The Day Before America - MacLeish, William H.

Brookings Books Verified independent store

→

The Day Before America by MacLeish, William H. Format: Hardcover with Dust JacketPublished by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1994 History and prehistory come alive in this extraordinar y account of America as it was before it got its name. William H. MacLeish paints a heart-rending portrait of the lush, miraculous New World on the eve of the Encounter - the arrival of the first Europeans, after which nothing would be the same. Drawing on the work of anthropologists, geologists, and other academic experts, MacLeish roams over 18,000 years of the continent's history, exploring the role of climate and human activity in preparing the world that we have inherited. The Day Before America is studded with fascinating information on the awesome changes wrought by the ice age (and the inevitability of its return), the ecological effects of hunting and early agriculture, the astonishing variety of Indian civilizations, and the transformations in the continent's nature over the past five hundred years. It is a book informed by a deep commitment to the wonder and sacredness of the natural world. At bottom, it is a statement of belief in an unsentimental environmentalism - an effort to see our world in the longest view, and to value it all the more for that.Product image is for illustration purposes only and may not be an exact representation of the product offered for sale. Show more