Sierra Club Books was the publishing division, for both adults and children, of the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded in 1892, in San Francisco, by preservationist John Muir. A product of the Pro ...

, founded in by then club President

David Brower David Ross Brower ( ; July 1, 1912 – November 5, 2000) was a prominent environmentalist and the founder of many environmental organizations, including the John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies (1997), Friends of the Earth (1969), Ear ...

. They were a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

publishing company located in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

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 Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

with the

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

, 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 Nature photography encompasses a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to place a stronger ...

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 Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

prior to . In addition,

books A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mo ...

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 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Blanche Knopf and Alfred A. Knopf Sr. in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers ...

. 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 Color photography (also spelled as colour photography in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is photography that uses media capable of capturing and reproducing colors. By contrast, black-and-white or gray-monochrome ...

to the series with the publication of ''In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World'' with

photographs A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. The process and pra ...

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 ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

. Fifty thousand copies were sold in the first four years, and by sales exceeded . The books were successful in introducing the public to

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...

preservation and to the Sierra Club.

Paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...

reprints of many of the Exhibit Format books were published by

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major American book publisher that is a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Ballantine was founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. Ballantine was acquired by Random House in ...

. 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 A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short stori ...

such as Wendell Berry,

Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activist and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement. His best-known prose book is '' Iron John: A Book About Men'' (1990), which spent 62 weeks on ...

Galen Rowell Galen Avery Rowell (August 23, 1940 – August 11, 2002) was an American wilderness photographer, adventure photojournalist and mountaineer. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972. Early life and education Rowe ...

, and

David Rains Wallace David Rains Wallace (born 1945) is an American writer who has published more than twenty books on conservation and natural history, including ''The Monkey's Bridge'' (a 1997 ''New York Times'' Notable Book) and '' The Klamath Knot'' (1984 Burroug ...

as well as

field guide A field guide is a book designed to help the reader identify wildlife (flora or fauna or funga) or other objects of natural occurrence (e.g. rocks and minerals). It is generally designed to be brought into the " field" or local area where suc ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

, and books on environmental

activism Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...

, 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 A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

. 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 Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his Monochrome photography, black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association ...

and

Nancy Newhall Nancy Wynne Newhall (May 9, 1908 – July 7, 1974) was an American photography critic. She is best known for writing the text to accompany photographs by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, but was also a widely published writer on photography, co ...

* () ''Words of the Earth'', photographs by Cedric Wright * () ''Time and the River Flowing: Grand Canyon'', Philip Hyde and Franćois Leydet * () ''These We Inherit: The Parklands of America'', Ansel Adams * () ''In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World'',

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau (born David Henry Thoreau; July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading Transcendentalism, transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon sim ...

* () ''The Place No One Knew: Glen Canyon on the Colorado'', Eliot Porter * () ''Ansel Adams: A Biography, Volume 1: The Eloquent Light'', Nancy Newhall * () ''The Last Redwoods: Photographs and Story of a Vanishing Scenic Resource'', Philip Hyde and Franćois Leydet * () ''Gentle Wilderness: The Sierra Nevada'',

John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the national park, National Parks", was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologi ...

and Richard Kauffman * () ''Not Man Apart: Photographs of the Big Sur Coast'', Robinson Jeffers * () ''The Wild Cascades: Forgotten Parkland'', Harvey Manning * () ''Everest: The West Ridge'', Thomas F. Hornbein * () ''Summer Island: Penobscot Country'', Eliot Porter * () ''Glacier Bay: The Land and the Silence'', Dave Bohn * () ''Navajo Wildlands: As Long as The Rivers Shall Run'', Stephen Jett * () ''Kauai and the Park Country of Hawaii'', Robert Wenkam * () ''Baja California and the Geography of Hope'', Joseph Wood Krutch * () ''Central Park Country: A Tune Within Us'', Mireille Johnston * () ''Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness - Vol. 1: Discovery'', Eliot Porter * () ''Galápagos: The Flow of Wildness - Vol. 2: Prospect'', Eliot Porter

Battlebooks

* () ''Oil on Ice: Alaskan Wilderness at the Crossroads'', Tom Brown * () ''Mercury: How Much Are We Eating?'', Katherine and Peter Montague

Yolla Bolly Press

* () ''The Wilder Shore'',

* () ''The Yosemite'', John Muir

Material World

* () ''Material World: A Global Family Portrait'', Charles C. Mann * () ''Women in the Material World'', Faith D'Aluisio

Other

* () ''Island in Time: The Point Reyes Peninsula'', Philip Hyde (photographer) * () ''On the Loose'', Terry and Renny Russell * () '' The Population Bomb'',

Paul R. Ehrlich Paul Ralph Ehrlich (born May 29, 1932) is an American biologist known for his predictions and warnings about the consequences of population growth, including famine and resource depletion. Ehrlich is the Bing Professor Emeritus of Population ...

* () ''On the Shore of the Sundown Sea'', T.H. Watkins * () ''Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region'', Walter A. Starr, Jr. * () ''The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture'', Wendell Berry * () ''Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas'', Donald Worster * () ''The Dark Range: A Naturalist's Night Notebook'',

* () '' Fifty Classic Climbs of North America'', Steve Roper and Allen Steck * () ''Annapurna: A Woman's Place'',

Arlene Blum Arlene Blum (born March 1, 1945Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life, page 34Chapter 24 /ref>) is an American mountaineer, writer, and environmental health scientist. She is best known for leading the first successful American ascent of Annapurna (I ...

* () ''The Klamath Knot: Explorations in Myth and Evolution'',

* () '' The River Why'', David James Duncan * () ''In a Grain of Sand: Exploring Design by Nature'', Andreas Feininger * () ''Wild by Law: The Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and the Places It Has Saved'', Tom Turner * () ''California's Wild Heritage: Threatened and Endangered Animals in the Golden State'', Peter Steinhart * () ''In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations'', Jerry Mander * () ''Mother Earth: Through the Eyes of Women Photographers and Writers'', Judith Boice, editor * () ''Ecopsychology: Restoring the Earth, Healing the Mind'', Theodore Roszak, Allen D. Kanner and Mary E. Gomes * () ''The Monkey's Bridge: Mysteries of Evolution in Central America'',

* () ''Bay Area Wild: A Celebration of the Natural Heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area'',

and Michael Sewell * () ''The Winemaker's Marsh: Four Seasons in a Restored Wetland'', Kenneth Brower * () ''Galen Rowell: A Retrospective'', Andy Grundberg * () ''Gloryland: A Novel'', Shelton Johnson

References

{{Portal bar, San Francisco Bay Area Sierra Club Organizations based in San Francisco Book publishing companies based in San Francisco Environmental non-fiction books Environmental publishers Publishing companies established in 1960