Interpreting Our Heritage, 4th edition
Expanded and Updated with a new introduction by R. Bruce Craig and a new foreword by
Russell E. Dickenson
Author: Freeman Tilden
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Description: 224 pages with 29 all new illustrations
Every year millions of tourists visit national parks and monuments, state
and municipal parks, battlefield areas, historic houses, and museums. By
means of guided tours, exhibits, and signs, visitors to these areas receive
a very special kind of education through the interpretation of informative
materials. For fifty years, Interpreting Our Heritage has been an
indispensable sourcebook for those who are responsible for and who
respond to such interpretive materials.
This anniversary edition includes an entirely new selection of photographs
and five additional essays by Freeman Tilden that put this classic work into perspective for
present and future generations. With a new introduction by R. Bruce Craig and a new warm and
personal foreword by Russell E. Dickenson, who knew Tilden personally, the fourth edition of
Interpreting Our Heritage continues to educate readers on the breadth and depth of Tilden’s
philosophical views and commitment to park and heritage interpretation.
Whether the problem is to make a prehistoric site come to life or to explain the geological theory
behind a particular rock formation, Tilden provides helpful principles to follow. For anyone
interested in our natural and manmade heritage, this book offers guidance for exploring
educational and recreational resources.
Freeman Tilden (1883-1980) was a pioneer in the field of cultural interpretation. A former
journalist, playwright, and novelist, he began writing about America's national parks in the
1940s with the encouragement of the National Park Service director. This led to four
books on visiting, learning, and teaching about national heritage sites, of which
Interpreting Our Heritage remains the most influential.
Translations of Freeman Tilden’s Interpreting Our Heritage (3rd edition),
published in 1985:
Spanish translation published by the Spanish Association for Heritage Interpretation,
Spain and Argentina in 2004
Mandarin Chinese (traditional character) translation published by Wu-Nan Books,
Taipei, Taiwan in 2004
Korean translation published by Soomoon Company, Seoul, South Korea in 2006
"The interpretive profession continues to embrace Freeman Tilden and his classic text because
he exemplified 'the priceless ingredient' – loving the thing you interpret and the people who come
to enjoy it. This fiftieth anniversary edition is a chance to rededicate ourselves to the unfinished
interpretive task – to ensure that future generations have abundant opportunities to connect to
the meanings and significance of the special places for which we serve as stewards." --Theresa
G. Coble, Austin State University
"Bruce Craig gives us cause to look at Freeman Tilden's life and writings with fresh eyes,
fostering renewed appreciation for his masterful work and his passion for interpretation."
--Evie Kirkwood, president, National Association for Interpretation
"That our marvelous national parks are vital to Americans’ collective heritage is due in no small
measure to the interpretive magic of Freeman Tilden. His inspiring message is amplified and lent
current salience by Bruce Craig. It is a delight to be reminded that appreciating our legacy
comes, first and foremost, from being provoked into loving it."
--David Lowenthal, Emeritus, University College London,
author of The Past Is a Foreign Country
"Interpreting Our Heritage is the defining work that firmly established Interpretation in the
National Parks as a professional, equal, and unique component of NPS park management. This
new edition of Tilden's seminal work will continue to influence and inspire all interpreters, serving
as a vital interpretive training reference for another fifty years."
--Michael D. Watson; chief of interpretation, NPS (1987-1992),
and superintendent, Stephen T. Mather Training Center (1992-2006)
KEY POINTS:
Total sales of previous UNC Press editions: 87, 286
—A classic work that has endured for 50 years and continues to serve and to teach
guides how to enrich a visitor's experience through interpretation. A special
arrangement has been made for the Press to provide 1,000 cloth copies to the
National Park Service for their education and training programs.
—The "must-have" handbook for those who work as interpretive guides at
museums, national and state parks, historic sites, and other places where they
assist visitors to explore, learn, and to have a fulfilling experience.
—The author and this work exerted an exeptional influence on the park
conservation programs in the U. S. He received the Cornelius Amory Pugsley
National Medal Award in 1962 "for providing through his discerning observations,
penetrating analyses and distinguised writing, a nationwide understanding of the
purposes and objectives of national and state parks and the principles relating to
their selection, establishment, use, and management."