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Nature Bibliography
New titles and top shelf books which explore the environment. |
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| Authors and publishers
are invited to consult Planeta.com's insider
tips.
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help support this website. |
Mark Dowie
Conservation
Refugees, MIT Press, 2009
- The hundred-year conflict between global conservation and native
peoples.
Q&A |
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Anne Becher
American
Environmental Leaders, Grey House, 2008
- This reference book profiles 350 environmental leaders for past
to present in this book that gives a glimpse into the lives of academics,
activists and other pioneers. Recommended for public libraries. |
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| Jonathon Porritt
Capitalism
as if the world matters, Earthscan, 2007, 384 pages, $24.95)
- New material includes in-depth coverage of the politics of climate
change, the state of environmental debate and the massive upsurge
in religious engagement with climate and the environment.
Forum
for the future |
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| Nick Rosen
How to live off grid, Transworld Publishers, 2007 (357
pages)
- The second edition of a tour of Britain's off-grid communities
shows readers how to be self-sufficient in terms of energy.
Off-grid.net |
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| Kristin Dow and Thomas Downing
The
Atlas of Climate Change, Earthscan, 2006 (112 pages, $19.95)
- This book is Planeta.com readers' choice for 2006
Environment Book of the Year. Climate change changes are in
the daily news. This atlas examines the signs -- glacial and polar
melting, rising sea levels, erratic weather patterns. The book
boasts more than fifty full-color maps.
Gadling
Review |
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| Tim Flannery
The
Weather Makers, Atlantic Monthly, 2006 (384 pages, $24)
- Climate connects us all. This book explains how we influence
the climate by fuel use, water consumption and land development.
Author
website |
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| Robert Bly
News
of the Universe, Sierra Club, 1995
- "The seat of the soul is where the inner world and the
outer world meet. Where they overlap, it is in every point of
the overlap." |
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| Lane Simonian
Defending
the Land of the Jaguar: Natural History of Mexico, University
of Texas Press, 1995
- Excellent history of Mexico's environmental consciousness. Kudos
to author Lane Simonian for producing the definitive English-language
account of Mexican environmental history. Defending the Land
of the Jaguar traces the history of conservation and environmentalism
in Mexico from the pre-Conquest era to the early 90s. Now available in a Spanish version, La Defensa de la
Tierra del Jaguar
Planeta
Review |
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Joel Simon
Endangered
Mexico : An Environment on the Edge, Sierra Club, 1997
- The author examines Mexico's environmental policy from 1990s
and covers the topic quite well. This must-read book provides
a compelling account of Mexico from the U.S.-Mexico border to
the jungles of Chiapas. Mexico City is profiled in the chapter
aptly titled "The Sinking City." I just wish the author provided
some space to ideas and solutions to the problems he describes.
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John McCormick
Reclaiming
Paradise, Indiana Unviersity Press, 1989
- A classic work that traces the history of the global environmental
movement. Highly recommended!
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Paul Brooks
Rachel
Carson: The Writer at Work, Sierra Club Books, 1998
- This compelling biography documents the life and work of Rachel
Carson. From a government official to a star of the 1960s environmental
movement, Rachel Carson is a figure often cited but poorly known.
This book sets out to change that perception and includes excerpts
from her books as well. A favorite!
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| C. Michael Hall
and Tuija Härkönen, Editors
Lake
Tourism, Channel View Publications, 2005 (241 pages, $44.95)
- This volume presents a tour of social processes which underpin
contemporary travel. |
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| Barbara Spring
The Dynamic Great Lakes, Baltimore: AmErica House, 2001
- Recommended collection of essays about the Great Lakes, formed
by Ice Age glaciers. The author writes: "The Great Lakes system
is a treasure. Understanding understanding the dynamics of what
we do is essential to these life-giving waters." |
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| Nick Rosen
How to live off grid, Transworld Publishers, 2007 (357
pages)
- The second edition of a tour of Britain's off-grid communities
shows readers how to be energy
self-sufficient.
Off-grid.net |
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| Julia Wondolleck
and Steven Yaffee
Making Collaboration Work, Island Press, 2001
- The authors review a number of efforts in the United
States that showcase collaborative efforts to address environmental
conflicts. The focus tends toward a top-down approach, implying
that agencies lead the way -- which seems less like collaboration
and more like institutional management. This is a recommended
book, but it could go much further.
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David Rothenberg and Wandee J. Pryor, editors
Writing
on Air, MIT Press, 2003
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Paulo Coehlo
The
Alchemist, HarperSanFrancisco, 1994
- Sweeping magical tale of the pursuit of one's destiny. First
published in Portuguese and now available in Spanish. A worthy
world bestseller!
Book
Review
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Daniel Quinn
The
Story of B, Bantam Books, 1996
- A tale combining deep ecology and a political thriller in
a thoughtful take on the meaning of civilization, agriculture
and humanity.
Book
Review
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Joni Adamson
American
Indian Literature, Environmental Justice and Ecocriticism,
University of Arizona Press, 2001
- The author's experiences among the Tohono O'odham nation that
crosses the Mexico-United States border serves as a critical backdrop
to her in-depth examinations of literature, such as Leslie Marmon
Silko's Almanac of the Dead and Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire.
This is a powerful book that focuses attention on the linkages
between literature and the envrionment. It's the first to review
American Indian literature from the standpoint of environmental
justice. By exposing the blind spots in our cultural vision, it
does create opportunities for building common ground, or as the
author terms, "the middle place" where environmentalists, scholars,
writers and teachers can come together to work for social and
environmental change.
