{"product_id":"edward-abbey-a-life-9780816522675","title":"Edward Abbey: A Life","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"The best biography ever about Ed. Cahalan's meticulous research and thoughtful interviews have made this book the authoritative source for Abbey scholars and fans alike.\"\u003c\/b\u003e --Doug Peacock, author, environmentalist activist and explorer, and the inspiration for Hayduke in \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey Wrench Gang\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e He was a hero to environmentalists and the patron saint of monkeywrenchers, a man in love with desert solitude. A supposed misogynist, ornery and contentious, he nevertheless counted women among his closest friends and admirers. He attracted a cult following, but he was often uncomfortable with it. He was a writer who wandered far from Home without really starting out there. James Cahalan has written a definitive biography of a contemporary literary icon whose life was a web of contradictions. \u003ci\u003eEdward Abbey: A Life\u003c\/i\u003e sets the record straight on \"Cactus Ed,\" giving readers a fuller, more human Abbey than most have ever known. It separates fact from fiction, showing that much of the myth surrounding Abbey--such as his birth in Home, Pennsylvania, and later residence in Oracle, Arizona--was self-created and self-perpetuated. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e It also shows that Abbey cultivated a persona both in his books and as a public speaker that contradicted his true nature: publicly racy and sardonic, he was privately reserved and somber. Cahalan studied all of Abbey's works and private papers and interviewed many people who knew him--including the models for characters in \u003ci\u003eThe Brave Cowboy\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Monkey Wrench Gang\u003c\/i\u003e--to create the most complete picture to date of the writer's life. He examines Abbey's childhood roots in the East and his love affair with the West, his personal relationships and tempestuous marriages, and his myriad jobs in continually shifting locations--including sixteen national parks and forests. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e He also explores Abbey's writing process, his broad intellectual interests, and the philosophical roots of his politics. For Abbey fans who assume that his \"honest novel,\" \u003ci\u003eThe Fool's Progress, \u003c\/i\u003e was factual or that his public statements were entirely off the cuff, Cahalan's evenhanded treatment will be an eye-opener. More than a biography, \u003ci\u003eEdward Abbey: A Life\u003c\/i\u003e is a corrective that shows that he was neither simply a countercultural cowboy hero nor an unprincipled troublemaker, but instead a complex and multifaceted person whose legacy has only begun to be appreciated. The book contains 30 photographs, capturing scenes ranging from Abbey's childhood to his burial site.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Arizona Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2003\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780816522675\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 357\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.27lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.26h x 6.12w x 0.92d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/02\/2003 pg. 28\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKliatt\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2003 pg. 32\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"James M. Cahalan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43271788593333,"sku":"9780816522675","price":22.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_bd022032-5811-430d-9db3-dde9213ca79a.jpg?v=1699957146","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/edward-abbey-a-life-9780816522675","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}