Environmental Science and Biology Reading List
Nature and Ecology:
 Inescapable Ecologies: A History of Environment, Disease and Knowledge, by Linda Nash, 2007
 Sacred Balance : Rediscovering Our Place in Nature, 2nd Ed. by Suzuki and McConnell, 2006
 Why Size Matters: From Bacteria to Blue Whales by John Tyler Bonner, 2006
 The Unquiet Woods: Ecological Change and Peasant Resistance in the Himalaya, by Ramachandra
Guha, 2000
 The Eternal Frontier: An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples by Tim Flannery, 2002
 Nature: Western Attitudes Since Ancient Times, by Peter Coates, 1998
 Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, Ed. William Cronon, 1996
Diversity and Introduced Species:
 American Perceptions of Immigrant and Invasive Species, by Peter Coates, 2007
 Nature Out of Place: Biological Invasions In The Global Age by Jason Van Driesche and Roy Van
Driesche, 2004
 A Plague of Rats and Rubbervines: The Growing Threat Of Species Invasions by Yvonne Baskin, 2003
 The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson, 2003
 Tinkering with Eden: A Natural History of Exotic Species in America by Kim Todd, 2002
 Life Out of Bounds: Bioinvasion in a Borderless World by Chris Bright, 1998
 The Work of Nature: How the Diversity of Life Sustains Us, by Yvonne Baskin, 1998
Specific Ecosystems:
 A River and Its City: The Nature of Landscape in New Orleans, by Ari Kelman, 2003
 The Eighth Continent: Life, Death, and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar by Peter Tyson,
Russell A. Mittermeier, 2000
 Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American Prairie by Richard Manning,
1997
 The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia
Hill, 2001
 The Condor's Shadow: The Loss and Recovery of Wildlife in America by David S. Wilcove, 2000
Oceans and Salmon Issues:
 Whales, Whaling, and Ocean Ecosystems, Ed. by Estes, DeMaster, Doak, Williams & Brownell, 2007
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King of Fish by Dave Montgomery, 2004
 The Empty Ocean by Richard Ellis, 2004
 Ocean's End: Travels Through Endangered Seas by Colin Woodard, 2001
 Salmon Without Rivers : A History of the Pacific Salmon Crisis by Jim Lichatowich, 2001
 Salmon Nation: People and Fish and Our Common Home by Woody, Lichatowich, Manning, House
and Zuckerman, 2003
Water Issues:
 Managing Water: Avoiding Crisis in California, Dorothy Green, 2007
 Thirst: Fighting the Corporate Theft of Our Water by Alan Snitow, Deborah Kaufman, Michael Fox,
2007
 When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce, 2006
 Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping And The Fate Of America's Fresh Waters by Robert Jerome
Glennon, 2004
 Water Wars: Privatization, Pollution, and Profit by Vandana Shiva, 2002
 Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource by Marq De Villiers, 2001
 Every Drop for Sale: Our Desperate Battle Over Water by Jeff Rothfeder, Jeffrey Rothfeder, 2001
 Fresh Water by E.C. Pielou, 2000
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Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last? by Sandra Postel, 1999
One Round River: The Curse of Gold and the Fight for the Big Blackfoot by Richard Manning, 1998
The Price of Taming a River: The Decline of Puget Sound's Duwamish/Green Waterway by Mike Sato,
1997
What the River Reveals: Understanding and Restoring Healthy Watersheds by Valerie Rapp, 1997
Last Oasis : Facing Water Scarcity (The Worldwatch Environmental Alert Series) by Sandra Postel,
1997
The Organic Machine : The Remaking of the Columbia River by Richard White, 1996
Cadillac Desert : The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner, 1993
Pollution:
 The Secret History of the War on Cancer, by Devra Davis, 2007
 Hormonal Chaos: The Scientific and Social Origins of Environmental Endocrine Hypothesis, by
Sheldon Krimsky, 2002
 Living Downstream: A Scientist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment by Sandra
Steingraber, 1998
Agriculture and Food Politics:
 Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Marion Nestle, rev. ed. 2007
 Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery, 2007
 The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan, 2006
 Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, 2005
