E. Benton MacKaye (1879-1975) of Shirley Center, Massachusetts, was the father of the 2,140-mile-long Appalachian Trail, a 14-state ridgeline geenway and footpath that parallels the Atlantic Ocean from central Maine to northern Georgia. A Harvard-educated forester who served in both the early U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Labor Department, he proposed the Appalachian Trail in a 1921 article, "An Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning," in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects. In the mid-1930's, he, Aldo Leopold, and a handful of other conservationists founded The Wilderness Society, which MacKaye later served as president.

The New Exploration: A Philosophy of Regional Planning (soft cover, 5½ inches x 8 inches, 274 pages with B&W charts in MacKaye's inimitable style) is available from the University of Illinois Press. It takes a broad view of regional planning with an introduction by Lewis Mumford and chapters such as London Bridge and Times Square, The Indigenous and the Metropolitan, American Migrations, Living vs. Existence, Environment as a Natural Resource and Culture vs. Mechanization.

Sorry, the Shirley Conservation Commission doesn't sell this one. If you have questions about the book or want to purchase it, please contact the University of Illinois Press or a book dealer. This book is also available for loan from Hazen Library (call number 363.6 MAC).