Earth Sciences, Geography & Environment Books
The University of Chicago Press Cartophilia
Book SynopsisIn focusing on the power of "bottom-up" maps to transform modern European identities, the author argues that the history of cartography must expand beyond the study of elite maps and shift its emphasis to the democratization of cartography in the modern world.
£46.49
The University of Chicago Press The History of Cartography Volume 4
Book Synopsis
£375.25
The University of Chicago Press Serengeti IV Sustaining Biodiversity in a
Book SynopsisExplores our species role as a source of both discord and balance in Serengeti ecosystem dynamics. This book shows how the people and landscapes surrounding crucial protected areas like Serengeti National Park can and must contribute to Serengeti conservation.
£129.00
The University of Chicago Press Crisis of the Wasteful Nation Empire and
Book SynopsisOffers us a cohesive picture of Roosevelt's engagement with the natural world along with a compelling portrait of how Americans used, wasted, and worried about natural resources in a time of burgeoning empire.Trade Review"Tyrrell is the most insightful and significant scholar of transnational US history. In Crisis of the Wasteful Nation he shows again that the enduring theme of American exceptionalism is best examined and revised through global comparative and transnational contexts. This is an important, new, and nuanced framing of the interrelated realms of natural resource use, physical health, and national strength." (David Wrobel, University of Oklahoma)"
£33.25
The University of Chicago Press Neotropical Rainforest Mammals
Book SynopsisA field guide to the marvellously diverse creatures of the rainforest, this book includes information on 226 species. It identifies characteristics, similar species, vocalization, behaviour and natural history, geographic range, conservation status, local names and literature references.
£40.85
The University of Chicago Press The Earthquake Observers
Book SynopsisEarthquakes have taught us much about our planet's hidden structure and the forces that have shaped it. This book explains how observing networks transformed an instant of panic and confusion into a field for scientific research, turning earthquakes into natural experiments at the nexus of the physical and human sciences.Trade Review"The cleverly ambiguous title of this book plays with the many uncertainties that surround our experience of earthquakes. Just who are these 'observers': are they scientists, farmers, or city dwellers? In answering this question, Coen offers a wealth of information in a book that reads with the appeal of fiction." (Times Higher Education)"
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press Robert Clifton Weaver and the American City The
Book SynopsisTracing Robert Clifton Weaver's career through the creation, expansion, and contraction of New Deal liberalism, this book illuminates his instrumental role in the birth of almost every urban initiative of the period, from public housing and urban renewal to affirmative action and rent control.
£22.80
University of Chicago Press The Struggle for Water Politics Rationality
Book SynopsisThe story of the proposed - and ultimately thwarted - building of a dam, nearly 50 years ago in Arizona, which would have destroyed wildlife, flooded archaeological sites and forced the Havapai Indians off their ancestral home. It is also a study of rationality as a cultural, organisational and political construct.Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments 1. Contested Rationalities 2. Nature by Design: The Bureau of Reclamation's Western Conquest 3. The Old Guard: Stand by Your Dam 4. The New Guard: Agents of Rationality, Arbiters of Democracy 5. Views from the Reservation: The Politics and Perspective of Yavapai People 6. Rationality, Form, and Power References Abbreviations Primary Documents and Printed Sources Secondary Sources Index
£76.00
The University of Chicago Press The Struggle for Water Politics Rationality and
Book SynopsisThe story of the proposed - and ultimately thwarted - building of a dam, nearly 50 years ago in Arizona, which would have destroyed wildlife, flooded archaeological sites and forced the Havapai Indians off their ancestral home. It is also a study of rationality as a cultural, organisational and political construct.
