The Tetons: Interpretations of a Mountain Landscape, by Fritiof
Fryxell. Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press, 1938.
$1.50.
Once more we have a book on the Tetons by one of the best informed
students of the geology and climbing history of the range. Mr.
Fryxell now does for the geology of these mountains what he did
for their climbing history in The Teton Peaks and Their Ascents.
This is a most readable volume dealing with the geological his
tory of the range and showing the causes of the various physio
graphic features which evoke so much comment from visitors. The
reader, whether a student of geology, a mountaineer, or merely a
casual tourist, will be most agreeably surprised and pleased by the
easy treatment of the subject which refrains from pedantic style,
at the same time restraining any tendency toward either emotion
alism or over-simplification in explanation. The writing is
straightforward and clear, understandable by the student and lay
man alike. Although this is primarily a treatment of the geological
history of the range, it is no mere chronicle of events in the order
of their happening, but presents a nice balance of cause and effect,
each episode being linked with some present-day feature.
Well written, the book provides pleasant reading, while the
pleasing efifect is further enhanced by the fine typography and
wide margins. The illustrations are, as usual, excellent, and
strengthens the attraction of all lovers of the mountains for the
b00k K. A. H.