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| Donella Meadows,
Jorgen Randers and Dennis Meadows
Limits
to Growth, Chelsea Green, 2004 (338 pages, $22.50)
- A 30th anniversary to the classic text on sustainability. Highly
recommended. |
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Robert Keller and Michael Turek
American
Indians and National Parks, University of Arizona Press,
2001
- One of the most influential books this year, this work examines
the relationship of parks and Indian cultures. Remarkably, this
story has not been well told -- until now. The authors point out
that "one can find thousands of books about American Indians,
a considerable body of literature about natural parks, but almost
nothing linking the two." The book draws on extensive research
and more than 200 interviews with Native Americans, environmentalists,
park rangers and politicians.
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David Rothenberg and Marta Ulvaeus, Editors
The
World and the Wild, University of Arizona Press, 2001
- This anthology is a must-read. Contributions from all over the
globe show the importance of wilderness. The editors have succeeded
in their mission "to reinvigorate the effort to understand, reveal
and save wilderness beyond the usual futile polarities." Thumb
through the chapter "The Park of Ten Thousand Waterfalls" to find
out how one entreprenuer has created one of the largest parks
on the globe -- Chile's Parque Pumalin. Other chapters take on
taboo topics, such as "Why conservation in the tropics is failing"
or eco legends, such as "Recycled Rain Forest Myths." Highly recommended.
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| Ron Morton and Carl Cawboy
Talking
Rocks, Pfeifer-Hamilton, 2000
- Subtitled "Geology and 10,000 Years of Native American Tradition
in the Lake Superior Region, this book is a fictionalized dialogue
between a Native American elder and a geologist. In telling the
shared history of the region, the two men discover many commonalties
between science and religion. This is a creative and spell-binding
tale. |
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Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown
Coming
Back to Life, New Society Publishers, 1998
- Any book by Joanna Macy is a must-read and this is no exception.
Co-written with Molly Young Brown, it is a practical guide for
readers concerned for the environment.
Planeta
Review
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Leonardo Boff
Cry
of the Earth, Cry of the Poor, Orbis Books, 1997
- Successful endeavor that connects environmentalism with liberation
theology. Earth-based spirituality! Boff questions the Western
concepts of development and sustainable development as "all productive
forces have been harnessed to draw from the Earth all that it
can provide. It has been subjected to a true Procrustean bed."
A favorite
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| Mark Dowie
American
Foundations MIT Press, 2001
- The author conducted more than 200 interviews with foundation
officers, critics, and grant recipients in addition to extensive
research in foundation archives to assess the status of foundations.
His assessment that organized philanthropy has been "slow to see
problems coming, slow to respond, and quick to justify every decision"
is accompanied by a series of suggestions on how to make reforms.
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David Rothenberg and Marta Ulvaeus, editors
The
New Earth Reader, MIT Press, 1999
- This anthology gathers 16 of editor David Rothenberg's favorite
essays from the first 10 issues of the journal. The book format
suits the subject well. The New Earth Reader marks an effort to
reconcile the human and natural worlds. The highlights of this
collection are Rothenberg's interview with the translator of the
Chief Seattle Speech and one of the best essays about the US-Mexico
border, "Tune Country" by Charles Bowden.
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Margarita Artschwager Kay
Healing
with Plants in the American and Mexican West
University of Arizona Press, 1996
- A fine guidebook - in any sense of the word. Which plants are
dangerous? Where do they come from? What should we know about
borderland biodiversity? Highly recommended.
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| David Harrison
and Michael Hitchcock, editors
The
Politics of World Heritage, Channel View Publications,
2005 (186 pages, $54.95)
- Subtitled "Negotiating Tourism and Conservation" |
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| World Watch Institute
State
of the World 2006, W.W. Norton, 2005 (272 pages, $18.95)
- This is the latest anthology focusing on current environmental
and development issues. |
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| Jared Diamond
Collapse,
Viking, 2005 (575 pages, $29.95)
- What caused some of the great civilizations of the world to
collapse ... and what can we learn from their fates? The author
weaves a global tale about what happens when we squander our resources
and ignore environmental signs. Ambitious in scope, the book is
one of the year's must reads. |
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| Virginia Nararea
Heirloom
Seeds and Their Keepers, University of Arizona Press,
2005 (193 pages, $35.00)
- Subtitled "Marginality and Memory in the Conservation of
Biological Diversity" |
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| Joseph Jenkins
The
Humanure Handbook, Chelsea Green, 2005 (255 pages, $25.00)
- A guide to composting human manure |
Barbara Bosworth
Trees
National Champions, MIT Press, 2005, (144 pages, $39.95)
- Panoramic black-and-white photographs document the authors
visit to the largest of their species in the United States.
The National
Register of Big Trees has prompted the development of a
society of "big tree hunters" who verify the size
of new contenders as well as the passing of old champions.
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| Virginia Nararea
Heirloom
Seeds and Their Keepers, University of Arizona Press,
2005 (193 pages, $35.00)
- Subtitled "Marginality and Memory in the Conservation of
Biological Diversity" |
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| Ricardo Ayerza,
Jr. and Wayne Coates
Chia,
University of Arizona Press, 2005 (197 pages, $14.95)
- Get back to basics with a food of the ancient Aztecs. |
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