£28.50
University of Chicago Press Opening Up Youth Sex Culture and Market Reform
Book SynopsisMore and more men and women in China are having sex before marriage, creating a new youth sex culture based on romance, leisure and free choice. Farrer explores this change by tracing the basic elements in talk about sex and sexuality in Shanghai.Trade Review"Opening Up conveys a panoramic, vivid, and fully convincing picture of the changing scene in China with remarkable assurance. James Farrer draws on extensive research and interviews with Chinese youth, revealing a rich and deep mastery of his subject. This is an extraordinary new book." - Ann Swidler, author of Talk of Love; "I can think of few books that offer such a layered appreciation for the textures of everyday life in urban China. Written in a hip and contemporary style, Opening Up is a pleasure to read." - Michael Dutton, author of Streetlife China
£76.00
The University of Chicago Press John Lockes Liberalism
Book SynopsisThis text offers a critique of the ideological roots of the "Deep Ecology" movement spreading throughout Germany, France and the United States. The author examines European legal cases concerning the status and rights of animals and key ideas that German Romanticism embraced.Table of ContentsPreface. The Passing of the Humanist Era Pt. 1: Animals, or The Confusion of Genres 1: Antinatural Man 2: "Animal Liberation," or The Rights of Creatures 3: Neither Man nor Stone: The Enigmatic Being Pt. 2: The Shadows of the Earth 4: "Think Like a Mountain": The Master Plan of "Deep Ecology" 5: Nazi Ecology: The November 1933, July 1934, and June 1935 Legislations 6: In Praise of Difference, or The Incarnations of Leftism: The Case of Ecofeminism 7: Democratic Ecology and the Question of the Rights of Nature Epilogue. Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism: The Three Cultures Index
£21.85
The University of Chicago Press Authors of the Storm
Book SynopsisOffers an inside look at how meteorologists and forecasters predict the weather. Through field observation and interviews, this work shows that weather forecasts are often shaped as much by social and cultural factors inside local offices as they are by approaching cumulus clouds.Trade Review"Fine engages his reader by skillfully describing the human side of weather forecasters who must contend with having to produce timely, accurate forecasts under the stress of meeting a complexity of organizational demands.... A highly recommended book for both scholars and everyone who has an interest in the weather." - Choice"
£80.00
The University of Chicago Press Fatal Isolation The Devastating Paris Heat Wave
Book SynopsisIn a cemetery on the southern outskirts of Paris lie the bodies of nearly a hundred of what some have called the first casualties of global climate change. This book tells the stories of these victims and the catastrophe that took their lives. It explores the multiple narratives of disaster-the official story of the crisis and its aftermath.Trade Review"Fatal Isolation is a riveting account of the social, cultural, and political forces that made France so vulnerable during the historic 2003 heat wave and a cautionary tale about the dangers of urban life on an overheated planet. Along the way, Keller takes up deep and unsettling questions about what we can and cannot know about the recent past. It's a memorable, haunting book." (Eric Klinenberg, author of Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago)
£29.45
The University of Chicago Press The Grasping Hand Kelo v. City of New London and
Book SynopsisThe Supreme Court ruled that the city of New London, Connecticut, could condemn fifteen residential properties in the Fort Trumbull area and transfer them to a new private owner. This book offers an analysis of the case alongside a history of the meaning of public use and the use of eminent domain and an evaluation of options for reform.Trade Review"Somin's thorough rebuttal of the constitutional reasoning and philosophical implications of the Supreme Court's Kelo decision demonstrates why that ruling was a constructive disaster: It was so dreadful it has provoked robust defenses of the role of private property in sustaining Americans' liberty." (George F. Will)
£24.70
University of Chicago Press Advocacy after Bhopal Environmentalism Disaster
Book SynopsisIn exploring the worldwide political and environmental aftermath of the Bhopal disaster in 1984, this text discusses various differing claims by focusing on the dynamics and paradoxes of advocacy in competing power domains.