 Food, Inc.: Mendel to Monsanto: The Promises and Perils of Biotech Harvest, Peter Pringle, 2005
 Dinner at the New Gene Café: How Genetic Engineering Is Changing What We Eat, How We Live, and
the Global Politics of Food, Bill Lambrecht, 2002
 The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan, 2002
 Food's Frontier: The Next Green Revolution by Richard Manning, 2001
 Genetically Engineered Food: Changing the Nature of Nature, 2nd Ed. by Martin Teitel 2001
 Pandora's Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods, by Alan
McHughen, 2000
 Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply by Vandana Shiva, 1999
 Farmageddon: Food and Culture of Biotecnology by Brewster Kneen, 1999
 Tough Choices: Facing the Challenge of Food Scarcity by Lester R. Brown, 1996
 Who Will Feed China? by Lester R. Brown, 1995
Nutrition and Food Science:
 In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, by Michael Pollan, 2008
 How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table, by Russ Parsons, 2007
 What to Eat by Marion Nestle, 2006
 The Culprit and the Cure: How lifestyle is the culprit behind America's poor health and how
transforming that lifestyle can be the cure by Steven G. Aldana, 2005
 How to Read a French Fry: And Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science, Russ Parson, 2003
Evolution:
 Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution, Kenneth
Miller, 2007
 The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution by Sean B. Carroll, 2006
 The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma by Mark Kirschner and John Gerhart, 2005
 Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction, Scott and Eldredge, 2005
 The Ghosts of Evolution, Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms by
Connie Barlow, 2002
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Intelligent Design and Creationism and Its Critics: Philosophical, Theological, and Scientific
Perspectives, by Ed. Richard Pennock, 2001
Reinventing Darwin: The Great Debate at the High Table of Evolutionary Theory by Niles Eldredge,
1995
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, 1979
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design, by Richard
Dawkins, 1996
Extinction:
 Under a Green Sky: Global Warming, the Mass Extinctions of the Past, and What They Can Tell Us
About the Future, by Peter Ward, 2008
 Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittelbach, 2006
 Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine by Richard
Ellis, 2005
 No Turning Back: The Life and Death of Animal Species by Richard Ellis, 2005
 Catastrophes and Lesser Calamities: The Causes of Mass Extinctions by Tony Hallam, 2005
 Rivers in Time: The Search For Clues to Earth’s Mass Extinctions, by Peter Ward, 2002
 The Nemesis Affair: A Story of the Death of Dinosaurs and the Way of Science, by David M. Raup, 1999
 The Call of Distant Mammoths : Why the Ice Age Mammals Disappeared by Peter Douglas Ward, 1998
 The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen, 1997
 The Sixth Extinction : Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind by Roger Lewin & Richard E.
Leakey, 1996
 End of Evolution : A Journey in Search of Clues to the Third Mass Extinction Facing Planet Earth by
Peter Ward, 1995
 Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck? by David M. Raup, 1992
Population, Consumption/Economics and Urban Planning:
 Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw It
Coming by Paul Hawken, 2007
 Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibbin, 2007
 How Much Should a Person Consume? Environmentalism in India and the United States by
Ramachandra Guha, 2006
 The Quest For Environmental Justice: Human Rights and the Politics of Pollution by Robert D. Bullard,
2005
 Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by Elizabeth Royte, 2005
 Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World by Daniel Imhoff and Roberto
Carra, 2005
 Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by deGraff, Wann, and Naylor, 2002
 This Place on Earth by Alan Durning, 2001 and 2002
 Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough, Michael Braungart,
2002
 Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, & L.
