6 h 50 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 50 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if a summer job among sheep opens your eyes to a whole mountain world?
In My First Summer in the Sierra, John Muir heads into California’s Sierra Nevada with a shepherd, a dog, a flock of sheep and a notebook. His journal follows the summer of 1869, day by day. The climb takes him from hot foothills into forests, meadows and granite country, where each new camp brings something worth stopping to see.
Muir studies flowers, squirrels, streams and storms with close attention. In Yosemite Valley, granite walls and waterfalls move him deeply. But wonder sits beside concern: the sheep strip meadows and trample flowers. As a temporary job grows into a calling, he explores the belief that nothing in nature stands alone—and begins a path that helps shape the national parks.
What you’ll discover
- A landscape that changes Follow the climb from dry oak and chaparral into pine, cedar and fir.
- Yosemite through Muir’s eyes Stand beside a naturalist deeply moved by the valley’s sheer walls and waterfalls.
- Small lives worth noticing Slow down for squirrels and flowers as Muir gives each his close attention.
- Wonder with an edge See the damage grazing sheep leave behind in the mountain meadows Muir loves.
- A world joined together Explore Muir’s belief that every living thing belongs to a larger whole.
Who will love it
This book will delight readers who love hiking, wild places, birds, flowers and trees, and anyone curious about Yosemite, glaciers and early American conservation. It suits those who enjoy a warm, joyful voice.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A sheep job opens the mountains
- Climbing changes what Muir can see
- Staying lets a place become home
- Sharing a landscape means noticing differently
- Wild freedom still depends on bread
- The ground preserves a moving history
- Wonder brings courage and calls for humility
- The mountains hold friendship and trouble
- Every small thing holds a story
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- Large print hardcover
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My First Summer in the Sierra in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
My First Summer in the Sierra
by John Muir · 1911
John Muir follows two thousand and fifty sheep into the Sierra with a notebook tied to his belt.
Challenging2–5 hours to read16 languages
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In short
Imagine being hired to watch two thousand and fifty sheep when all you want is to study rocks, plants and clouds. In June 1869 John Muir takes exactly that job.
My First Summer in the Sierra at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h3 h 10 min fast, 4 h 45 min slow
- Length
- 57,200 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1911by John Muir
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A sheep job opens the way to mountains
Muir longs for the high Sierra, but he has no money for food. He half believes he could live on seeds and berries, yet the bread question keeps nagging him.
Then Mr. Delaney, a sheep owner, makes an offer. Muir will go with a shepherd and his flock to the sources of the Merced and Tuolumne rivers, just where he hopes to explore. Muir protests that he knows nothing of the upper country. Delaney brushes this aside. He needs only a trustworthy man in camp, and Muir will be free to study plants, rocks and scenery.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1911
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Muir, John. My First Summer in the Sierra. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-first-summer-in-the-sierra.
Muir, J. (2026). My first summer in the Sierra. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-first-summer-in-the-sierra (Original work published 1911)
Muir, John. My First Summer in the Sierra. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-first-summer-in-the-sierra.
@book{muir2026my,
author = {Muir, John},
title = {My First Summer in the Sierra},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/my-first-summer-in-the-sierra},
note = {First published 1911}
}
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What is My First Summer in the Sierra about?
It records John Muir's summer of 1869 as he tends a flock of sheep into the California mountains. Along the way he studies plants, animals, glaciers and weather, visits Yosemite and Lake Tenaya, and falls in love with the high country.
Is My First Summer in the Sierra a true story?
Yes, it is a true account based on the journals and sketches Muir kept in 1869. Each entry carries the date of its day, though he later shaped and expanded his notes into a book for publication.
Who are Carlo, Billy and Mr. Delaney?
Carlo is the St. Bernard dog who guides and guards Muir. Billy is the shepherd who sees little beauty around him. Mr. Delaney is the sheep owner who hires Muir and brings supplies to the camps.
The author
John Muir
1838–1914 · Scottish-American naturalist
John Muir was born in Dunbar, Scotland, in 1838. He moved to Wisconsin in 1849 and later lived in California. He was a naturalist and helped found the Sierra Club in 1892. His books include Our National Parks (1901) and My First Summer in the Sierra (1911). He died in 1914.
More by John Muir
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