JOHN MUIR'S "STICKEEN" AND THE LESSONS OF NATURE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 1996

Fairbanks, Alaska - The University of Alaska Press announces the publication of its latest title "John Muir's Stickeen' and the Lessons of Nature." Written by Ronald H. Limbaugh, the book explains the mystery of why Muir struggled for so long to bring his popular dog story "Stickeen" to life.

Limbaugh's literary detective work traces John Muir's trek across a rugged Alaska glacier more than a century ago, accompanied by a little black dog named Stickeen. Though Muir didn't think it worth recording in that evening's diary entry, Stickeen had accompanied him on the trip.

As time passed, the image of the dog and what it symbolized grew in Muir's mind, entering his after-dinner sessions of storytelling. Seventeen years after the event, the popular story of Stickeen finally saw print, though in a form much edited from Muir's original.

Author Limbaugh pursued the evolution of the tale through a previously underexplored resource, the handwritten annotations Muir left in the volumes of his personal library. Limbaugh's thorough study covers the oral and literary history of the adventure, discusses its style, content, and sources, and places it and Muir's difficulties in perfecting it - in the context of some of the major concerns of the era, particularly the Darwinian debates and the emerging animal rights movement.

Although the story of Stickeen has been published many times (and in many forms) since it first appeared in an 1897 article, this is the first time Muir's original version has been printed. It is set alongside other versions of the story, including a sentimental version for children composed by Muir's niece and the original journal entry from which all versions emerged.

Limbaugh, director of the John Muir Center for Regional Studies at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., has written and published numerous books and articles on various aspects of American history with an emphasis on the west and the writings of John Muir.

Orders for "John Muir's OEStickeen' and the Lessons of Nature" can be placed through the University of Alaska Press, 1st Floor Gruening Bldg., UAF, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6240.

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CONTACT: Debbie Van Stone, University of Alaska Press, (907) 474-6389.

DPD/6-6-96/96-085