Resist Much, Obey Little: Some Notes on Edward Abbey

Another fellow managed to cover all the eloquent intellectualities, but the simple truth is that this here book is a good look at a great man. Abbey is legendary, indeed, and that's a good thing, for the stuff he defended deserves a hero and the folks he poked mercilessly with his sharp stick wit (just about about all of us, but especially money-grubbing land-rapers and the lackadaisical dogs who can't bother to oppose them) deserved the poking. Buy this book, then let it collect dust until you've read through Abbey's words to discover him for yourself.

Wonderful collection of essays on the general theme of who Edward Abbey was. Some of the writers include Wendell Berry, Ed's friend Jack Loeffler, Gary "Jafey Rider" Snyder, Dave Petersen and Terry Tempest Williams. From this partial list of contributors, it's obvious that this is a book full of personal observances about one of the west's most hated and best loved figures. Since his death in 1989, the legend of Ed Abbey has perhaps grown beyond manageability. The essays collected here simultaneously feed that legend, while speaking of the actual person behind the lore. This juxtaposition creates an interesting tension throughout the book, as those who knew the man grapple with the public vs. the private Abbey. Abbey himself is also called to task to reveal a bit of himself through a couple of interviews. In hopes that the issue may never be solved and that the world will continue to discuss Abbey, here is what Ed had to say about himself, taken from the Poetry Center Interview: "The real Edward Abbey -- whoever the hell that is -- is a real shy, timid fellow, but the character I create in my journalism is perhaps a person I would like to be: bold, brash, daring...I guess some people mistake the creation for the author, but that's their problem." Resist Much, Obey Little is essential reading for those who knew Ed, as well as for those who are just discovering him.