Encounters with the Archdruid

By: John McPhee

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

The narratives in this book are of journeys made in three wildernesses—on a coastal island, in a Western mountain range, and on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The four men portrayed here have different relationships to their environment, and they encounter each other on mountain trails, in forests and rapids, sometimes with reserve, sometimes with friendliness, sometimes fighting hard across a philosophical divide.

©1971 John McPhee (P)2023 Tantor

Increased my understanding of founders of environmental movement

Well told story of basis of Western water situation, and the personalities that started things

A Classic of Nonfiction

Encounters with the Archdruid

A dialogue between a preservationist and a conservationist leads the reader to new insights and appreciation of the range of differences in the early environmental movement.

Grover Gardner skillfully narrates this fine book with ease. It is always a pleasure to hear his voice.

McPhee at the absolute height of his powers

Written in 1971 about both contemporary and eternal questions in conservation, it is a timeless classic. I can hardly think of an audience that wouldn’t still get something from it today, or in three generations time.