"Conjures the Adirondack wilderness as a vast and imposing stage on which a succession of human dramas—from the romantic to the terrifying—come alive." —John Berendt, #1 New York Times -bestselling author A New York Times Notable Book His book is a romance, a story of first love between Americans and a thing they call "wilderness." For it was in the Adirondacks that masses of non-Native Americans first learned to cherish the wilderness as a place of recreation and solace. In this lyrical narrative history, the author reveals that the affair between Americans and the Adirondacks was by no means one of love at first sight. And even now, Schneider shows that Americans' relationship with the glorious mountains and rivers of the Adirondacks continues to change. As in every good romance, nothing is as simple as it appears. "A biography of a place, a life of the Adirondacks . . . The park's story comes to life in his hands. For one thing, he has an eye for detail . . . And he has peopled his history with one remarkable character after another . . . The countless facts are irresistible." —James Gorman, The New York Times Book Review "A delicious look at America's original summer paradise." — Elle "What is particularly distinctive about Schneider's book is the sense of place he conveys, a descriptive gift that adds weight to his treatment of the long struggle to keep the Adirondacks wild—or as wild as a couple of centuries of human enterprise and interference will allow." —T. H. Watkins, Preservation