Guardians of the Valley Paperback Launch!

Dean King’s Guardians of the Valley was one of our biggest sellers of 2023 and we are honored to bring you the paperback launch!
Dean will be in conversation with Ryan Kent at Sam Miller’s Restaurant.

FREE REGISTRATION REQUIRED!

About the Book:

The dramatic story of John Muir’s inner and outer journey to become the man who saved Yosemite–from the author of the bestselling Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival.

In June of 1889 in San Francisco, John Muir–iconic environmentalist, writer, and philosopher–meets face-to-face for the first time with his longtime editor Robert Underwood Johnson, an elegant and influential figure at The Century magazine. Before long, the pair, opposites in many ways, decide to venture to Yosemite Valley, the magnificent site where twenty years earlier, Muir experienced a personal and spiritual awakening that would set the course of the rest of his life.

Beautifully rendered, deeply researched, and inspiring, Guardians of the Valley is a moving story of friendship, the written word, and the transformative power of nature. It is also a timely and powerful “origin story” as the toweringly complex environmental challenges we face today become increasingly urgent.

About the Author:

Dean King is an award-winning author of ten nonfiction books, including Skeletons on the Zahara, Unbound, Patrick O’Brian: A Life Revealed, and The Feud. His writing has appeared in Granta, Garden & Gun, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, New York magazine, and The New York Times. He is the chief storyteller in two History Channel documentaries and a producer of its series Hatfields & McCoys: White Lightning. An internationally known speaker, King has appeared on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, ABC’s World News Tonight, PBS’s American Experience, BBC Radio, Arte TV France/Germany, and at TEDx. For more info, visit DeanHKing.com.

RYAN KENT is the author of the poetry collections: Poems For Dead People (2014), This Is Why I Am Insane (2017), Hit Me When I’m Pretty (2019), and Everything Is On Fire: Selected Poems 2014-2021(2024). He has also coauthored three collections of poetry with Brett Lloyd: Tomorrow Ruined Today (2021), Some Of Us Love You (2021), and Pardon My Reflection (TBA). His debut album, Dying Comes With Age, was released on vinyl by Rare Bird Lit (2022). It features contributions from heavy metal luminaries such as Randy Blythe (Lamb of God), Jimmy Bower (Down/Eyehategod), Laura Pleasants (Kylesa), and Eugene S. Robinson (OxBow). Ryan is a staff writer for RVA Magazine and teaches the 4th Grade in Richmond, VA.