Sauer: Land & Life: A Selection from Writings of Carl Ortwin Sauer

by Carl O. Sauer

Geography and anthropology are fields which have often profited from loose boundaries; their ablest scholars have been those with vision broad enough to encompass a science of man, under whatever name. Carl Sauer has been the outstanding thinker in geography in this vital sense. He has always been concerned with man's role in changing, intentionally or not, the face of the earth. Sauer's thought is above all ecological, and thus intricate in dealing with the forces that relate human life to the web of plant and animal life sustaining it. But it is also humane, concrete, and direct, with an appeal to both laymen and his fellow geographers.

The papers and extracts in this volume range from Sauer's early studies of pioneers to his later inquiries into human prehistory.

Genres: Geography

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Andrew]

It’s no shock how few reviews there are here, despite Sauer having been one of the titans of human geography This is a very, very unfashionable breed of academic prose in the social sciences – straightforwardly descriptive, decidedly unwilling to fulminate over theoretical underpinnings. This is for people who care about floodplains in the abstract, and there are few of us indeed.

But here’s the thing, for those of us who are interested in the materialist perspective, texts like this are absolutely essential, and Sauer draws the firm connections between ecology, environment, economy, and culture, in a manner which is thoughtful and which draws connections but is not deterministic. Really, you should be reading more things like this, and I should too.

[Leighlynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually picked this book up from my schools free book box. Honestly, it was a interesting book to get into. Went into topics like human geography and the impact of humans on the environment. I think it’s a great book to read about the relationship between human culture and the physical environment!