Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was born in Pennsylvania but spent most of his life in the American Southwest. He was one of the country's foremost defenders of the natural environment, and his most famous work Desert Solitaire, decried the waste of America's wilderness. He was educated at the University of New Mexico and the University of Edinburgh. His many books include The Monkey Wrench Gang, Brave Cowboy, The Fool's Progress, and Down the River.
