'Parks 2' is a book of photos and essays focused on the National Parks

NPR's Book of the Day

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Books, Arts

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 28 January 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

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Summary

Photographer Brian Kelley has been collecting National Park ephemera for years. He wanted to find a way to share the maps, brochures and memorabilia he's collected from his visits, which resulted in the 2019 project Parks. Now, Kelley is out with a sequel, Parks 2, a coffee table book that shares more of his personal archive of National Park designs. In today's episode, Kelley speaks with NPR's Sarah McCammon about what inspired him to start his collection, the history of design technology, and one of his favorite places, Olympic National Park.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Today's interview is just some
0:06.4	inspiration for you to get up and go for a hike. It's with photographer Brian Kelly, who helped
0:11.4	put together a new book titled Parks 2. If you couldn't guess from the title, it's a sequel,
0:16.9	a coffee table book that's all about national parks and the iconography and the design that goes
0:22.2	into the maps and brochures and pamphlets you can find there. And he talks to NPR, Sarah McCam,
0:27.6	about how the book is really an argument for trying new things, whether that's a hike in a new place
0:33.4	or just a new hobby like nature photography. That's coming up.
0:42.4	In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.
0:46.6	Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.
0:49.0	On our new show, Sources and Methods.
0:52.4	NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.
0:56.5	Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:02.1	Art meets National Parks. A new book, Parks 2, by the indie bookmaker's Standards Manual, is a celebration of America's national parks and the iconic
1:12.2	designs that went into over 300 national park maps, brochures, and other materials over more than
1:18.5	100 years. The volume also includes essays by fans of the parks, including photographer Brian
1:24.5	Kelly, who joins me now to talk about this project. Hey, Brian, thanks for being here.
1:28.7	Hey, thanks for having me.
1:30.2	You are the collector behind this book, Parks 2.
1:33.5	Just first of all, tell us how this project got started.
1:35.9	How did you conceive of it?
1:37.3	Back in 2017, I had just completed my first book with Standards Manual,
1:42.4	which was a collection of New York City Transit
	...

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