£31.35
The University of Chicago Press After Preservation
Book SynopsisBrings together a consortium of voices comprised of renowned scientists, historians, philosophers, environmental writers, activists, policy makers, and land managers to negotiate the incredible challenges that environmentalism faces.Trade Review"After Preservation asks one of the big, hairy, audacious questions of the early twenty-first century: How should humans relate to nature in the Anthropocene? Minteer and Pyne have assembled an impressive assortment of contributors to offer a wide-ranging set of answers in concise, poignant, and powerful essays. This is an important and timely contribution that should be read by people working to construct a thriving and sustainable future." (R. Bruce Hull, author of Infinite Nature)
£44.65
The University of Chicago Press After Preservation Saving American Nature in the
Book SynopsisBrings together a consortium of voices comprised of renowned scientists, historians, philosophers, environmental writers, activists, policy makers, and land managers to negotiate the incredible challenges that environmentalism faces.Trade Review"After Preservation asks one of the big, hairy, audacious questions of the early twenty-first century: How should humans relate to nature in the Anthropocene? Minteer and Pyne have assembled an impressive assortment of contributors to offer a wide-ranging set of answers in concise, poignant, and powerful essays. This is an important and timely contribution that should be read by people working to construct a thriving and sustainable future." (R. Bruce Hull, author of Infinite Nature)
£18.00
The University of Chicago Press Indian Reservations in the United States
Book SynopsisThis cultural-geographic study of the American Indian reservations in the 48 contiguous states explores the reservations as living environments rather than historical footnotes. The text seeks to discover and highlight the many possibilities for positive change.
£31.35
The University of Chicago Press The Design and Implementation of US Climate
Book SynopsisEconomic research on climate change has been crucial in advancing our understanding of the consequences associated with global warming as well as the costs and benefits of policies that might reduce emissions. This volume looks at the possible effects of various climate policies on economic outcomes.
£110.00
The University of Chicago Press Rereading the Fossil Record
Book SynopsisPresents a historical account of the origin, rise, and importance of paleobiology. The author shows how the movement was conceived and promoted by a group of paleontologists and examines the intellectual, disciplinary, and political dynamics involved in the ascendency of paleobiology. It offers insight on data-driven approaches in recent science.Trade Review"An exceptional book, Rereading the Fossil Record draws wisely and appreciatively on the work of fellow historians of science. But it stands on its own as a major contribution that will interest biologists, historians more generally (it's not only good history, it's about history), and philosophers alike." (Science)
£29.45
The University of Chicago Press Rise of the Dragon Readings from Nature on the
Book SynopsisMany of the fossil finds in China were announced to English speakers in the journal Nature. This collection features 16 reports, some augumented with commentaries originally published in Nature's News and Views section.
£99.00
The University of Chicago Press Peak Oil Apocalyptic Environmentalism and
Book SynopsisIn recent years, the concept of peak oil-the moment when global oil production peaks and a train of economic, social, and political catastrophes accompany its subsequent decline-has captured the imagination of a surprisingly large number of Americans, ordinary citizens as well as scholars, and created a quiet, yet intense underground movement. In Peak Oil, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson takes readers deep inside the world of peakists, showing how their hopes and fears about the postcarbon future led them to prepare for the social breakdown they foresee-all of which are fervently discussed and debated via websites, online forums, videos, and novels. By exploring the worldview of peakists, and the unexpected way that the fear of peak oil and climate change transformed many members of this left-leaning group into survivalists, Schneider-Mayerson builds a larger analysis of the rise of libertarianism, the role of oil in modern life, the political impact of digital technologies, the racial and
£92.43
The University of Chicago Press Peak Oil Apocalyptic Environmentalism and
Book SynopsisIn recent years, the concept of peak oil-the moment when global oil production peaks and a train of economic, social, and political catastrophes accompany its subsequent decline-has captured the imagination of a surprisingly large number of Americans, ordinary citizens as well as scholars, and created a quiet, yet intense underground movement. In Peak Oil, Matthew Schneider-Mayerson takes readers deep inside the world of peakists, showing how their hopes and fears about the postcarbon future led them to prepare for the social breakdown they foresee-all of which are fervently discussed and debated via websites, online forums, videos, and novels. By exploring the worldview of peakists, and the unexpected way that the fear of peak oil and climate change transformed many members of this left-leaning group into survivalists, Schneider-Mayerson builds a larger analysis of the rise of libertarianism, the role of oil in modern life, the political impact of digital technologies, the racial and
