Edward Abbey: A Life

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Summary: preparation/reflection material
Review: Ill keep this short...Im actually 2/3 of the way thru Cahalan's book on Ed. I purchased the book for the sole purpose of filling in the "blank spots" in Abbey's life, one that I admire. The book has, in fact, done this well. But more than that, fans of Abbey's writing will enjoy the background information about each book or essay...the surprising autobiographical nature of most of his work and even insight into the personal nature of the man...more info than Abbey probably would have liked leaked out to the "masses". A very good reference book for Cactus Ed's fans.

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Summary: The Many Sides of Ed Abbey
Review: James Cahalan's _Edward Abbey: A Life_ presents the most complete account of the life and times of this superb twentieth-century American writer and radical environmentalist. Cahalan reveals the complex nature of Abbey, from his roving youth in Appalachia to his turbulent adult relationships and finally to his illegal burial in the desert. This biography does not over-romanticize Abbey's life (the way Bishop's _Epitaph for a Desert Anarchist_ tends to do), but tells the true story of his life the way it was, utilizing interviews with a variety of sources who knew Abbey through the years and who surely knew him well. Cahalan introduces us to many of the people Abbey would use as the models for the characters in his novels. And his study also brings us closer to the real Ed Abbey while providing a corrective for those critics who would find him racist and misogynist. For the Abbey fan, _Edward Abbey: A Life_ is irreplaceable and provides the most extensive bibliography of Abbey's writings known. And for those who are just getting to know Abbey, this biography will get you hooked on this unforgettable American author and protector of wilderness. Either way, this book is a must.

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Summary: Best book yet on Abbey
Review: This book is the best among the several I've read on Abbey. It contains by far the most details about his life in both its glories and its agonies, and Abbey's voice rings through loud and clear all the way through, partly because Cahalan interweaves plenty of just the right quotations from Abbey's writings, both published and unpublished. It's also the only book I've read that gets the facts right: from where he was born (which WASN'T Home, Pa.), where he lived (many places, but never Oracle); who his many friends, wives, and lovers were; what he actually did and thought; and much, much more. This author has the guts to tell Abbey's whole story, not just paint a picture, at the same time that the cover and inside photographs are great. It separates the real Abbey from the mythical one, but somehow the actual Abbey--warts and all--is even more impressive than the mythical one perpetuated by other authors, including Abbey himself. The big chronological bibliography of all of Abbey's writings is by itself worth the price of this book (even if the book itself weren't also more than worth it); such a bibliography has never before been published. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover, and learned a lot from it.