See America First

In the early twentieth century, as transatlantic travel became increasingly accessible to the American middle class, one voice rose in passionate defense of the landscapes in their own backyard. See America First is a collection of travel sketches that dismantles the notion that beauty abroad surpasses beauty at home. The author journeys through places like the Adirondacks and the Hudson River, finding in them the same restorative power and wonder that draws travelers to European cathedrals and Alpine vistas. Nature serves not merely as scenery but as companion, offering solace, friendship, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be American. The prose carries the quiet urgency of a convert, someone who has seen the error of overlooking what lies nearest and now urges others toward the same revelation. This is travel writing before it became an industry, when the open road still felt like discovery and the act of seeing one's own country was itself a radical proposition.