On The Rim: Looking For The Grand Canyon

Why do nearly five million people annually travel to the Grand Canyon? Mark Neumann answers this question with a book as compelling as the panoramic vistas of the canyon itself. In On the Rim, he describes how the Grand Canyon became an internationally renowned tourist attraction and cultural icon, and delves into the meanings the place holds for the individual who live, work, and travel there.Weaving history, ethnography, documentary photograph, and autobiography, Neumann exposes the roots -- the personal and social dimensions -- of America's pursuit of leisure. He shows how people visiting the Grand Canyon create their own experience, even while they are affected by one hundred years of social history and cultural expectations. On the Rim examines the lines between progress and nostalgia, science and spirituality, nature and culture, authenticity and mass production, and work and leisure -- all of which crisscross the tourist experience.