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press A New Map of Wonders A Journey in Search of Modern Marvels
£29.45
University of Chicago Press Patterns in Nature The Analysis of Species
Book Synopsis
£46.50
The University of Chicago Press Planning Matter Acting with Things
Book SynopsisCity and regional planners talk constantly about the things of the world-from highway interchanges and retention ponds to zoning documents and conference rooms-yet most seem to have a poor understanding of the materiality of the world in which they're immersed. Too often planners treat built forms, weather patterns, plants, animals, or regulatory technologies as passively awaiting commands rather than actively involved in the workings of cities and regions. In the ambitious and provocative Planning Matter, Robert A. Beauregard sets out to offer a new materialist perspective on planning practice that reveals the many ways in which the nonhuman things of the world mediate what planners say and do. Drawing on actor-network theory and science and technology studies, Beauregard lays out a framework that acknowledges the inevitable insufficiency of our representations of reality while also engaging more holistically with the world in all of its diversity-including human and nonhuman actors
£76.00
The University of Chicago Press Masters of Uncertainty Weather Forecasters and
Book SynopsisThough we commonly make them the butt of our jokes, weather forecasters are in fact exceptionally good at managing uncertainty. They consistently do a better job calibrating their performance than stockbrokers, physicians, or other decision-making experts precisely because they receive feedback on their decisions in near real time. Following forecasters in their quest for truth and accuracy, therefore, holds the key to the analytically elusive process of decision making as it actually happens. In Masters of Uncertainty, Phaedra Daipha develops a new conceptual framework for the process of decision making, after spending years immersed in the life of a northeastern office of the National Weather Service. Arguing that predicting the weather will always be more craft than science, Daipha shows how forecasters have made a virtue of the unpredictability of the weather. Impressive data infrastructures and powerful computer models are still only a substitute for the real thing outside, and s
£111.28
The University of Chicago Press Masters of Uncertainty Weather Forecasters and
Book SynopsisThough we commonly make them the butt of our jokes, weather forecasters are in fact exceptionally good at managing uncertainty. They consistently do a better job calibrating their performance than stockbrokers, physicians, or other decision-making experts precisely because they receive feedback on their decisions in near real time. Following forecasters in their quest for truth and accuracy, therefore, holds the key to the analytically elusive process of decision making as it actually happens. In Masters of Uncertainty, Phaedra Daipha develops a new conceptual framework for the process of decision making, after spending years immersed in the life of a northeastern office of the National Weather Service. Arguing that predicting the weather will always be more craft than science, Daipha shows how forecasters have made a virtue of the unpredictability of the weather. Impressive data infrastructures and powerful computer models are still only a substitute for the real thing outside, and s
£29.45
University of Chicago Press Geography Unbound French Geogrpahic Science from
Book SynopsisAt the end of the 18th century, French geographers faced a crisis, they were unable to adapt their descriptive focus to the emphasis on theory/explanation. This text presents a portrait of this period in the development of modern geography through the careers of individuals from Cassini to Volney.Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction Part One: Geography's Crisis One: The Nature of Eighteenth-Century Geography: Cartographic and Textual Description Two: Geography's Loss of Direction and Status Part Two: Reaction and Continuity Three: Universal Description Four: The Powerful Mapping Metaphor Five: Handmaiden to Power Part Three: Innovation on the Margins Six: Explaining the Social Realm Seven: Innovation in Natural Geography Eight: Tough-Minded Historical Geography Conclusion Notes References Index Godlewska/Geography Unbound-contents 1
£99.00
The University of Chicago Press The Steamer Parish
Book SynopsisIn the mid 1800s, a group of High Anglicans formed the Universities Mission to Central Africa, bringing education, medical care and the Church to rural Africans. This work traces the mission's history and its lasting impact on public health care in South Central Africa.
