Book excerpt: "With selections from nearly 50 writers spanning 160 years, this book is the best primer on the extraordinary redrock landscape of Capitol Reef. For 12,000 years, people have left a rich record of their experiences in Utah's Capitol Reef National Park. In The Capitol Reef Reader, award-winning author and photographer Stephen Trimble collects the best of this writing -- 160 years worth of words that capture the spirit of the park and its surrounding landscape in personal narratives, philosophical riffs, and historic and scientific records"--Provided by publisher.