| Description |
viii, 277 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Note |
"A Richard Todd book." |
|
Maps on lining paper. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [250]-277). |
| Summary |
History and prehistory come alive in this extraordinary account of America as it was before it got its name. William H. MacLeish paints a heart-rending portrait of the lush, miraculous New World on the eve of the Encounter - the arrival of the first Europeans, after which nothing would be the same. Drawing on the work of anthropologists, geologists, and other academic experts, MacLeish roams over 18,000 years of the continent's history, exploring the role of climate and human activity in preparing the world that we have inherited. The Day Before America is studded with fascinating information on the awesome changes wrought by the ice age (and the inevitability of its return), the ecological effects of hunting and early agriculture, the astonishing variety of Indian civilizations, and the transformations in the continent's nature over the past five hundred years. It is a book informed by a deep commitment to the wonder and sacredness of the natural world. |
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At bottom, it is a statement of belief in an unsentimental environmentalism - an effort to see our world in the longest view, and to value it all the more for that. |
| Contents |
Existence in reality -- Across the border -- A land without us -- Children of the ice -- Among animals -- Hands in the leaves -- Costs of living -- The day before America -- Up till now -- This one is ours -- A native sense. |
| Local Subject |
Indigenous peoples -- North America -- History.
|
| Subject |
Human ecology -- North America.
|
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Natural history -- North America.
|
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Indian philosophy -- North America.
|
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Hunting and gathering societies -- North America.
|
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Indians of North America -- History.
|
| Local Subject |
Indigenous philosophy -- North America.
|
| Other Form: |
Online version: MacLeish, William H., 1928- Day before America. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1994 (OCoLC)608111044 |
|
Online version: MacLeish, William H., 1928- Day before America. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 1994 (OCoLC)609292471 |
| ISBN |
0395468825: $21.95 |
|
9780395468821 |
|
0395740142 |
|
9780395740149 |
|