£35.15
The University of Chicago Press A Natural History of the New World
Book SynopsisThe paleoecological history of the Americas is as complex as the region is broad: stretching from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, it features some of the most extraordinary vegetation on the planet. With plants as his scientific muse, the author traces the evolution of ecosystems, beginning from the Late Cretaceous period onwards.
£112.10
The University of Chicago Press A Natural History of the New World The Ecology
Book SynopsisThe paleoecological history of the Americas is as complex as the region is broad: stretching from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, it features some of the most extraordinary vegetation on the planet. With plants as his scientific muse, the author traces the evolution of ecosystems, beginning from the Late Cretaceous period onwards.
£42.75
The University of Chicago Press Mapping
Book SynopsisA praiseworthy introduction to the lore of maps and a mine of information for the amateur map-maker.O.M. Miller, American Geographical SocietyThis book should be welcomed by all students of mapping, for it will take them in uncomplicated stages through the complexities of compiling a map. . . . Mr. Greenwood is to be congratulated on an excellent book.C.J. Angus, Canadian Geographical JournalFor the baggy and middle-aged who cannot afford skiing in Austria or sailing off Bimini, Greenhood invites his readers to a sort of intellectual excitement which neither skiing nor sailing could equal. . . . Unless you work professionally with maps to the degree that a navigator does, for instance, this book will fascinate and enthrall you.Monroe Bush, American ForestsA teacher who wishes to go into the classroom with a storehouse of knowledge and ideas will find this a remarkable book. It is easy to read, and each page contains information which can be fed into the work in progress no matter which area of the world is being studied.Instructor
£39.53
The University of Chicago Press Seems Like Murder Here Southern Violence and the
Book SynopsisBlues recording artist and critic Adam Gussow begins his story in the 1890s, when the spectacle lynching of blacks became an insidious part of Southern life. Gussow identifies veiled references to real life incidents of these lynchings within the words of Blues songs and literature.Trade Review"Beneath the effusive and effervescent tone of Mister Satan's Apprentice lie gnawing questions of race and identity, of cultural imperialism and human connection. And precisely because Gussow stays close to his story, with all its eccentricity and youthful abandon, he arrives at a kind of profundity that eludes [most] commentators." - Samuel G. Freedman, Washington Post Book World
£30.40
University of Chicago Press Frozen Fauna of the Mammoth Steppe
Book Synopsis
£28.50
University of Chicago Press Sourcebook on the Environment A Guide to the
Book SynopsisThe Sourcebook on the Environment, produced in conjunction with the Association of American Geographers, provides a much-needed, objective, and comprehensive guide to environmental studies. Twenty-six specialists have compiled and critically annotated commentaries on the sources treating a broad spectrum of crucial issues, ranging from resource scarcity to the environmental impact of urbanization. Their syntheses of information encompass questions of both long-range value (Environment and the Quality of Life) and immediate utility (Solid Waste and Resource Recovery) as well as thoroughgoing state-of-the-art reviews (Energy and the Environment). Beginning with an introduction to various philosophies and perspectives, the Sourcebook examines major elements of the environment and selected case studies of human alteration of our surroundings. The essential references in each field are carefully presented, and directions are given for examining more advanced and specialized works. Appendixes on selected periodicals, the latest relevant federal legislation, and environmental organizations point to further areas of investigation. To maintain its value in this volatile area, this indispensable work will be periodically revised and updated.
