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Brent Martin

Explore this section of the Appalachians in these essays examining its history, its wilderness, and what change means for its future.

In the eighteenth century, naturalist and artist William Bartram traveled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and spent time documenting both plant life and the customs of the Middle Town Cherokees. Since that time, men and women like Bartram have journeyed through Western North Carolina’s wildest and most remote places and written about their experiences. The essays in this volume compare the present day to those historical journeys and explore the idea of wilderness and what change means for the future of the people and the species who live in the mountains. Join local writer and guide Brent Martin on a journey through this incredible landscape.

“With unflinching candor, Brent Martin celebrates the heartbreaking beauty of Appalachia. He wrings out every sensory and emotional detail in these passionate, probing essays that explore the wild within. These aren’t lyrical paeans to nature; they are gritty, gutsy journeys into the rugged, remote landscapes of the human heart. Immersed in mountain tradition, culture, and community, he wanders deep and alone into the wild to find what remains. Martin’s powerful, masterful writing shines with real, hard-earned hope. ” —Will Harlan, author of the New York Times bestseller Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America 

“If you love the Southern Appalachians and Wendell Berry and Annie Dillard and Gary Snyder, read this beautifully written and deeply thought-provoking book. ” —Charles Frazier, author of the New York Times bestseller Cold Mountain

“A thoughtful and thought-provoking collection of essays from one of Appalachia’s staunchest proponents of wilderness and one of its most devoted writers. Brent Martin is a preeminent naturalist and a scholar of the history of his place. This book is deeply personal, highly instructive, far-reaching. ” —Janisse Ray, author of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

“A loving a troubling portrait of the southern Appalachians—the rich history and complexity of ecosystems alongside the damage we’ve wrought on them. ” —Catherine Reid, author of Falling into Place: An Intimate Geography of Home

The History Press

Natural History

The Changing Blue Ridge Mountains: Essays on Journeys Past and Present

Chris Hunt

This history and guide to the fly-fishing waters of Yellowstone National Park is a loving homage to the region’s iconic wild trout.

Yellowstone National Park is home to some of the most storied destinations in the history of fly fishing. Casting in the Firehole River is like going back in time to when bison roamed nearly every meadow in the West. Restored to their natal streams after near extinction, native Arctic grayling can once again be plucked from icy water at the foot of breathtaking waterfalls.

Meanwhile, a daylong hike into true wild country rewards an angler with a chance to catch trophy native cutthroat trout on a lonely mountain lake. In Catching Yellowstone’s Wild Trout, local journalist and experienced angler Chris Hunt explores the rich history of these beloved and bountiful waters. </

Catching Yellowstone's Wild Trout: A Fly-Fishing History and Guide