Environmental Literature: An Encyclopedia of Works, Authors, and Themes

by Patricia D. Netzley

Overview

This book surveys major environmental writings on a wide range of subjects, from the origin and evolution of plants and animals to such recent environmental philosophies as deep ecology and the Gaia hypothesis.

Environmental Literature examines works such as The Origin of Species, The Anatomy of Plants, Climate and Evolution, The Descent of Man, The Living Sea, Natural History, Playing God in Yellowstone, and Silent Spring. Each entry summarizes the work's main points and notes its reception and impact.

Other entries include animal ecology, biodiversity, Chernobyl, Alexander von Humboldt, forest management, Stephen Jay Gould, nature writing, Charles Darwin, and the simple living movement.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781576070000
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/14/1999
Series:	ABC-CLIO Literary Companion
Pages:	339
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Patricia D. Netzley is a professional writer who teaches and lectures on writing.

Editorial Reviews

This book is worth every penny of its price.” —VOYA

“This work will be useful in all types of libraries and for all levels of users.” —Choice

“The far-ranging selection of entries included here makes for interesting browsing as well as reading for specific information … a useful addition to literary genre reference and to environmental studies collections.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

This unique guide to environmental literature throughout history aims to "encourage an emotional response to the environment." The entries cover such subjects as "environmental fiction" and "waste management," such titles as Silent Spring and The Origin of Species, and such diverse authors as Lucretius, Henry David Thoreau, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Also included are book-length works of environmental fiction and collections of poetry, including Planet of the Apes and Gary Snyder's Turtle Island. There are helpful lists of authors, works, and themes; an excellent index; and a very useful bibliography. Netzley, formerly a writer of children's books, has in recent years published well-received reference works on such diverse topics as special effects in the movies (see the preceding review of Encyclopedia of Movie Special Effects), Japan, and the paranormal. Such far-ranging expertise is hard to come by, so it is not surprising that some topics were missed: pastoral poetry, for example, or even Dickens's Hard Times, with its strong criticism of industry's ruination of the countryside. Even so, this is a useful addition to collections on the environment. Recommended for public and academic libraries.--Peter A. Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., MI Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Library Journal

Surveys environmental themes, genres, specific authors, and important writings by explorers, scientists, environmentalists, ecologists, conservationists, nature writers, novelists, and poets. Each entry provides a succinct description of the volume, genre, concept, or author, with biographical details, assessment of the work's reception, and other relevant material. Works and authors examined include by Dave Foreman, Dian Fossey's , by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and Thoreau's . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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