Hunter Lovins, 2000
 Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken, 1994
 How Much is Enough? by Alan Durning, 1992
Energy and Fossil Fuels:
 Oil on the Brain: Adventures from the Pump to the Pipeline by Lisa Margonelli, 2007
 Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert’s Peak by Kenneth S. Deffeyes, 2006
 The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World by Paul Roberts, 2005
 Powering Our Future: An Energy Sourcebook for Sustainable Living by Alternative Energy Institute,
2005
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Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage by Kenneth S. Deffeyes, 2003
Farewell Fossil Fuels: Reviewing America's Energy Policy by Sidney Borowitz, 1998
Power Surge by Christopher Flavin and Nicholas Lessen, 1995
Climate Change:
 With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change by Fred Pearce, 2007
 The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations by Eugene Linden, 2007
 An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It by
Al Gore, 2006
 Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert, 2006
 Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth by Tim
Flannery, 2006
 Boiling Point: How Politicians, Big Oil and Coal, Journalists and Activists are All Fueling the Climate
Crisis- And What We Can Do to Avert Disaster by Ross Gelbspan, 2005
 Dead Heat: Global Justice and Global Warming by Athanasiou and Baer, 2002
 Global Warming: The Complete Briefing by John Houghton, 2004
 The Two-Mile Time Machine: Ice Cores, Abrupt Climate Change, and Our Future by Richard B. Alley,
2002
 The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History 1300-1850 by Brian M. Fagan, 2001
 Global Warming: The Science of Climate Change by Frances Drake, 2000
 The Heat Is on : The Climate Crisis, the Cover-Up, the Prescription by Ross Gelbspan, 1998
General Environmental:
 Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond, 2005
 Ninemile Wolves by Rick Bass, 2003
 Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World by McNeill
& Kennedy, 2001
 God's Last Offer: Negotiating for a Sustainable Future by Ed Ayers, 2000
 Inside Passage: A Journey Beyond Borders by Richard Manning, 2000
 Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future by Mark Hertsgaard, 1999
 The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People by Tim Flannery, 1994
 Control of Nature by John McPhee, 1990
Nature Writing & Classics:
 Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey, 1985
 Encounters With the Archdruid by John A. McPhee, 1977
 Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run: A Call to Those Who Would Save the Earth, 2nd Ed. by
David Ross Brower, 2000
 Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, 1964
 Walden by Henry David Thoreau, 1854
 A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, 1949
 Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez, 1986
 The Diversity of Life by Edward O. Wilson, 1999
 Population Bomb, by Paul R. Ehrlich and David Brower, 1970
 The End of Nature by Bill McKibben, 1989
Other Options
with descriptions
Abbey, Edward. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness. 1967, 1990.
Abbey spent a year alone as a ranger in a national park in southeastern Utah. His book describes his time
there, what he learned about the land in front of him, the world around him, about himself, and also
explores his perception of the growing exploitation of the wilderness by oil and mining interests.
Arms, Myron. Riddle of Ice: A Scientific Adventure into the Arctic. 1999.
During a 1991 sailing expedition off the coast of Labrador, the author is blocked by a mass of ice ? an
unusual occurrence in such a warm summer. In 1994, he goes back to complete his journey and
determine if climatic shifts are causing the change in Arctic ice production. Riddle of Ice is the result of
that second exploration.
Bormann, F. Herbert and Stephen Kellert (eds.). Ecology, Economics, Ethics: The Broken Circle.
1993.
Environmental specialists argue that in order to solve global problems we must view them from a broad
interdisciplinary perspective that acknowledges the relationship between ecology, economics, and ethics.
This book covers a variety of topics, ranging from global atmospheric degradation to the loss of forests
and massive species extinctions.
Brown, Kenneth. Four Corners: History, Land and People of the Desert Southwest. 1996.
Brown takes readers on a tour of the Four Corners region, where Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah
intersect, with a mix of geology, biology, and human history.
Brown, Tom. Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking. 1986.
Noted outdoorsman Tom Brown presents a useful field guide, part of a best-selling series.
