Edward Hoagland

• Essayist, author of 15 books, many essays, and several introductions to modern editions of books by John Muir. He writes about people, places, and the natural world.

• Hoagland's essay, ``In Praise of John Muir,'' can be found in his collection of essays Balancing Acts. In his essay, Hoagland compares Thoreau and Muir. ``Henry Thoreau lived to write, but Muir lived to hike,'' he wrote.

• Hoagland is the author, of introductions to Muir's books, Steep Trails (Sierra Club Books), Travels in Alaska (Random House Modern Library) and The Mountains of California (Penguin Nature Library).

• Hoagland is the general editor of the Penguin Nature Library, a collection of classics including four volumes by John Muir, two by Henry David Thoreau and many other nature writers, some famous and others less well-known.