Review by Choice Review
Hughes (Univ. of Denver) discusses the relationship between humans and nature by focusing on the three principles of environmental history: the effect of environmental factors, e.g., climate, disease, sea levels, fire, and migration, on human history; environmental changes resulting from human actions; and people's thoughts about the environment throughout history. The author also discusses environmental history's relationship to all scholarly disciplines, noting the differing viewpoints of the social sciences, the humanities, and the sciences. The book traces environmental history from ancient times until the 20th century. Individual chapters address the emergence of environmental history in the US, local and regional aspects, and environmental history worldwide. Later chapters consider global environmental history issues and how to conduct historical studies on the environment. This reviewer's only concern with the author's treatment of the subject matter is that Hughes basically provides a review of each source he consulted. This technique makes the book read more like an annotated bibliography than a cohesive synthesis of information. Organized like its predecessor (1st ed., 2006), this new edition is very well-researched, with extensive notes and a comprehensive bibliography, and includes information on new developments in the field. Overall, an excellent source for anyone researching environmental history. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students; general readers. --Cheryl Schriver McCoy, University of South Florida
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