Burns, Loree Griffen. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. 2007.
This book, for younger students, is a fascinating account of ocean currents, drifting trash, and the
scientists that study them.
Cohen, Joel. How Many People Can the Earth Support? 1996.
Predictions for how many people the Earth can support have varied from 4 billion to 16 billion; Cohen
suggests that the defining limits of land, food production, and water supply will lead to a more definitive
number. Cohen also argues that while we might be able to prepare for future restrictions on our needs,
our governments, our own personal choices, and time itself will ultimately determine the boundaries of our
existence.
Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring.
First published in 1962, this book raised awareness about the environmental and human risks of using
pesticides, such as DDT, and was one of the contributing factors that spurred the modern environmental
movement.
Cone, Marla. Silent Snow: The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic. 2006.
Cone, a U.S. environmental journalist, reports her findings from an investigation into why the Arctic 's
native inhabitants are heavily impacted by pollution due to chemicals being carried to the area by winds
and waves, and how Arctic cultures are adapting.
Cronon, William. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England.
1983, 2003.
Cronon examines the relationship between humans and nature and the changing land-use patterns on the
ecosystem in colonial New England .
Devall, Bill and George Sessions. Deep Ecology: Living as if Nature Mattered. 1985, 2001.
An introduction to the emerging theme of ?deep ecology,? a way to develop harmony between individuals,
communities, and nature. The authors show how to participate in major environmental issues in a positive
and creative manner.
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. 1999, 2005.
In this Pulitzer-prize winning book, noted evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond poses an answer to the
question of why some societies have been able to conquer and displace others. Diamond devotes a
number of chapters to the history of the development of agriculture and its effect on human societies.
Dillard, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. 1975, 2007.
In this Pulitzer Prize winning series of interconnected essays that describe the author's one year
exploration on foot at Tinker Creek, the author observes the changing of the seasons and the
corresponding behaviors of plants and animals, reflecting on the nature of the world.
Ehrlich, Gretel. The Solace of Open Spaces. 1986, 1992.
Ehrlich originally moved west to make a film, but later returned to work with neighbors at cattle- and
sheep-ranching, learning how to take pleasure in open spaces. This book describes her experience, the
people she met, the changing of the seasons, and the beautiful landscapes.
Ehrlich, Paul. The Population Bomb.
In this 1968 book, biologist Ehrlich predicted that rapid population growth would lead to worldwide famine
and environmental degradation.
Ehrlich, Paul, et al. The Stork and the Plow: The Equity Answer to the Human Dilemna. 1997.
Population experts argue that to diminish the possibility of widespread starvation, we need to increase the
equity of women and support farmers in developing countries.
Feynman, Richard. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Adventures of a Curious Character.
1986, 2000.
The life story of Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman, based on a collection of his reminiscences. Feynman
was as well known for his lab work as he was for his sense of humor and sense of vitality. The book shows
his human side through funny anecdotes but also discusses more serious issues, such as the development
of the atomic bomb and the death of his first wife from tuberculosis.
Forsyth, Adrian and Ken Miyata. Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central
and South America. 1987.
Based on the authors' experiences in rain forests, each chapter in this book describes a different element
that is found in the rainforests, exploring insects, birds, animals, and plants.
Garrett, Laurie. The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. 1995.
In this gripping, often harrowing study, Laurie Garrett takes readers on a 50-year journey through the
world's battles with microbes, and examines the conditions that have culminated in recurrent outbreaks of
newly discovered diseases, epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, and mutated old diseases that
are no longer curable.
Graedel, Thomas, and Paul Crutzen. Atmosphere, Climate and Change. 1997.
Two experts on the chemistry of the atmosphere explore the workings of the atmosphere as a component
of Earth as a system. They look at the causes of long-term commercial change and the sources and pitfalls
of scientific prediction. The authors also offer a look ahead to potential future changes and what can be
done about them.
