The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.

Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns’ latest epic lives up to all expectations. Premiering on PBS stations on September 27, this six-part series chronicles the history of the national parks. The fascinating story cannot be told without highlighting those who led the way, including conservationist John Muir, outdoorsman Theodore Roosevelt, naturalist Adolph Murie, environmentalist David Brower, and others. The first episode, “The Scripture of Nature,” begins in the mid–nineteenth century, when President Lincoln signed a bill to preserve lands in Yosemite, “a majestic cathedral of rocks and spires.” Immense Yellowstone became the nation’s first national park, in 1870. “The Last Refuge” concentrates on Muir and Roosevelt’s efforts to preserve lands and spearhead the conservation movement. Remaining episodes move chronologically, concluding with “The Morning of Creation,” which begins in 1946, when a postwar explosion of park visitors strained the system. In highly personal recollections, park enthusiasts, including historian John Hope Franklin and Burns’ collaborator Dayton Duncan, tell how park visits with their families left indelible impressions. Stunning landscape and wildlife footage, background music attuned to the era, vintage photographs, and home movies enhance Peter Coyote’s smooth narration and excerpted readings by Adam Arkin, John Lithgow, Eli Wallach, and others. The film isn’t all celebratory as it evenhandedly touches upon such issues as the systematic displacement of Indians, obliteration of wolves (and their 1995 return), and exploitation of lands (“Muir’s cathedral had been turned into a carnival”). This stunning must-see program leaves you breathless, wanting to grab a backpack, head into the wilderness, and thank those who fought for “America’s best idea.” Also available in an educators’ set ($129.95) featuring a bonus disc with video clips, curriculum guides, and printable worksheets.