Rating: 
Summary: Turgid and virtually impossible to read.
Review: As someone from the East Coast who fell in love with the Canyon at first sight and has returned a number of times and also hiked from rim to river and back (with an overnight in wonderful Phantom Ranch), I eagerly looked forward to reading this book. What a disappointment. It's turgid, confusing, and virtually impossible to read. Nearly every word appears to have been selected for its ponderousness. What a bore. I quit half way through. Better to visit the Canyon and see the grandeur for yourself than to struggle with this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Sometimes difficult but rewarding reading
Review: Grand Canyon lovers, get ready for something different. There are plenty of tourist guides and trail guides to the Canyon, and plenty of excellent works of introspective "nature writing", but this work is unique as a cultural history of the Grand Canyon and its emergence as something of an American icon. Stephen Pyne has been a groundbreaking author in the cultural history field with his earlier works on wildland fire, and here he applies his extensive personal knowledge of the Grand Canyon to the same treatment.It's probably not for everyone. This is one of those books where some prior knowledge of the Canyon helps. Pyne's writing style is wordy and florid, which some people find makes his books difficult reading. A perusal of the other reviews of this and Pyne's other books shows a lot of unfair criticism and even dismissal of his books because of this one flaw. Thus, a Grand Canyon fanatic like myself would love this book and find it hard to put down, while the more casual reader looking for an easily readable background on the Canyon might find this book hard to finish. Pyne clearly knows his subject matter well, and manages to cram a lot of information into this short book, which again might be overwhelming to some readers. Overall, this is an excellent and unique addition to any library about the Canyon, or about natural or cultural history in general. But again, it's not for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes difficult but rewarding reading
Review: Grand Canyon lovers, get ready for something different. There are plenty of tourist guides and trail guides to the Canyon, and plenty of excellent works of introspective "nature writing", but this work is unique as a cultural history of the Grand Canyon and its emergence as something of an American icon. Stephen Pyne has been a groundbreaking author in the cultural history field with his earlier works on wildland fire, and here he applies his extensive personal knowledge of the Grand Canyon to the same treatment. It's probably not for everyone. This is one of those books where some prior knowledge of the Canyon helps. Pyne's writing style is wordy and florid, which some people find makes his books difficult reading. A perusal of the other reviews of this and Pyne's other books shows a lot of unfair criticism and even dismissal of his books because of this one flaw. Thus, a Grand Canyon fanatic like myself would love this book and find it hard to put down, while the more casual reader looking for an easily readable background on the Canyon might find this book hard to finish. Pyne clearly knows his subject matter well, and manages to cram a lot of information into this short book, which again might be overwhelming to some readers. Overall, this is an excellent and unique addition to any library about the Canyon, or about natural or cultural history in general. But again, it's not for everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Take this off the Gift Shop Shelves!
Review: I agree with most of the reviews here. I'm not sure why this book was included at the gift shop at the Grand Canyon. I'd better imagine it gathering dust on a shelf at an academic library, where it belongs. On my honeymoon out west, I continually tried to read this book, but every time I picked it up, I was confused and frustrated with the deliberately obtuse and arrogant language Pyne uses throughout this impenetrable tome. As most other reviewers said--view the canyon through your own eyes and avoid this book at all costs
Rating:
Summary: Take this off the Gift Shop Shelves!
Review: I agree with most of the reviews here. I'm not sure why this book was included at the gift shop at the Grand Canyon. I'd better imagine it gathering dust on a shelf at an academic library, where it belongs. On my honeymoon out west, I continually tried to read this book, but every time I picked it up, I was confused and frustrated with the deliberately obtuse and arrogant language Pyne uses throughout this impenetrable tome. As most other reviewers said--view the canyon through your own eyes and avoid this book at all costs
Rating:
Summary: An incomplete essay
Review: I was hoping this book would be the perfect supplement to my visit to the canyon. Instead, it read like the thesis is was intended to be. It is informative, but if you really want to learn about the Grand Canyon, talk to one of the park rangers. The only saving graces of this book are that its subject is one of the world's most awesome sights, and that it is less than 200 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Talk to the park rangers instead.
Review: I was hoping this book would be the perfect supplement to my visit to the canyon. Instead, it read like the thesis is was intended to be. It is informative, but if you really want to learn about the Grand Canyon, talk to one of the park rangers. The only saving graces of this book are that its subject is one of the world's most awesome sights, and that it is less than 200 pages.
Rating:
Summary: Intellectual history
Review: Pyne has discovered that the Grand Canyon has no objective reality, that historically speaking, it is less a physical object than a cultural icon. And the evolution of that icon is fascinating reading indeed. As a collector of Grand Canyon materials, I believe that this unassuming volume is the most original piece of Canyon thought since Krutch's discovery of the Canyon as Wilderness in "Grand Canyon: Today and All Its Yesterdays," and before that, Dutton's easthetic discovery of the Canyon in "The Tertiary History of the Grand Canyon District." The book has the additional virtue of being a premier introduction to the written source materials on the canyon. I've just logged on to buy my fifth copy.
Rating: 
Summary: The First Great Intellectual History of Grand Canyon
Review: Pyne has discovered that the Grand Canyon has no objective reality, that historically speaking, it is less a physical object than a cultural icon. And the evolution of that icon is fascinating reading indeed. As a collector of Grand Canyon materials, I believe that this unassuming volume is the most original piece of Canyon thought since Krutch's discovery of the Canyon as Wilderness in "Grand Canyon: Today and All Its Yesterdays," and before that, Dutton's easthetic discovery of the Canyon in "The Tertiary History of the Grand Canyon District." The book has the additional virtue of being a premier introduction to the written source materials on the canyon. I've just logged on to buy my fifth copy.
Rating:
Summary: An incomplete essay
Review: Pyne himself admits that "How the Canyon Became Grand" was not intended as a book but rather as an essay. As a consequence, his effort is long in vision but short on facts. This is clearly a "big picture" story, much like his topic, but without the details that pull the pieces together. I wish Pyne had spent a little more time presenting facts, rather than pontificating his personal opinions. Nevertheless, I would have been happy with the work if Pyne's prose wasn't so tedious. Big words are not really the problem- they're just too many words, period. "How the Canyon became Grand" reads more like pompous art criticism than an in-depth historical analysis. If the latter is what you want, look elsewhere.
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