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.