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1 Hawthorne Environmental Studies- General


Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World

by J R Mcneill

Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World Cover

ISBN13: 9780393321838
ISBN10: 0393321835
Condition: Standard
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

World wars, the rise and fall of communism, the spread of democracy: the history of the twentieth century is often told through events such as these. But to an unprecedented degree humankind in this century has also refashioned the earth's air, water, soil, and biosphere. As J. R. McNeill writes in this important book, in time environmental change will prove to be the most significant dimension of twentieth-century history. In a compelling presentation that blends anecdote, data, and shrewd analysis, McNeill provides the first full account of the "gigantic, uncontrolled experiment upon the earth" undertaken by the human race in the twentieth century.

Review:

"John McNeill's Something New Under the Sun can fairly be described as learned, a rare thing for books about the environment. And, the author's strong opinions notwithstanding, it is admirably objective....Instead of apocalyptic warnings, he offers dry wit and understatement." The Economist

Review:

"An original work of history, exhaustively researched and carefully written." Dick Teresi, New York Times Book Review

Review:

"Refreshingly unpolemical and at times even witty, McNeill's book brims with carefully sifted statistics and brilliant details." Washington Post Book World

Review:

"Magisterial...in its august overview." Bill McKibben, Boston Globe

Review:

"A brilliant, lapel-grabbing account of the last century's chaotic interplay between man and his world." London Evening Standard

Review:

"Immensely valuable....There can be no more important topic than man's transformation of nature in recent times." Roy Porter, author of The Greatest Benefit to Mankind

Review:

"A treasure of invaluable information." David Landes, author of The Wealth and Poverty of Nations

Review:

"In a field that inspires great passion in its protagonists and frequent polarization of opinion. Something New Under the Sun is a breath of fresh air. It is also a monumental, important, and timely work of interdisciplinary scholarship written to be accessible to anyone interested in the relationship between our species and the planet that suppports us." The Guardian

Review:

"Superb....McNeill is persuasive because he is quiet, sceptical, detached, and self-critical, without a line of hyperbole, eco-freakery or environmental millenarianism....With hardly a note of condescension to the reader, or compromise of scientific rigor, he makes everything easy to understand....he writes a nearly perfect style: the pace is well-judged, the language clear, the images forceful but uncontrived." Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, The Independent

About the Author

J. R. McNEILL is professor of history at Georgetown University. He is the author of The Mountains of the Mediterranean World and other works.

Product Details

ISBN:
9780393321838
Subtitle:
An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World
Foreword:
Kennedy, Paul M.
Foreword:
Kennedy, Paul M.
Author:
McNeil, J. R.
Author:
McNeill, John Robert
Author:
Kennedy, Paul
Publisher:
W. W. Norton & Company
Location:
New York
Subject:
Nature
Subject:
History
Subject:
Environmental Science
Subject:
Modern - 20th Century
Subject:
Human Geography
Subject:
Human ecology
Subject:
Nature -- Effect of human beings on.
Subject:
Human ecology - History - 20th century
Copyright:
Series Volume:
99-344
Publication Date:
January 2001
Binding:
Paper Textbook
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
421
Dimensions:
9.22x6.10x1.17 in. 1.38 lbs.

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