observer and writer.
An all round recommended book. But perhaps, as the last 4 reviews have shown, more suited to adult readers and lovers of non fiction.
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