Gray, Mike and Ira Rosen. The Warning: Accident at Three Mile Island, A Nuclear Omen for the
Age of Terrorism. 1982, 2003.
A narrative of the accident that occurred at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Harrisburg ,
Pennsylvania in 1979. The 2003 edition incorporates information from renewed discussions on energy and
the environment, energy alternatives, and current thoughts on nuclear energy. An additional chapter
covers new facts that have since been revealed about the accident.
Hardin, Garrett. "The Tragedy of the Commons." Science 162 (December 13, 1968): 1243-1248.
In this classic article, Hardin present the problem of shared resources. A herdsman benefits by maximizing
the number of cattle he has grazing on a common pasture. But, the pasture will be of no benefit to any
herdsman if it has been overgrazed. Thus, in the absence of mechanisms to protect public resources,
individuals will act in self-interest without regard to collective good.
Harr, Jonathan. A Civil Action. 1996.
This best-selling book recounts the costly and lengthy lawsuit filed against several corporations on behalf
of a group of Woburn, Massachusetts residents stricken with leukemia. The suit, eventually settled out of
court, alleged that the corporations were responsible for contaminating the local water supply.
Henson, Robert (Rough Guides). The Rough Guide to Climate Change. 2006.
Robert Henson has written this guide to a pressing issue facing the world. The guide looks at visible
symptoms of change on a warming planet, how climate change works, the evolution of our atmosphere
over the last 4.5 billion years and what computer simulations of climate reveal about our past, present,
and future. It looks at the skeptics' grounds for disagreement, global warming in the media and what
governments and scientists are doing to try to solve the problem.
Hertsgaard, Mark. Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future.
1998, 2000.
Hertsgaard set off on a world tour spanning 19 countries from 1991-1997 to find out what people thought
of environmental problems. His book reports on environmental issues through the eyes of people who
have witnessed them first hand.
Houle, Marcy. The Prairie Keepers: Secret of the Grasslands. 1996.
Houle, a wildlife biologist, spent a season studying buteo hawks in Zumwalt Prairie in northeastern Oregon
. Her account details how ranchers, grazing, and wildlife can coexist, and emphasizes that they must
coexist in order to save the native prairies.
Leakey, Richard and Roger Lewin. The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of
Humankind. 1996.
The authors conclude that there have been five great extinctions in this history of life on Earth, and argue
that humans will bring about a sixth extinction which could threaten all of life.
Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac. 1968, 2001.
Says Aldo Leopold, "There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot. These essays
are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot." In this series of nature essays, Leopold articulates an
elegant statement of the appropriate relationship between humans and the land.
Levitt, Steven D. and Stephen J. Dubner. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of
Everything. 2006.
Levitt and Dubner are economists exploring how economics can explain phenomenon in everyday life ?
including drops in crime rate and the impact parenting has on children. The two discover fascinating
explanations, and may just change the way people view economics.
Lewis, Martin. Green Delusions: An Environmentalist Critique of Radical Environmentalism.
1994.
Lewis, a self-described environmentalist, counters those who believe in a get-back-to-nature ideal. Lewis
reviews evidence that suggests primitive societies were not necessarily peaceful or environmentally benign
and argues that technology and economic growth can be beneficial.
Lopez, Barry. Of Wolves and Men. 1979, 2004.
A study of the history of how wolves and humans have interacted and the way the wolf has been
prominent in our thinking about animals. Lopez argues for the necessity of wolves in the world drawing
from personal experience and a wide variety of literature.
Lovins, Amory. Soft Energy Path: Towards a Durable Peace. 1977.
Lovins compares ?soft energy? and ?hard energy? paths, arguing for ?soft energy? and that we can rely
on less energy supply than is usually assumed.
Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus. 2005.
In 1491, Mann challenges the traditional view that historic Native American societies were relatively small and
harmless to the environment. He puts forward the notion that Native American cultures were both rather large
and technologically advanced long before European explorers set foot in the New World.
