The Unforeseen Wilderness Kentucky's Red River Gorge

This book represents two visions among many that ultimately saved Kentucky's Red River Gorge from destruction. Located near the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau and home to approximately 26,000 acres of untamed river, rock formations, historical sites, unusual vegetation and wildlife, the Gorge very nearly fell victim to a man-made lake thirty years ago. Outraged and profoundly saddened by the impending loss, Wendell Berry and Ralph Eugene Meatyard set out to preserve their experiences of this unique and beautiful place. Berry's essays, accompanied by Meatyard's arresting photos, offer an intimate portrait of extraordinary natural beauty. Fortunately not an epitaph to one place, The Unforeseen Wilderness remains a compelling homage to wild places everywhere. Book jacket.

Wendell Berry is the author of fifty books of poetry, fiction, and essays. He was recently awarded the Cleanth Brooks Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Fellowship of Southern Writers and the Louis Bromfield Society Award. For over forty years he has lived and farmed with his wife, Tanya, in Kentucky.