Dayton Duncan is an award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker (Photo by Dan White). He will be talking about his newest project, The National Parks: America's Best Idea and will be autographing books.

He is the author of ten books. Out West: A Journey Through Lewis & Clark's America chronicles his retracing of the Lewis and Clark trail; it was a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection and finalist for the Western Writers of America's Spur Award. Grass Roots: One Year in the Life of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary is a unique look at presidential politics through the experiences of grass roots volunteers. Miles From Nowhere: In Search of the American Frontier examines the current conditions, history, and people of the most sparsely settled counties in the United States. Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, published in November 1997; Mark Twain, published in November 2001; and Horatio's Drive, 2003, and The National Parks: America’s Best Idea are companion books to documentary films he wrote and produced.  Scenes of Visionary Enchantment: Reflections on Lewis & Clark, is a collection of essays released in conjunction with the Lewis and Clark bicentennial.

Two books for young readers were published in the fall of 1996: People of the West, named a Notable Children's Trade Book for 1996 by the National Council of Social Studies and the Children's Book Council, and The West: An Illustrated History for Children, which was selected by The New Yorker magazine for its "short list" of the 16 best children's books of 1996 and won a Western Heritage award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Articles of his have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, American Heritage magazine, The Old Farmer's Almanac, and many other publications.

Duncan has also been involved for many years with the work of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. He was a consultant on Burns's award-winning series for public television, The Civil War, Baseball and Jazz. For a 12-hour series about the history of the American West, broadcast in 1996, Duncan was the co-writer and consulting producer. It won the Erik Barnouw Award from the Organization of American Historians.

DVD also available.

The National Parks: America's Best Idea (Hardcover)

By Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan

$50.00

ISBN-13: 9780307268969
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf, 09/01/2009

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The companion volume to the twelve-hour PBS series from the acclaimed filmmaker behind "The Civil War, Baseball, " and "The War"
America's national parks spring from an idea as radical as the Declaration of Independence: that the nation's most magnificent and sacred places should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. In this evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan delve into the history of the park idea, from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite and the creation of the world's first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, through the most recent additions to a system that now encompasses nearly four hundred sites and 84 million acres.
The authors recount the adventures, mythmaking, and intense political battles behind the evolution of the park system, and the enduring ideals that fostered its growth. They capture the importance and splendors of the individual parks: from Haleakala in Hawaii to Acadia in Maine, from Denali in Alaska to the Everglades in Florida, from Glacier in Montana to Big Bend in Texas. And they introduce us to a diverse cast of compelling characters--both unsung heroes and famous figures such as John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ansel Adams--who have been transformed by these special places and committed themselves to saving them from destruction so that the rest of us could be transformed as well."
The National Parks" is a glorious celebration of an essential expression of American democracy.

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The National Parks: America's Best Idea (Compact Disc)

By Ken Burns, Ken Burns (Read by), Dayton Duncan

$30.00

ISBN-13: 9780739366325
Abridged
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Random House Audio, 09/01/2009

Quantity:

CD

The authors recount the adventures, mythmaking, and intense political battles behind the evolution of the park system, and the enduring ideals that fostered its growth. They capture the importance and splendors of the individual parks: from Haleakala in Hawaii to Acadia in Maine, from Denali in Alaska to the Everglades in Florida, from Glacier in Montana to Big Bend in Texas. And they introduce us to a diverse cast of compelling characters--both unsung heroes and famous figures such as John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ansel Adams--who have been transformed by these special places and committed themselves to saving them from destruction so that the rest of us could be transformed as well." 
The National Parks" is a glorious celebration of an essential expression of American democracy.

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Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (Paperback)

By Dayton Duncan

$29.95

ISBN-13: 9780375706523
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf, 08/01/1999

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Scenes of Visionary Enchantment: Reflections on Lewis and Clark (Hardcover)

By Dayton Duncan

Email or please call for price
ISBN-13: 9780803217249
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: University of Nebraska Press, 03/01/2004

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