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An outgrowth of the first North American Interdisciplinary Wilderness Conference, held in 1988, and a cogent and coherent synthesis of the conference's finest papers and three invited complementary works. This volume is a departure from the existing body of wilderness writing, in that it approaches the study of wilderness and the mandate for preservation from a multidisciplinary perspective. The 21 chapters explore the concept of wilderness from diverse fields of study and are divided into six major sections: philosophical foundations, wilderness literature, original prose, historical and contemporary societal views, management issues, and future directions for preservation efforts. The general message that emerges is that wilderness is indelibly etched on our psyche, and that the case for wilderness preservation can be found in the ways in which it is essential to human existence. The essays support the contention that, without wilderness, we will not reach our individual and societal potential or maintain our cultural identity. Those concerned with wilderness policy and management, as well as those interested in wilderness literature, philosophy, history, and socio-psychology, will find this work provocative and refreshing. General; advanced undergraduate through faculty. S. Hollenhorst; West Virginia University