American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau (LOA #182) (Library of America)

I have to say, I made this purchase as a Mother's Day gift for my highly green-liberal mother, and she is absolutely loving it. Upon arrival, I was impressed by simply how much she was getting in one book; articles and excerpts from some of the most renowned environmental writers (since Thoreau), along with pictures and poetry. I recommend this book to anyone with a serious interest in the environment, who doesn't mind putting a book down for a day or two to digest big thoughts.

"In wildness is the preservation of the world," wrote Henry David Thoreau in his groundbreaking book, Walden. With Thoreau as a starting point, Bill McKibben has assembled the finest, most comprehensive anthology of American environmental writing one could hope to find. The combined work of 101 authors, running almost 1,000 pages, American Earth chronicles the changing landscape of environmentalism from Thoreau to Teddy Roosevelt to Al Gore, with 98 more thrown in for good measure. This one volume provides a rich orientation to the world of environmental writing which McKibben contends is "America's single most distinctive contribution to the world's literature." If Walden is the book everyone claims to revere but few have actually read, American Earth offers an accessible door into not only Walden, but 100 more works of significance in the annals of environmentalism. McKibben, himself the groundbreaking author of The End of Nature, the first account of global warming's consequences, selects each author with the care of a conductor assembling a fine orchestra. Some voices speak of spiritual bonds connecting humankind and nature, others tell true stories of real ecological tragedies, and some are historical markers along the environmental movement's journey from the fringes into mainstream America. McKibben calls upon Thoreau to set the stage for this anthology -- "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover I had not lived." He continues with the likes of Walt Whitman, P. T. Barnum (raging against billboards), and features the classic writing of John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club. His list of contributors ranges from the designer of Central Park in NYC (Frederick Law Olmsted), to an American author and journalist (Theodore Dreiser), to another writer of the depression (John Steinbeck). Books you may have read are excerpted, such as Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities; and, Rachel Carson's, Silent Spring, the classic that influenced Al Gore and resulted in a ban on DDT. You may not agree with all the pieces included. Lynn White's essay, "The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis" lays the blame (in 1967) for the environmental problems of the US on the Christian worldview. Or, at least the popular Christian worldview that saw the world as man's plaything, to use or use up as he chose. White concludes his essay with the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and nominates Francis as patron saint of environmentalists because of Francis' teaching on humility and his love for all of God's creation. The activist Cesar Chavez is also included, but on the lighter side is Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," which was set to the tune of an old Baptist hymn, When The World's on Fire -- more appropriate than even Guthrie might have thought when he chose it. If you

This very unique book offers 1000 pages of environmental thought and wisdom from dozens of important writers. Through a unique and masterful editing process, Bill McKibben has arranged the selections not just chronologically but also in order of influence. The end result is a rewarding illustration of the history of American environmental thought, as Thoreau's wisdom on the sanctity of wilderness has slowly converged with matters of social justice and the analysis of power, as evidenced here by lesser-known modern writers whose works will surely become classics in the near future. McKibben has also included writers from a wide variety of backgrounds, with fairly typical outdoor essayists and community organizers sharing space with everyone from physicists to economists to politicians, not to mention some surprises like interested cartoonist R. Crumb and sympathetic songwriters Joni Mitchell and Marvin Gaye. Some of the selections may raise questions from the concerned reader, such as the crass boosterism of P.T. Barnum; and sometimes McKibben had trouble distilling a writer's voluminous offerings into useful introductory excerpts, like in the 26 repetitive pages from William Cronon. But the book also benefits immeasurably from a robust collection of illustrations and a masterful chronology of developments in environmental history and literary works about it. This massive tome offers a lifetime of inspiring thoughts and pointed observations for everyone from the most ardent activist to the leisurely outdoor lover, and the book will find a premier spot on your bookshelf for years to come. [~doomsdayer520~]

With over a hundred authors contributing and Al Gore's blessing, you cannot ask for a better collection of writings from some of the best minds around. After you get a taste, it will inspire you to seek out the full editions of the books. The Library of America series has always selected top notch authors and works; they also print the books on wonderful paper with sturdy bindings. The editor- Bill McKibben was able to give a brief summary of the authors works and life that contributed, which helps put the works into perspective.

Environmental concerns are not a strictly recent development - it has been heavily discussed ever since the writings of Henry David Thoreau. "American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau" is a complete and comprehensive collection of writing covering scholarly essays and writings throughout history addressing the concerns of America, and how America should manage its relationship with the planet it sits on. Enhanced with a foreword from former Vice President and avid Environmentalist Al Gore, "American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau" is highly recommended to environmental studies collections focusing on college level discussion.