£66.56
The University of Chicago Press Killing the Koala and Poisoning the Prairie
Book Synopsis
£21.00
The University of Chicago Press Why Ecology Matters
Book SynopsisGlobal temperatures and seawater levels rise; the world's smallest porpoise species looms at the edge of extinction; and a tiny emerald beetle from Japan flourishes in North Americabut why does it matter? Who cares? With this concise, accessible, and up-to-date book, Charles J. Krebs answers critics and enlightens students and environmental advocates alike, revealing not why phenomena like these deserve our attention, but why they demand it. Highlighting key principles in ecologyfrom species extinction to the sun's role in powering ecosystemseach chapter introduces a general question, illustrates that question with real-world examples, and links it to pressing ecological issues in which humans play a central role, such as the spread of invasive species, climate change, overfishing, and biodiversity conservation. While other introductions to ecology are rooted in complex theory, math, or practice and relegate discussions of human environmental impacts and their societal implications
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press Current Paleoethnobotany Analytical Methods and
Book SynopsisPaleoethnobotany offers powerful tools for reconstructing past cultures by examining the interaction of human populations with the plant world. Plant remains from archaeological sites can provide information for a number of disciplines: archaeologists may use such remains to examine how plants were used, how agriculture changed over time, or how plant offerings in burials signaled social status; ecologists and botanists may use them to study morphological changes in plants due to domestication. Combining case studies and theoretical discussions, Current Paleoethnobotany presents the first full discussion of the major stages and problems of paleoethnobotanical research, from designing and testing equipment, such as flotation machines, to quantification and interpretation. The volume explores a wide range of issues concerning collection techniques, analytical procedures, and interpretive models that will provide accurate information about past human societies from plant remains. The contributors offer data on specific regions as well as more general background information on the basic techniques of paleoethnobotany for the nonspecialist. Throughout, they explicitly examine the assumptions underlying paleoethnobotanical methods and the ways in which those assumptions affect anthropological and ecological research questions. Based on a symposium presented at the 1985 meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Current Paleoethnobotany moves beyond a technique-oriented view of paleoethnobotany to successfully integrate current thinking about both procedures and research goals. The contributors demonstrate the potential value of the field of paleoethnobotany and open the way for further discussion and improvement.
£25.65
The University of Chicago Press The Invention of Religion in Japan Emersion
Book Synopsis
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press Conceptualizing Capitalism Institutions Evolution
Book Synopsis
£24.70
The University of Chicago Press A Good That Transcends
Book SynopsisSince the birth of the modern environmental movement in the 1970s, the United States has witnessed dramatic shifts in social equality, ecological viewpoints, and environmental policy. With these changes has also come an increased popular resistance to environmental reform, but, as Eric T. Freyfogle reveals in this book, that resistance has far deeper roots. Calling upon key environmental voices from the past and presentincluding Aldo Leopold, Wendell Berry, David Orr, and even Pope Francis in his Encyclicaland exploring core concepts like wilderness and the tragedy of the commons, A Good That Transcends not only unearths the causes of our embedded culture of resistance, but also offers a path forward to true, lasting environmental initiatives. A lawyer by training, with expertise in property rights, Freyfogle uses his legal knowledge to demonstrate that bad land use practices are rooted in the way in which we see the natural world, value it, and understand our place within it. While social and economic factors are important components of our current predicament, it is our culture, he shows, that is driving the reform crisisand in the face of accelerating environmental change, a change in culture is vital. Drawing upon a diverse array of disciplines from history and philosophy to the life sciences, economics, and literature, Freyfogle seeks better ways for humans to live in nature, helping us to rethink our relationship with the land and craft a new conservation ethic. By confronting our ongoing resistance to reform as well as pointing the way toward a common good, A Good That Transcends enables us to see how we might rise above institutional and cultural challenges, look at environmental problems, appreciate their severity, and both support and participate in reform.
£24.70
The University of Chicago Press Armenia A Historical Atlas
Book SynopsisThis text traces Armenia's past from ancient times to the end of the 20th century through more than 200 colour maps containing information about physical geography, demography, and sociological, religious, cultural and linguistic history.
