There's nothing like a good book or two to help you prepare for a national park visit, whether you're looking for some historical background, a trail or two to hike, or interested in the natural resources or local culture. With that in mind, here are a few titles you might consider in preparation of a visit to Yosemite National Park in California.

Gloryland

In his first novel, Gloryland, Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson comes full circle.

Repairing Paradise: The Restoration Of Nature In America's National Parks

Repairing Paradise. That's a somewhat inauspicious title for a book that examines how to restore natural settings in the national parks. But in light of many scenarios that are playing out across the National Park System - from parks being overrun by elk, deer, and even people to ecosystem subterfuge - repairs are exactly what need to be made.

The Changing Range Of Light, Portraits Of The Sierra Nevada

A gorgeous book of photography that captures the seasons of the High Sierra has arrived, but it comes with a pausing message that this beautiful landscape is changing before our eyes.

Spectacular Yosemite

As big and expansive as Yosemite National Park is, there should be a rule somewhere stating that any book that captures its wonders in photographs must be large enough to take up most of your coffee table.

Pilgrims of the Vertical: Yosemite Rock Climbers & Nature at Risk

For anyone who has spent just a few days in Yosemite National Park, know that rock climbing and rock climbers are an important part of the history of this legendary park. It literally goes back to the Second Great Age of Discovery (if not further) when geologists Clarence King and Josiah Whitney scrambled from one Sierra peak to the next in search of a knowable “earth age.”

Yosemite & The Southern Sierra Nevada

There are times when one national park jaunt could entail several national parks, and so you think you'll need several guidebooks to the parks on your itinerary. Well, if you're heading to the High Sierra parks of Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon, there's just one book you really need.

The Soul Of Yosemite: Finding, Defending, And Saving The Valley's Sacred Wild Nature

A book questions whether the National Park Service has lost its way in protecting and preserving the national park ideal.

Yosemite In The Fifties

Personalities, towering granite walls, and historic photographs for added perspective - some amazing perspective at times - are the heart and soul of Yosemite In The Fifties, a 176-page book that captures what the authors refer to as the Iron Age of climbing in Yosemite National Park.

Off The Wall: Death In Yosemite

Death is the final appointment we can't avoid, the one we most regret. And yet we're fascinated with tragic deaths such as those that occur in the parks. Indeed, posts on this site about deaths in the parks draw large readership. For those fascinated by such stories, Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite is a must-read.