For many, images of the major national parks in the USA are personified through the photographs of Ansel Adams. As a dedicated environmentalist and recognized artist, he served as one of the most fervent advocates of the 20th-century park system. Through his photographs, essays, and letter-writing campaigns, he helped create new parks and better protect existing ones. He worked in more than 40 national parks over 50 years, including Shenandoah, the Great Smoky Mountains, and Acadia in the eastern part of the country, and his work in California led to some of the most iconic images of the natural world ever captured on camera. 50 of the images in this volume have never been published in any of Ansel Adams' authorized books before, while many others are rare. An extensive essay by photographic critic and historian Richard B. Woodward discusses Adams' significant role in the history of American conservation. The selection of photographs was made by Andrea G. Stillman, Adams’ assistant in his later years and a leading expert on his work. At the back of the book is a collection of small images with brief narratives, enriched with quotes from Adams.