£228.00
The University of Chicago Press Show Me the Bone
Book Synopsis
£41.80
The University of Chicago Press Our Once and Future Planet Restoring the World in
Book SynopsisThe environmental movement is plagued by pessimism. And that's not unreasonable: with so many complicated, seemingly intractable problems facing the planet, coupled with a need to convince people of the dangers we face, it's hard not to focus on the negative But that paints an unbalanced-and overly disheartening-picture of what's going on with environmental stewardship today. There are success stories, and Our Once and Future Planet delivers a fascinating account of one of the most impressive areas of current environmental experimentation and innovation: ecological restoration. Veteran investigative reporter Paddy Woodworth has spent years traveling the globe and talking with people-scientists, politicians, and ordinary citizens-who are working on the front lines of the battle against environmental degradation. At sites ranging from Mexico to New Zealand and Chicago to Cape Town, Woodworth shows us the striking successes (and a few humbling failures) of groups that are attempting to
£22.80
The University of Chicago Press Green Victorians The Simple Life in John Ruskins
Book Synopsis
£41.50
The University of Chicago Press Ground Truth
Book SynopsisGround Truth is a guide to living in this condition of changing nature, to paying attention instead of turning away, and to gathering facts from which a fuller understanding of the natural world can emerge over time.Trade Review"Ground Truth is a necessary book, a guide to positive action in a time of paralyzing fear and negativity. Hineline illuminates phenology and climate change in a way that invites all of us to become engaged in the critical work of observing and documenting the changes happening now in nature nearby, to be part of a global community working together to gather data on a world changing in ways that we cannot imagine, but can learn from." --Susan J. Tweit
£19.00
The University of Chicago Press Catastrophic Thinking
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Catastrophic Thinking presents the best introductory account of how the idea of species-wide loss was conceived and established in scientific circles. . . . [Sepkoski] convincingly suggests that ideas about extinction in each historical period reflect broader social and cultural concerns in the modern world, from the intimate connections between extinction and imperialism to current concerns about the global biodiversity crisis. . . . Extinction is no longer a specialized concern. In this climate, David Sepkoski’s accessible guide is most welcome." * Times Literary Supplement *"Convincingly demonstrates that an ecological perspective has profoundly shaped our views of biological and social communities. . . . Sepkoski's magisterial work will hopefully serve as an inspiration for more comprehensive histories of the concept of diversity. . . . Catastrophic Thinking is essential reading for those seeking to understand the origin of one of the most powerful concepts under consideration today." * Science *"A brilliant examination of an urgent subject, with lessons not just for addressing mass extinction but also for reckoning with the intellectual background against which we have failed to do so. Sepkoski is a scientific Maurice Sendak, conjuring a strange world in which the wild things are not the lost animals and plants of the earth’s past so much as the scientists clamouring to study—if not save—them. . . . This book uncovers a pattern of stasis and rupture; ideas, like species, thrive for a time, only to see the context in which they thrived wiped out. Arriving at this particular moment, in a world stalked by extremists and stoked by a profit-driven public square, Sepkoski’s account of where the wild things went makes perfect sense. In an age of rupture, what other way could it have been written? To paraphrase one of Sepkoski’s own sources: Catastrophic Thinking is the extinction story our era deserves." * Social History of Medicine *"Excellent. . . . Catastrophic Thinking is a closely argued, gracefully written book. In fact, it might even be regarded as several books in one: as a history of extinction science, an essay on the origin of a social value, and more subtlety, a piece of cultural criticism. These elements blend together almost seamlessly. Sepkoski achieves just the right mix of historical detachment, scientific sophistication and cultural perceptiveness to carry off his ambitious project. There are plenty of surprises for the reader along the way, and not a little wisdom. In our present age of catastrophes and catastrophizing, it deserves a wide and enthusiastic readership." * Metascience *"Far from a dry recitation of the scientific literature, Sepkoski's meta-analysis of extinction and biological diversity foregrounds ideas and rhetorical choices. . . . Lucidly written and keenly personal, Catastrophic Thinking