Dirt; soil; call it what you want—it's everywhere we go. It is the root of our existence; supporting our feet; our farms; our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds; however; that we are running out of dirt; and it's no laughing matter. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times; Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are—and have long been—using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain; cultivated soils erode bit by bit; slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. A rich mix of history; archaeology and geology; Dirt traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia; Ancient Greece; the Roman Empire; China; European colonialism; Central America; and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped us and we have shaped soil—as society after society has risen; prospered; and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. David R. Montgomery sees in the recent rise of organic and no-till farming the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.
#379618 in Books 2008-12-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.70 x .60 x 6.00l; .79 #File Name: 0520257871244 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Foundations of Modern American Feminism.By J. PrestonThis is an excellent book for filling in the gaps of the history of the "women's movement" in the U.S.In studying modern feminism; we hear much about feminism; by definition; being the movement that is behind gender equality. What is often omitted from modern commentary is that the "gender equality" is very often intended by feminism only to apply to Caucasian Women; and; more specifically; to middle and upper class women.In this Book; Professor Blee points out that the doctrines of modern feminism; as they have evolved from the 1960's; were nothing other than the same doctrines of the "Invisible Empire" of Women in the Ku Klux Klan.There is an excellent review of this book in the L.A. Times; by Barbara Ehrenreich: http://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-01/books/bk-2279_1_klan-membersThis document actually shows the origins of modern feminism in the U.S. It fills an important gap between early 19th century feminism in Europe; and; how feminism was adopted and evolved here in the U.S.Many of the "ideals" expressed in this work were adopted by the feminists of the late 1950's and 1960's to form a privilege class for "white women" in the U.S. as long as they were Jewish or Protestant.This monograph should be read in conjunction with several scholarly works on the subject:Women of the Klan: Racism and Gender in the 1920sAliens Found in Waiting: Women of the Ku KluxKlan in Suburban Chicago; 1870-1930Sarah Elizabeth DohertyLoyola University Chicagohttp://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1344context=luc_diss2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The foundations of Modern American feminismBy J. PrestonThis is an excellent book for filling in the gaps of the history of the "women's movement" in the U.S.In studying modern feminism; we hear much about feminism; by definition; being the movement that is behind gender equality. What is often omitted from modern commentary is that the "gender equality" is very often intended by feminism only to apply to Caucasian Women; and; more specifically; to middle and upper class women.In this Book; Professor Blee points out that the doctrines of modern feminism; as they have evolved from the 1960's; were nothing other than the same doctrines of the "Invisible Empire" of Women in the Ku Klux Klan.There is an excellent review of this book in the L.A. Times; by Barbara Ehrenreich: http://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-01/books/bk-2279_1_klan-members1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This is a very disturbing and well researched book. ...By Jay RaskinThis is a very disturbing and well researched book. Those who think that gender-feminism is progressive need to read this book.
