Creator
Henry T. Finck
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
[1]
[letterhead]
Dec 8, 94
John Muir Esq
Dear Sir
When Mr. Garrison, a few weeks ago, gave me your new book on the Mountains of California to review for the Nation and Evening Post, my eyes actually filled with tears as I read the chapter headings--so delightful were the memories & the expectations of literary delight called up by them. I enclose my imperfect review, which, however, will help to show you that I am almost as great a Sierra enthusiast as you are, although I have been only once at Tahoe & twice at the Yosemite, my experiences being recorded in "The Pacific Coast Scenic Tour," which you may have seen possibly.
01890
[2]
I wrote to Mr. R. M. Johnson the other day that your book made me wish to be changed by some fairy to a Douglas squirrel that I might spend all the rest of my life on Sierra tree tops. I am a musical critic, & I will add to what I said in my review that no writer has ever analyzed the music of nature with such deep insight as you have.
I have been wondering whether it would be possible for myself & wife (a fairly strong young woman) to make a trip, some summer, from Lake Tahoe direct to the Yosemite, & it is this that leads me to write to you. Can it be done, with a mule to carry provisions, so that we could spend plenty of time on the way? I am afraid not, but I would like to get your advice, if you will be so kind as to give it. If that is impossible (I suppose, too, we would need a guide), what alternative would you suggest, as the wildest
[3] 2
[letterhead]
way of spending a summer in the Sierras?
I do not know if you are as practical as you are poetic & scientific, but if you are, could you suggest any way of keeping my Pacific Coast book before the eyes of tourists? It covers the whole coast from San Diego to Sitka, & is just what the average tourist wants, yet for the last two years the sale of the book has been absurdly small. I know there are thousands who would want the book if they knew just what it contains, but how make it known to them?
With many apologies for thus trespassing on your time & good nature, I am
Very Sincerely Yours
Henry J. Finck
01890
Location
New York
Date Original
1894-12-08
Source
Original letter dimensions: 21.5 x 14 cm.
Recommended Citation
Finck, Henry T., "Letter from Henry T. Finck to John Muir, 1894 Dec 8." (1894). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 6934.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/6934
Resource Identifier
muir08_0595-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 08, Image 0595
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Pages
2 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