McPhee, John. Encounters with the Archdruid. 1971, 2003.
This book contains narratives of four journeys through three wildernesses ? coastal land, a western
mountain range, and the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The four men portrayed ? environmentalist
David Brower, mineral engineer Charles Park, resort designer Charles Fraser, and dam builder Floyd
Dominy ? provide different environmental perspectives as they encounter each other during their
journeys.
Miller, Benjamin. Fat of the Land: The Garbage behind New York ? The Last Two Hundred Years.
2000.
Miller traces the history of garbage in New York City while addressing the social and scientific theories of
class and disease. Fat of the Land connects trash disposal to larger concerns regarding the city's
infrastructure and discusses who gains and who loses in the endless battle over garbage.
Muir, John. My First Summer in the Sierra. 1911, 2004.
A collection of journal entries Muir wrote during his time as a sheep herder in the Sierra Nevada details
the beautiful surroundings he encountered and explains his transformation from an industrial engineer to
a pioneer of the environmental movement.
Nash, Roderick. Wilderness and the American Mind. 2001.
A classic study of America 's changing attitudes towards wilderness. The latest (4th) edition explores the
future of wilderness.
Peterson, Rolf. The Wolves of Isle Royale: A Broken Balance. 1995, 2007.
In this book, a wildlife biologist provides a first-hand account of a 25-year association with the study of
the wild wolves of Isle Royale National Park and their prey, the moose.
Phillips, Kathryn. Tracking the Vanishing Frogs: An Ecological Mystery. 1995.
Phillips details scientists' efforts in wetlands, woodlands, rain forests, and laboratories to learn why so
many species of frogs are vanishing. She describes the environmental and human factors that threaten
the creature, and illustrates how science and scientists work.
Plotkin, Mark. Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in
the Amazon Rain Forest. 1994, 2001.
This book details research conducted by an ethnobotanist among native healers in the Amazon forest to
identify native cures used for arthritis, skin fungi, colds, and other afflictions.
Preston, Richard. The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring. 2007.
In his book, The Wild Trees, Preston uses the timeless Northwestern redwood forest as the backdrop for a tale of
nature, love, and history, taking the reader on a journey to discover the secrets that the great forest holds.
Quammen, David. Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions. 1997.
Quammen explores why island life differs so much from mainland life. By relaying the accounts of his globecircling journey to the islands of Madagascar to Guam, Quammen shows why island biogeography yields
important insights into the origins and extinction of species everywhere.
Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit. 1995.
When a man in search of truth answers an ad in a local newspaper from a teacher looking for serious students,
he finds himself alone in an abandoned office with a gorilla named Ishmael. Quinn provides a new perspective
on humanity's relationship to the world and, through Ishmael, offers a wide-ranging examination of our
civilization, offering solutions for our global problems.
Quinn, Daniel. My Ishmael. 1998.
In the sequel to Ishmael, the gorilla has a new pupil who is 12 years old and intent on saving the world. Quinn
critiques educational systems around the world, suggesting that their function is not to usefully dictate, but to
regulate the flow of workers in a Taker society.
Raup, David. Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck? 1992.
Raup, best known for his theory that extinctions come in 25-million-year cycles, examines what we know and
don't know about extinction.
Reisner, Marc. Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. 1986, 1993.
A provocative, opinionated, and interesting history of how California, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the
Corps of Engineers remade the West by damming its rivers. The author explores the early history of Western
settlement and the mistaken belief of the time that "rain follows the plough."
Revkin, Andrew. Burning Season: The Murder of Chico Mendes and the Fight for the Amazon Rain Forest.
1990, 2004.
The story of the Brazilian rubber tapper and grass-roots environmentalist who was murdered in 1988.
Ruddiman, William F. Plows, Plagues and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Nature. 2005.
Climatologist William F. Ruddiman's book explains how scientists are able to determine our planet?s climatic
history. He argues that humans have actually been changing the climate for some 8,000 years ? as a result of the
earlier discovery of agriculture, and is the first to trace the full historical sweep of human interaction with
Earth's climate.
