false 270443 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 270443 3 262175 11 10 2002 Down to Earth: Nature's Role in American History total:32|5:14|4:13|3:5|2:0|1:0| 32 137 50 5 6714 3.85 74 16 53108272 127817 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.32 28 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 4 0 false Sat Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 06:09:06 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 06:10:36 -0700 2009 32883802 1528785 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 5 0 false Sun Sep 14 18:33:28 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 14 18:37:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2974159 182165 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Thu Jul 12 06:25:26 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 12 06:32:18 -0700 2007 more...]]> 11216821 118073 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 4 0 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Sat Dec 29 09:31:24 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 29 09:31:24 -0800 2007 15718210 919185 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 5 0 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Mon Feb 18 13:45:21 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 18 13:46:11 -0800 2008 80178614 1625751 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Mon Dec 07 10:24:35 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 07 10:24:35 -0800 2009 79707079 3000194 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 4 0 false Wed Dec 02 19:03:31 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 02 19:03:31 -0800 2009 69863693 925669 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 4 0 false Thu Nov 05 16:18:22 -0800 2009 Wed Sep 02 17:33:43 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 17:34:12 -0700 2009 69624326 2110313 4473843 0195331826 9780195331820 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473843.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 3.67 3 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 3 0 false Wed Dec 16 21:14:24 -0800 2009 Mon Aug 31 18:34:54 -0700 2009 Wed Dec 16 21:14:24 -0800 2009 68912673 866025 4473843 0195331826 9780195331820 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473843.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Tue Aug 25 22:02:04 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 22:02:04 -0700 2009 68522817 2600330 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Sat Aug 22 22:16:06 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 22 22:16:19 -0700 2009 68073862 2645137 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Wed Aug 19 13:34:23 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 13:37:12 -0700 2009 65926579 2588689 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 4 0 false Sun Aug 02 18:01:25 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 18:01:25 -0700 2009 63888958 1590672 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Fri Jul 17 13:23:25 -0700 2009 Mon Dec 21 07:51:49 -0800 2009 60940751 2454472 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 3 0 false Wed Jun 24 11:11:03 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 11:11:04 -0700 2009 58043038 441891 4473843 0195331826 9780195331820 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473843.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Mon Jun 01 06:01:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 06:01:17 -0700 2009 57876835 733812 4473843 0195331826 9780195331820 0 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473843.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Sat May 30 14:05:38 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 14:08:06 -0700 2009 55880793 2309720 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Tue May 12 19:57:33 -0700 2009 Tue May 12 19:57:36 -0700 2009 53906601 2164758 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 0 0 false Sat Apr 25 05:27:27 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 05:27:27 -0700 2009 52571863 1215174 270443 0195140109 9780195140101 5 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766m/270443.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173300766s/270443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270443.Down_to_Earth_Nature_s_Role_in_American_History 4.28 32 Down to Earth. That's an ambitious claim, but not far off the mark. His fascinating book is essentially an environmental history of the United States, with the author paying particular attention to how elements of nature became commodities and thereby isolated Americans from the natural world. Readers don't have to subscribe to this neo-Marxist concept in order to appreciate Steinberg's observations about everything from the old-time urban problem of horse excrement ("the nineteenth-century equivalent of auto pollution") to the massive amounts of garbage produced by fast-food chains (McDonald's, he says, requires "an area equivalent in size to more than 450,000 football fields" to supply its paper needs). He also tells what may be the first-ever natural history of the Civil War. This may sound idiosyncratic, and to some extent it is, yet Steinberg weaves it all together and makes the underappreciated point that "it is quite simply wrong to view the natural world as an unchanging backdrop to the past." It changes all the time, he writes, and it has shaped Americans in ways that few of them understand. --John Miller ]]> 2002 4 0 false Mon Apr 13 18:25:57 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 18:25:57 -0700 2009 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=270443