THE MACLEAN BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE IN LIMITED NUMBERS, INCLUDING COLLECTIBLE EDITIONS.
For pricing and availability:
Multiple copies for staff rides and other purposes are available at discount.
River of Fire
This book about the 1953 fire on the Mendocino National Forest includes a photo gallery by acclaimed wildland fire photographer Kari Greer, who made two trips to the site for the book project. She was guided by three past superintendents of the Mendocino Hotshots—Don Will, Daren Dalrymple and Jon Tishner—who have been instrumental in reviving memory of the fire and restoring the site. Jim Barry of the Forest Service tells how he came to be inspired to establish a memorial, linking the Rattlesnake to another wildland fire landmark, the South Canyon Fire in Colorado. And a figure from that fire, Chris Cuoco, NWS Fire Weather Program Leader, provided a "reanalysis" of the weather for the Rattlesnake Fire with maps and commentary for the book. In the foreword, former Mendocino Hotshot Superintendent Don Will illuminates the theme of the book: Passing It On.
"The Rattlesnake Fire site has been a place of mourning, remembering, and paying respects to the fifteen who in 1953 gave everything they had as they ran to survive. It has been a place for firefighters to be quiet and to honor ... a sad place where visitors would look at the crosses and then shake their heads as they drove away and say 'too bad.' But now, after all these years, I can see Rattlesnake as a site of resurrection. A site of new beginnings. A site where young and old firefighters can come together and cherish the lessons the fifteen instructors are eagerly waiting to tell us about."
It was late evening when the wind over a brush-choked canyon in the mountains of northern California suddenly shifted direction and began to roar downhill. The Rattlesnake Fire had been burning since midday there on the Mendocino. The fresh, violent wind picked up embers from the fire and spun them down into the dark canyon, where they were transformed into a thunderous torrent of fire. Fifteen men lost their lives that night.
Praise for River of Fire
“To write a book like this requires the skill sets of a good reporter, journalist and writer. Often one or the other are missing but not with the works of John Maclean. He is a master of them all and this book reads like you were there and understanding all the various forces at work. ”
“So many documentary type books can be very dry and hard to read. But that’s not the case with this one. Mr. Maclean has a gift for putting words together in a way that allows your imagination to see what he’s describing, without losing the facts or the importance of those facts. I can honestly say I enjoyed reading it very much and I learned so much about the event that took my uncle from his family.”
“As with all of Mr. Maclean’s story’s you are immersed right into the events of the story from your first page. This one is no exception. Best part is ‘Lessons learned.’”
“Crisp clear and descriptive writing makes this a great easy read. This book as all the others he has written, along with those written by his father, Norman Maclean, occupy a special place in my library. They are some of my favorites.”
“This was a very moving story from an excellent author. I’ve read several of his books and have never been disappointed.”