W. L. Rusho

Everett Ruess, the young poet and artist who disappeared into the desert canyonlands of Utah in 1934, has become widely known posthumously as the spokesman for the spirit of the high desert. Many have been inspired by his intense search for adventure, leaving behind the amenities of a comfortable life. His search for ultimate beauty and oneness with nature is chronicled in this remarkable collection of letters to family and friends.

A Vagabond for Beauty

Everett Ruess

Everett Ruess--a bold teenage adventurer, artist, and writer--tramped around the Sierra Nevada, the California coast, and the desert wilderness of the Southwest between 1930 and 1934. At the age of 20, he mysteriously vanished into the barren Utah desert. Ruess has become an icon for modern-day adventurers and seekers. His search for ultimate beauty and adventure is chronicled in two books that contain remarkable collections of his writings, extracted from his journals and from letters written to family and friends. Both books are reprinted here in their entirety.

A Vagabond for Beauty - Wilderness Journals

The poet records and reflects upon the landscapes and trials of his 1930s forays into the High Sierras and deserts of the Four Corners region

Wilderness Journals of Everett Ruess

The story of Everett Ruess, who disappeared in the wilderness of Southern Utah in 1934, has for decades been one of the most intriguing mysteries of western lore. A Californian off on an adventure at age 20, he loved poetry, nature, art, and beauty. His family tracked his wanderings for four years, and then Everett disappeared without a trace. In 2008 an old Navajo Indian came forward with information that he had witnessed a murder in 1934, probably that of young Ruess. The bones were recovered, DNA testing was done, National Geographic Adventurer picked up the story, and the family reacted. In a new epilogue, author Rusho confronts the truth. W. L. Rusho's is a historian and expert on the life of Everett Ruess. His first book on Ruess was published in 1985, and he authored two (four, six, eight?) more books on the subject. Lifetime sales of Everett Ruess: A Vagabond for Beauty, have been 20,000 plus.

W. L. Rusho

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