Newly Released Multimedia eBook Brings the Amazing Beauty, History and Stories of Yosemite to a New Generation of Readers and Enthusiasts

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the 150^th Anniversary of the Yosemite Grant, which established the nation's first protected wilderness, the California Historical Society, 36 Views, and Yosemite Conservancy have released a new enhanced, multimedia eBook, Yosemite: A Storied Landscape, designed to offer readers and enthusiasts the opportunity to explore Yosemite in a whole new way.

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Yosemite: A Storied Landscape, created by award-winning digital publisher 36 Views, a San Francisco-based company that helps enrich people's experiences of art, nature, travel and history through multimedia publishing, is like no other book about the beloved landmark.

This unique, multimedia eBook with interactive discovery features and games brings to life the surprising, poignant, revealing, and sometimes tragic stories that inhabit the park as densely as its waterfalls and trees. 

"From the Ahwahneechee to the artists and photographers inspired by Yosemite's scenery, to the climbers who scaled its granite peaks, this amazing, innovative eBook looks behind Yosemite's rocks and trees to add new dimensions to the experience of the beloved national park," said California Historical Society executive director & CEO Dr. Anthea Hartig.

Yosemite: A Storied Landscape is based on the same titled exhibition at CHS, which runs through January 15, 2015. The eBook includes essays by Kenneth Brower, Rebecca Solnit and other noted authors, including art critic Susan Landauer, historian Jeffrey Lee Rogers, and eBook editor and co-curator Kerry Tremain. 

Compelling narratives unite storytellers across this celebrated landscape, including the artist who found inspiration during a six-week trip to Yosemite's high country; the basket weaver who discovered her Native family through a basket she made for Queen Elizabeth; the chef who cooked extraordinary back-country meals for influential visitors; the stagecoach driver who shuttled presidents, generals, and other famous Americans through the park; the Yosemite rock climber who established an environmentally responsible clothing company.

"With work by the park's leading artists and photographers included, the eBook chronicles the remarkable tales of the people who made Yosemite National Park what it is today," said Yosemite Conservancy president & CEO Mike Tollefson. "Those stories are told through artifacts and imagery as well as with words, sounds, and music, bringing a freshness, energy, and intimacy to an American icon bathed in myth."

Yosemite: A Storied Landscape is available for purchase on the iTunes bookstore for $9.99. Forty percent of the proceeds from each eBook purchased will support ongoing public education and programming at the Yosemite Conservancy and the California Historical Society.  The eBook will also be available for purchase on Amazon as a standard Kindle eBook this fall.

More information and links to the bookstores, including to a free sample of the iBook are available at www.36-views.com/Yosemite.  For additional information regarding Yosemite: A Storied Landscape, visit yosemitestories.com or the California Historical Society website at californiahistoricalsociety.org.

About the California Historical Society:  The California Historical Society is a 143-year-old, non-profit organization with a mission to inspire and empower people to make California's richly diverse past a meaningful part of their contemporary lives. We hold one of the top research collections on California history, which includes over 35,000 volumes of books and pamphlets, more than 4,000 manuscript collections, and about 500,000 photographs documenting California's social, cultural, economic, and political history and development, including some of the most cherished and valuable documents and images of California's past.  Learn more at www.californiahistoricalsociety.org.

About the Yosemite Conservancy:  Through the support of donors, Yosemite Conservancy provides grants and support to Yosemite National Park to help preserve and protect Yosemite today and for future generations. The work funded by Yosemite Conservancy is visible throughout the park, from trail rehabilitation to wildlife protection and habitat restoration. The Conservancy is dedicated to enhancing the visitor experience and providing a deeper connection to the park through outdoor programs, volunteering and wilderness services. Thanks to dedicated supporters, the Conservancy has provided more than $81 million in grants to Yosemite National Park.  Learn more at www.yosemiteconservancy.org or 1-800-469-7275.

About 36-Views:  36 Views, a San Francisco indie publisher, crafts multimedia books that combine stories from multiple perspectives, beautiful art and photography, and videos and animations to enhance readers' experiences of human culture and the natural world. Founded by award-winning editors/publishers Arjun Gupta and Kerry Tremain, 36 Views takes its name from Hokusai's famous series of block prints that depict different perspectives of Mount Fuji—Japan's natural, cultural, and spiritual center—and inspired early European modernists. Recent titles include On the Highline: Exploring America's Most Original Urban Park (with Thames & Hudson, a 2014 Digital Book Award Finalist), Wild Flight of the Imagination: The Story of the Golden Gate Bridge (also with CHS), and Reef Fishes of the East Indies (with Conservation International). Learn more at www.36-views.com.

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SOURCE California Historical Society

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