National Geographic Greatest Photographs of the American West

The Wild West is perhaps the most enduring of American myths, but the reality is even more compelling. It's a magical place of extraordinary people, exciting events, and stunning scenery--big sky, wide-open spaces, epic grandeur, and pristine wilderness. National Geographic brings together award-winning photographers to capture this outsized land of majestic dimensions and emotive power. Unparalled images--some iconic, some rarely or never-before-seen--speak to the powerful forces of nature and culture at work in the West and showcase the region as never before.

Divided into four chapters--Legends, Encounters, Boundaries, and Visions--renowned National Geographic photography, past and present, brings the magic and the mystery of the American West alive through the best of its collection. From red-rock waves of stone to rugged snow-capped mountains, from ghost towns to prairie dog towns, from cowboys to wild horses, National Geographic Greatest Photographs of the American West captures it all in spectacular color photography augmented by periodic archival photographs. The photographs weave together a visual tapestry--complemented by informative captions--of this rich, varied, and enduring landscape that is the American West.

JAMES C. MCNUTT is President and CEO of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming. He has directed museums and produced exhibitions and publications for museums for thirty years. From 2003 through 2006 he served as a board member of the American Association of Museums. His past work includes ranch women, cowboy poetry, ethnic festivals, and western art and history. His current interests include wildlife photography and the interface between art and human understandings of the natural world. The author lives in Jackson, Wyoming.