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Keith Walpole's avatar

Thanks for writing about Abbey! I picked up Desert Solitaire while on a high school trip through the Southwest. I’d never read anything like it before. Still one of my favorites.

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Isaac Lipnick's avatar

I have never had such a hard time deciding which I love more: his fiction (“The Monkey Wrench Gang” in particular) or his essays (like “Down the River”). What an amazing writer. Thanks for sharing these!

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Rob DePaolo's avatar

Wow. I need to read more Abbey ASAP! "You can’t study the darkness by flooding it with light." Damn if that does speak volumes... Thank you Erik for sharing this! 🙏☺️

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String's avatar

Thank you for publishing this article about Edward Abbey - I have included the article (and a link) in an article here on substack as well - the timing was perfect - he was such a brilliant man, and so inspirational. Love Poetic Outlaws, probably my favourite substack.

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Poetic Outlaws's avatar

Thank you so much!

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George’s Cowboys and Angels's avatar

Same! LOVE Poetic Outlaws!

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Gregg's avatar

ha! I just finished rereading desert solitaire last night after several decades of reading it for the first or second time. His words still ring true. as a retired national Park Ranger. I’ve always gotten a kick out of Abby‘s writing, though I didn’t necessarily subscribe to some of his tactics. in my 37 year federal land management career, I experienced examples of what he cautioned us about so long ago. His book and a few others formed the foundation of my early ecological consciousness back in the late 60s and early 70s. I think the book may have been part of required reading for my ecology and society course at what was then Southwest Missouri state college. thanks for posting this.

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George’s Cowboys and Angels's avatar

Thank you for sharing your story! It has always been a dream to have had the opportunity to be a park ranger! How rare of a blessing. ✌🏻

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Patris's avatar

Sunlight tends to teach us optimism, doesn’t it. Sharing this with someone who escaped to the southwest from nyc a while ago. He’ll get this. Thanks

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Sue Cauhape's avatar

WOW! This is one book of his I haven't read yet. The Brave Cowboy resonated with me more than any other of his books (Fire on the Mountain, Desert Solitaire, etc.) It illustrated how this country's government has used and abused its citizens since the ink dried on the Constitution. And poor little Whiskey, the innocent filly dragged through the mayhem of this story, gets the rawest punishment of all at the end. This list of quotes describes quite clearly the depth of his feelings about the West and, way back then, the problems that are still plaguing us today.

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Shannon McCloud Johnson's avatar

So perfect that old Cactus Ed.

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Donna McArthur's avatar

This is fantastic, thank you for pulling all these great quotes! It's hard to choose a favorite.

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Ethan Summers's avatar

Nice challenging ideas tossed there!

6. “Society is like a stew. If you don’t keep it stirred up, you get a lot of scum on top” - made me stop and think. How would one stir society in such a way to bring values above the scum?

7. “Anarchism…”? 🤔

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Dian Parker's avatar

Ah, the ole coot. Love him!

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Robert Deshaies II's avatar

This spurned me to sit down on a random sidewalk to write. Thank you for sharing 🙏🏼

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Charlie Borland's avatar

Love this post and love Edward Abby!

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Buddy S.'s avatar

Good stuff, thanks. I’m enriched by your substack. I plan to jot many of these down.

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Gordon D W Scott's avatar

These are great. I burst out laughing at number one. Gordon (Scotland)

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Owen Wilberforce's avatar

Mother Nature Bats Last

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