Smokies Life has announced the publication of “George Masa: A Life Reimagined,” the first comprehensively researched biography of the visionary Japanese photographer whose dedication to art and conservation helped spur the national park movement in the Great Smoky Mountains, as well as the creation of the Appalachian Trail.
Coauthored by Cornell University librarian Janet McCue and documentary filmmaker Paul Bonesteel, the book answers fundamental questions about the young Japanese immigrant who arrived via train in Asheville, North Carolina, one summer day in 1915.
“People were touched by his dedication during his lifetime, and 90 years later we still are,” McCue said. “That’s a long shadow.”
Available September 10, the 6-by-9-inch paperback, which includes a 32-page color photo insert, can be purchased for $28.95 in the park’s visitor center bookstores and at SmokiesLife.org.
The public is invited to meet the authors in celebration of the book’s launch: Saturday, September 14, 1-4 p.m. at Smoky Mountain Outdoor Center, 7138 E. Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Townsend, Tennessee.
Information and quotes provided by Keely Knopp, marketing project manager for Smokies Life, formerly Great Smoky Mountains Association.