Sagan, Carl. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. 1997.
An inquiry into why science is so hard to learn and teach and why so many people embrace the sort of
?pseudoscience? associated with New Age beliefs. Sagan shows how scientific thinking can cut through
prejudice and hysteria and uncover the truth, and how it is necessary to safeguard our democratic institutions
and our technical civilization.
Scarce, Rick. Eco-warriors: Understanding the Radical Environmental Movement. 1990, 2005.
Eco-warriors provided the first in-depth look at the people, actions, history, and philosophies of the
controversial radical environmental movement. Scarce reviews several environmental groups with examples of
their activities, and discusses the future of the movement; the updated 2005 version brings the path of the
movement up to date.
Shermer, Michael. Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudo-Science, Superstition, and Other
Confusions of our Time. 2002.
Shermer, editor of Skeptic magazine that has been at the forefront of debunking beliefs that don't stand
up to scientific inquiry, compiles a collection of pieces from the magazine.
Steingraber, Sandra. Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment.
1997.
Writing from the perspective of both a survivor and a scientist, the author links high concentrations of
environmental toxins with the high incidence of cancer in rural Illinois.
Terborgh, John. Where Have all the Birds Gone? Essays on the Biology and Conservation of
Birds that Migrate to the American Tropics. 1990.
By scrutinizing ill-planned urban and suburban development in the U.S. and tropical deforestation in
Central and South America, Terborgh summarizes our knowledge of the subtle combination of
circumstances that is devastating bird populations.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden.
An autobiography written when Thoreau spent two years living in a forest near Walden Pond provides a
detailed account of his time living off the land and presents his critique of the contemporary Western
world.
Turco, Richard. Earth Under Siege: From Air Pollution to Global Change. 1996, 2002.
Turco offers a description of environmental systems and provides a basic understanding of how the
physical world functions and how human activities are impacting it. He defines underlying environmental
principles and processes including the role of evolutionary forces in shaping the environment, Earth's
energy balance, and biogeochemical cycles.
Wessels, Tom. Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England. 1999.
The author uses the forests in his native New England to demonstrate how to "read the landscape." He
shows how to find evidence of human activities and disturbances, such as fire, logging, pastures, and
blight, and how to trace the history of the land and the forests.
Wheelwright, Jeff. Degrees of Disaster: Prince William Sound: How Nature Reels and Rebounds.
1996.
An account of the ecological effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill on Prince William Sound, telling the
complex story of a region where natural disturbance is normal. Wheelright concludes that the clean up
efforts may have caused more damage than the oil did and that, left alone, the Sound would have
repaired itself quickly.
Wilkinson, Charles. Crossing the Next Meridian : Land, Water, and the Future of the West. 1993.
Explores the core issues facing the American West now and in years to come. Wilkinson combines legal
history with examples of present day consequences of the laws to trace the origins and development of
the laws and regulations that govern mining, ranching, forestry, and water use.
Willis, Delta. The Sand Dollar and the Slide Rule: Drawing Blueprints from Nature. 1996.
Willis explores the relationship between natural forms and human design brings to life a group of
architects, physicists, and biologists devoted to a new science of form called Construction Morphology. The
book provides an account of how successful engineering and research often mirror the natural world.
Wilson, Edward O. The Diversity of Life. 1999, 2003.
With fascinating stories and rich detail, biologist Edward O. Wilson surveys the origin and role of species
diversity and discusses areas of ongoing research in this field.
Wolfe, David. Tales from the Underground: A Natural History of Subterranean Life. 2002.
There are over one billion organisms in a pinch of soil, and many of them perform functions essential to all
life on the planet, yet we know very little about soil life. Cornell ecologist David W. Wolfe takes a tour of
this unfamiliar subterranean world, introducing the bizarre creatures that live there as well as the devoted
scientists who study them.