Review by Choice Review
Elias (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder) offers a brief overview of the vast mountain system that forms the topographic backbone of North America: an immense territory extending from southern New Mexico through Canada into Alaska. Given the range of latitude, rugged terrain, and longitudinal width, ecological complexity is extreme. The author treats, in separate chapters, geophysics and geology, fossils, plant life, animals, first peoples, and written history. A brief epilogue states the case for conservation. Some 47 excellent color photos occupy the book's center, and monochromes are scattered throughout. The text is barely 130 pages in length, totally inadequate for the magnitude of the task, despite being aimed at a general readership. In effect, it is a potpourri, very uneven in detail, yet still a useful, lightweight handbook. Diagrammatic representation of altitudinal and latitudinal ecological belts would have been a valuable addition. Similarly, a more complete list of references for further reading could have been added without much additional effort. The absence of a reference to Structure and Function of an Alpine Ecosystem, Niwot Ridge, Colorado, ed. by W.D. Bowman and T.R. Seastedt (2001), is mystifying. ^BSumming Up: Optional. General readers; lower-division undergraduates; two-year technical program students. J. D. Ives Carleton University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
