John Clayton's Blog

New book Wonderlandscape looks at the history and changing fame of Yellowstone National Park

On August 8, 2017, Pegasus Books will release Wonderlandscape: Yellowstone National Park and the Evolution of an American Cultural Icon, a nonfiction book by Montana author John Clayton. In the following several weeks, the author will speak about the book at events in Billings, Red Lodge, and Missoula, Montana.

“The question that drove me was, ‘Why is Yellowstone famous?’” Clayton says. “When I asked people, they would cite different qualities: the geysers, the grizzlies, the bison, the ecosystem as a whole, the fact that it was the first national park—and even Yogi Bear. What really fascinated me was when I realized how these qualities took turns driving Yellowstone’s fame.” Yellowstone has always stood—and continues to stand—at the center of American cultural watersheds, whether it was changing social mores with Teddy Roosevelt, the birth of new movements in architecture and photography, or the revolutionizing of our concepts of ecology and conservation. 

Clayton is the author of several previous books, including The Cowboy Girl, a biography of the Montana/Wyoming novelist, journalist, and homesteader Caroline Lockhart, which was a finalist for a High Plains Book Award and a Best Book of the Year from the website NewWest.net, and Stories from Montana's Enduring Frontier, a collection of essays on Montana history. A regular contributor to Montana Quarterly and other magazines, he has lived in greater Yellowstone for 27 years. 

Early praise for Wonderlandscape

In Wonderlandscape, Clayton explores how Yellowstone’s reputation—and its relationship to the values of the nation as a whole—has been enriched and redefined by characters including painters, architects, naturalists, dude ranchers, scientists, firefighters, and of course talking cartoon bears. The hardcover book also features 32 historic and color photos of the Yellowstone area.

“Wonderlandscape will change the way you think about the country. And beyond that, it will leave you with a with a fresh sense of how the world’s first national park has long been a mirror for who we are, and who we hope to become,” says Gary Ferguson, author of The Carry Home and several books about Yellowstone.

Kirkus Reviews calls Wonderlandscape “A thoughtful study of a celebrated natural wonder that has come to truly “embod[y] American ideals,” while Publishers Weekly says, “Clayton succeeds in presenting Yellowstone as a core American institution... through which Americans have redefined themselves across generations.”

Montana events

The author is celebrating with a “book release party” at Red Lodge Ales (1445 North Broadway in Red Lodge) on Tuesday, August 8 from 5:30 – 8:00 PM. The open house will feature hors d'oeuvres and a half-price beer for book purchasers.

The Billings Public Library (510 North Broadway in Billings, 406/657-8258) will host an author talk on Wednesday, September 20 at 7:00 PM. The lecture and slideshow will feature readings from the book and a Q&A.

The Carbon County Historical Society and Museum (224 North Broadway in Red Lodge, 406/446-3667) will host Clayton for its Lecture Series on Wednesday, September 27 at 7:00 PM. The lecture and slideshow, featuring readings from the book and a Q&A, is free to members and $2 for nonmembers.

Clayton will appear at the Montana Book Festival in Missoula September 28–October 1 (http://www.montanabookfestival.org/) in a schedule and format to be determined.

The Western Heritage Center (2822 Montana Avenue in Billings, 406/256-6809) will host Clayton for its High Noon Speakers Series at 12:00 PM on Thursday, October 19, in an event sponsored by Northwestern Energy that serves as an informal kickoff for the High Plains BookFest. 

Except as noted above, all events are free and open to the public. Wonderlandscape will be available for purchase at all of the events, and starting August 8 is also available in hardcover and e-book formats from all traditional and online booksellers, including local independent bookstores. The book’s ISBN is 978-1681774572. 

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