The Fight to Save the Redwoods: A History of the Environmental Reform, 1917–1978

by Susan R. Schrepfer

"This is not a simple or ordinary history of a conservation crusade. Schrepfer very ably traces the changes in scientific wisdom from nineteenth-century romanticism and teleological evolutionism to more current ecological dynamism—and the influence of those intellectual developments on political history. . . . The subject is important—much broader than the title suggests—and so is the book."— American Historical Review

358 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1983

Reviews

[Matt Gladue · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional book in that it pursues three intersecting trends to explain important shifts in environmental history and the environmental movement. The book is a thorough case study of a prolonged, high profile campaign for Redwoods National Park. It also expertly documents intellectual shifts in thinking about evolution in concert with growing middle class anxiety and opposition to technology, corporate power, and political authority. As such, it does more to explain the rise of the Sierra Club and the rise of postwar environmentalism more effectively than anything I’ve read to date.

[Virginia Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is another one I call "foundational" for learning about the history of the environmental "movement" (sorry, I just choke when I type this word) in America. It's backed-up with footnotes and documentation. It is a fascinating look at how in the end, everything seems to come down to human personalities--that despite good intentions, we just cannot get over ourselves.

A must for anyone involved in the quest...