is engaging from beginning to end. . . . Sepkoski delineates new territory in the discourse of extinction by reviewing and revisiting the most important scientific figures and literature (popular and academic) of each era since catastrophic thinking took hold of the Western imaginary. Readers interested in the scientific history of extinction as a modern concept, particularly as it was formed by human institutions, will find much of interest in Sepkoski's book." * Isis: A Journal of the History of Science Society *"This book is impeccably researched, and—rather than a popular science book—does not repackage and distil others' work but provides a novel, academic argument. This fresh take on how we collectively see extinction—and its flipside, loss of diversity—will help readers understand and contextualise the current crisis and the Anthropocene. Sepkoski will give many pause to reflect not just on how our research is influenced by our broader culture, but also how important it is to influence and impact society and politics: to move the needle on the climate and biodiversity crises. . . . Buy a copy of Catastrophic Thinking to better understand—and even be inspired to change—these terrifying times we are living in." * Holocene *"Timely and fascinating. . . . This is a fabulous book, expertly weaving cultural and intellectual history into a rich tapestry of ideas about loss, precarity, and diversity, whose relevance and significance can hardly be overstated. Sepkoski takes readers on an eye-opening journey into a history that remains surprisingly little known despite its obvious importance given the catastrophic biodiversity crisis we currently face. It's an absolute pleasure to read." * Lukas Rieppel, New Books in Science, Technology, and Society *"How do humans perceive the nature of extinction, and how has that shaped how humans perceive each other and aspects of society? This thought-provoking book examines those questions and reveals how knowing that we can lose something forever—and the realization that extinction comes with cultural and ecological costs—motivates us to protect everything else." * Revelator *"Sepkoski has written a book that is as dynamic and paradoxical as extinction and diversity themselves. This is a book about extinction and death, but also about diversity and life. Although extinction is a potentially bleak and distressing territory, Sepkoski guides the reader faithfully through it. . . . He transforms the trenches of extinction into navigable terrain for the reader who is willing to consider their own role in the history of extinction." * Environment and History *"Catastrophic Thinking stands out for the depth of its scholarship. . . . [The book] is positively bristling with fascinating insights. Obviously, this is a must-read for science historians, but palaeontologists and evolutionary biologists interested in the history of their discipline can also safely pick this up. Furthermore, thanks to the compelling arguments and accessible writing, this book should appeal strongly outside of these disciplines to anyone with an interest in palaeontology, evolution, or mass extinctions." * Inquisitive Biologist *"A solid introduction to one of the most critical issues of today. . . . Recommended." * Choice *"In his wise and meticulously argued new book, Sepkoski explains why every era gets the dinosaur story it deserves, how the threat to biodiversity helped fashion cultural diversity into an ideal, and why extinction has become personal to each and every one of us. An urgent and brilliant exemplar of history of science at its very best, Catastrophic Thinking beautifully shows that the ways we construct the past are always reflections of our hopes and fears for the future." -- Oren Harman, author of Evolutions: Fifteen Myths That Explain Our World"An authoritative, compelling, and insightful account of how biological and cultural diversity has come to be so highly prized in contemporary Western society. This is a definitive history of the cultural and scientific developments, especially in paleontology, that have helped forge our sense of the modern biodiversity crisis. Lucid, historically sweeping, and accessible, Sepkoski's book ably reconstructs key aspects of the larger culture in which ideas about extinction, catastrophe, and diversity emerged." -- Mark V. Barrow, Jr., Virginia Tech"Sepkoski concludes the book with an insightful discussion of neoliberalism and the concept of the Anthropocene that inspires a critical reconsideration of the evidently catastrophic attitude of humans. Indeed, Homo sapiens is ‘the dinosaur and the asteroid’ of our era. Finally, although the book was written before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Catastrophic Thinking seems to provide a very appropriate framework in which to address current questions relating to the major challenges facing human beings on a global scale." * History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences *
£29.45
