Ernest Thompson Seton [SOLD]

Ernest Thompson Seton

The Life and Legacy of an Artist and Conservationist

By David L. Witt

Publisher: Gibbs Smith

Hardback with slipcover, first edition 2010.  184 pages, illustrated with vintage photographs and color photographs.  New condition

“In 1893, on the winter plains of New Mexico, a drama played out between a wolf pack and a wolf hunter named Ernest Thompson Seton.  The wolves lost in the struggle, but in an unexpected way they prevailed by changing the spirit of the man. Seton experienced a personal transformation, putting the best of what he had learned to work in the world.

Seton became one of the first great proponents for wildlife conservation.  He invented the literary genre of the realistic animal story. He established important principles for the science of animal behavior and ecology.  As a master illustrator and best-selling author he reached an international audience of millions. His passion for self-reliance ethics and outdoor youth education led him to co-found the worldwide Boy Scout movement.

Seton’s insights sparked a revolution in our perceptions of wild nature, provided a model for environmentalism, and inspired generations of youth and adults to take to the outdoors for recreation, adventure, and solace.

While this book stands on its own, it also serves as the exhibition catalog for a nearly yearlong show at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe. This venue is appropriate given the importance New Mexico played in Seton’s life, from his wolf-hunting days in the 1890s to the establishment of Seton Village in the 1930s.  Overlooking the village are the remains of Seton Castle, Seton’s home during the last years of his life.