This page contains some brief tidbits of information I've collected about Abbey, including
information on recent
articles, audio, Internet discussion groups and music toward the bottom
of the page.
Numa Ridge Built in the fall of 1934, this
is the Numa Ridge Fire
Tower Ed worked in and
wrote about in his 1977 collection of essays, The Journey
Home. He and Renee
lived there in 1975. The structure is
NPS Standard Type 1-two story, fully enclosed frame with living
quarters and catwalk above, cellar below. It is located in the
northwest corner of Glacier NP above Bowman Lake at 6960'. Numa has
been staffed since 1934 and
remains active.
Recently, there was a well written article published about firetowers in and
around Numa Ridge you may find interesting. No mention of Ed, but still
a worthwhile read....
A more recent
article, published in the
Arizona Daily Star concerning the Atascosa Peak lookout, does mention
Abbey. This is the "shack" he stayed in 1968.
Abbeywebber Joe C. recently made a trip to Numa Ridge and came back
with some photos of Ed's old journal. Not the original, but a photocopy
of the original. The original is now under lock and key, since it was
stolen, but later returned by a good samaritan that stole it back and
returned it.
photo credit: Joe C.
The rest of Joe's photos from that trip and more photos from the
journal are here.
Isla de la Sombra These are photos of the "Isla de
la Sombra," actually known as Isla Angel de la Guarda in Mexico, off
the coast of Baja. Ed wrote about his journey to this island
in another collection of essays, Abbey's Road. At 632 square miles, Isla Angel de
la Guardia is the largest of the 11 Midriff islands.The Midriffs are
actually volcanic mountain tops that emerge from the waters of the
northern Gulf and are thus differentiated from the primarily granitic
Baja peninsula.
The island itself is primarily a
mountain range that runs its entire 43-mile length and reaches a
maximum elevation of 4,300 feet above sea level. It has steep-sloped
canyons that open to large alluvial fans, as well as cliffs, sandstone
terraces, cobblestone and sandy beaches and lagoons.
Angel
is populated by a wide variety of birds and reptiles, including many
lizards, 2 species of rattlesnakes, mice and bats. The diversity of plant
life is represented by a wide variety of cactus, grasses and brush. The
rattlesnake (Speckled) Ed notes in his journal is found only on this island.
Anarchism I've been interested in anarchism
for some time. Not the "Black Bloc" "anarchism" you see portrayed in
the media, with bandana
clad kids throwing
bricks through the window of Starbucks, but the serious study of the philosophy of
anarchism. As a means of
social organization, it's essentially the same as democracy since it
really means governance for the people, of the people and by the
people.
It's a system where power rests with the people and flows outward and
upward, not with a powerful few sitting at the top of a social pyramid.
Abbey was an anarchist, and he
examined the efficacy of violence as a tool of anarchist action in his
1959 Masters thesis, "Anarchy
and the Morality of Violence." Through analysis of the writing of
Godwin, Proudhon, Bakunin, Kropotkin and Sorel, Abbey
concluded that there is no justification for violence in the pursuit of
anarchy, and that, in fact, violence is counterproductive to the
establishment of a non-coercive society.
Ed Writing At Aztec Peak
This is a very important point,
one that should be examined very closely as we look for ways to craft a
fair and equitable society
in a post Peak Oil World. In fact, the only way for us to
create such a society is via community based democracy within a bioregional context.
A copy of this thesis is
available here. This document is password protected.
For an unprotected copy, please e-mail me.
Media
A recent
issue of Orion provides a look at some formerly unpublished letters
of Abbey. This is a must read for Abbey fans, as it provides a very
provocative look at one of the greatest writers America has ever
produced.
Doug Peacock's 1997 Outside
article, "Chasing Abbey"chasing
abbey is here.
1978 National Geographic Magazine featuring Abbey's essay on Guadalupe
National Park in Texas is here.
Audio Click
here to listen to Ed talk about the defense of our home.
Annual Ed Abbey Memorial Tribute Show on Risky Biscuit Hayseed Hoot
(Free Range Radio). A couple of minutes of music at the beginning, so
be patient. Click
here for the show. (mp3)
There's a great song written byLaura
Veirs
called "The Ballad of John Vogelin."
Vogelin was the lead character in Abbey's work Fire on
the Mountain. The lyrics are here:
I survived the
desperate toll dark depression takes I may not
break even but babe I'll never break Golden coins
and smiles no they cannot tip my scales Cuz this
land, this love will never be for sale
Brass hats
and soldier boys whiskey on your breath Drop your
holy missiles you can take my body dead Send me all
your lightning storms your thunderheads and hail Cuz this
land, this love will never be for sale
Wild eyes
they watch on me through the velvet night Fire on the
mountain you can burn me where I lie Even though
I'm dead now as an old and rusty nail This land, this
love will never be for sale
And there's also "The Ballad of
Edward Abbey" by Tom
Russell, on his album,
"Indians Cowboys Horses Dogs"
Books Interested in rare, first edition copies of Abbey's books? Check
out Ken Sanders Rare Books.
Two well written biographies have come out over the past several years
that are must reads for every Abbey fan.
In 2001, James Cahalan published Edward Abbey: A Life, a
very detailed and academic look at Abbey from his boyhood up to his
death that creates a fair and "evenhanded" look at Cactus Ed.
Adventures with Ed was
written by Ed's friend Jack Loeffler and provides more of a personal
account of Abbey. This book was published in 2002.
Postcards
From Ed
The latest book, released in 2006, is a collection of Edward Abbey’s
postcards and letters. Edited by David Petersen. Miscellany
To view copies of Abbey's FBI file, click here.
Film
One of my favorite Abbey works is his novel The Brave Cowboy. This was
later made into a film starring Kirk Douglas called Lonely Are the Brave, with Douglas
playing the part of Jack
Burns. I purchased a copy of the "showmans" manual for the movie
from Ken Burns Rare Books. Info on that manual is here.
Edward Abbey
