Past Tents: The Way We Camped Book

Cultural Writing. American History. From the award-winning author of Bear in Mind: The California Grizzly comes this lighter look at Americans' infatuation with the great outdoors. Mining once again the vast archives at the Bancroft Library, Susan Snyder has mapped out this cheeky yet accurate history of camping in the West. Full of photographs and descriptions of family outings in the first years of the automobile, of campgrounds and campfires against the familiar backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, of the remarkable gear and "helpful" hints that accompanied outings to our newly minted state and national parks and forests, PAST TENTS is a humorous romp through one of our favorite pastimes. Easy to pick up, hard to put down, it's the perfect gift for anyone who's ever been in the thrall of redwoods, s'mores, and Smokey the Bear.