Abbey, Edward (1927–1989)
US author and conservationist. His novels include The Monkey Wrench Gang (1976),
about a gang of ecological saboteurs. This was a best-seller, making Abbey a cult
hero.
Although Abbey disapproved of ecological extremists, his writings and public
statements were characteristically quirky.He published his first book, Jonathan
Troy, in 1954. In Desert Solitaire (1968) – an account of his years as a part-time
ranger in the Arches National Monument, Utah – he called for a ban on motor
vehicles in wilderness preserves.