Stretching almost unbroken from Alabama to Belle Isle, Newfoundland, the Appalachians are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Mountains of the Heart shows how geology, ecology, climate, evolution, and five-hundred million years of history have shaped one of the continent's greatest landscapes into an ecosystem of unmatched beauty.

Scott Weidensaul has written over two dozen books on natural history, including Pulitzer Prize finalist Living on the Wind. Weidensaul lectures widely on wildlife and environmental topics, and is an active field researcher in the Appalachians of eastern Pennsylvania.