The landscapes of the American Southwest-the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the Sedona red rocks-have long filled humans with wonder about nature. This is the home of Lowell Observatory, where astronomers first discovered evidence that the universe is expanding; Meteor Crater, where Apollo astronauts trained for the moon; and Native American tribes with their own ancient, rich ways of relating to the cosmos. With the personal, poetic style of the very best literary nature writing, Don Lago explores how these landscapes have offered humans a deeper sense of connection with the universe. While most nature writing never leaves the ground, Lago is one of the few writers who has applied it to the universe, seeking ties between humans and the astronomical forces that gave us birth. Nowhere else in the world is the link between earth and sky so powerful. Lago witnesses a solar eclipse over the Grand Canyon, climbs primeval volcanos, and sees the universe in tree rings. Through ageless Native American ceremonies, modern telescopes, and even dreams of flying saucers, Lago, who is not only a poet but a true philosopher of science, strives to find order and meaning in the world and brings out the Southwest's beauty and mystery.

Creation stories are the foundation of human identity. Over the last century science has discovered a dramatic new creation story, a universe that began with a Big Bang and that has evolved into extraordinary order, into galaxies, planets, life, and brains. This new creation story gives human life many new meanings. Our bodies embody all of cosmic evolution. In us the chaotic energies of the Big Bang are now weaving cells; in us a spiral galaxy has become spiral DNA; through us a blind universe can recognize itself at last.
With a deep sense of wonder, with the personal, poetic style of literary nature writing, Starchild explores the Big Bang cosmos, and the lives of the people who discovered it. Starchild turns facts and abstract theories into something real, personal, and powerful; it turns ideas into identity. When seen in the context of an immense, evolving cosmos, life becomes a rare gift. Starchild celebrates the universe's long journey into life.
"I love your writing. How wonderful it is to have imagination and to see into the past. You are a very talented writer and I am sure your probings into the universe bring you great joy. "Fireflies" is beautiful. I have underlined so many passages I especially liked that it is practically all underlined. I am sure that Dr. Eiseley would have been delighted."
Caroline Werkley, longtime assistant to Loren Eiseley
"Beautiful. It used to be the style for poets to write knowledgeably about science, relating it to humans and the human condition. I am thinking of Lucretius and Milton. I doubt that people will care much about science unless people like you relate it as you have done. I am grateful."
Robert R. Wilson, founding director of Fermilab, on the chapter "The Particle Accelerator"

There are times when nations are no longer sure of what they are and what their purpose is, and for America 2004 was such a time. For 200 years America was the hope and role model of the democratic world, but now America is failing in this role. The national myths-the stories, heroes, self-images, and social values-that have guided America from the beginning are now misleading and failing us. Our heroic self-image tricked us into disasters in Vietnam and Iraq. Our frontier experience has left us refusing to face environmental limits. Our individualistic values have left us unwilling to care about one another as a people. Basic questions of national identity ran strong in the 2004 presidential campaign. "Mything in Action" uses the campaign to explore America's guiding myths in action in the most iconic places in the American imagination: Lexington and Concord on the 4th of July, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, a Mark Twain riverboat town, a Wild West town, and John Wayne's hometown. "Mything in Action" is a unique, literary exploration of American history, culture, and politics, offering a deeper analysis of America's difficulties than the usual partisan polemics.

John Wesley Powell's 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado Rivers and through the Grand Canyon continues to be one of the most celebrated adventures in American history, ranking with the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Apollo landings on the moon. For nearly twenty years Lago has researched the Powell expedition from new angles, traveled to thirteen states, and looked into archives and other sources no one else has searched. He has come up with many important new documents that change and expand our basic understanding of the expedition by looking into Powell's crewmembers, some of whom have been almost entirely ignored by Powell historians. Historians tended to assume that Powell was the whole story and that his crewmembers were irrelevant. More seriously, because several crew members made critical comments about Powell and his leadership, historians who admired Powell were eager to ignore and discredit them. Lago offers a feast of new and important material about the river trip, and it will significantly rewrite the story of Powell's famous expedition. This book is not only a major work on the Powell expedition, but on the history of American exploration of the West.

The Grand Canyon has long inspired deep emotions and responses. For the Native Americans who lived there, the canyon was home, full of sacred meanings. For the first European settlers to see it, the canyon drove them to great exploration adventures and Wild West dreams of wealth. The canyon also held deep importance for America's pioneer conservationists such as Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, and Aldo Leopold, and it played a central role in the emerging environmental movement. The Grand Canyon became a microcosm of the history and evolving values of the National Park Service, long conflicted between encouraging tourism and protecting nature. Many vivid characters shaped the canyon's past. Its largest story is one of cultural history and changing American visions of the land. Grand Canyon: A History of a Natural Wonder and National Park is a mixture of great storytelling, unlikely characters, and important ideas. The book will appeal to both general readers and scholars interested in seeking a broader understanding of the canyon.