PARADISE FOUND 2009 University of Chicago Press
The first Europeans to set foot on North America stood in awe of the natural abundance before them. The skies were filled with birds; the seas and rivers teemed with fish; and, the forests and grasslands were a hunter's dream. Fortunately for us, they left a legacy of copious records documenting what they saw, and these observations make it possible to craft a far more detailed evocation of North America before its settlement than any other place on the planet. Drawing on historical narrative and scientific inquiry, Steve Nicholls brings this spectacular environment back to life. But "Paradise Found" is much more than a celebration of what once was: it is also a reminder of how much we have lost along the way and an urgent call to action so future generations will be more responsible stewards of the world around them.
REVIEWS FOR PARADISE FOUND
"While rebuffing the idea that North America was a pristine landscape when the Europeans arrived and accepting that America was a vast land that had been modified by its indigenous inhabitants, wildlife documentary filmmaker and entomologist Nicholls argues that ''nature was far more abundant in the past than anyone really credits.'' Taking us back in time to a natural world blessed with a mind-boggling abundance of wildlife, Nicholls cites, often using secondary sources, firsthand accounts and descriptions of fish, birds, and mammals that inhabited the regions of the North Atlantic, the East Coast, the Subtropical Caribbean, the West Coast, and the Great Plains. He then pairs those stories with the most current scientific research to explain what has happened to this onetime abundance. Nicholls calls for stewardship of the earth''s resources and for today''s citizens to learn the lessons of the past. The chapters are arranged chronologically, and the wealth of detail is staggering." -- Nicholls "Library Journal"
"Finely written and elegantly researched, Paradise Found is a chilling portent of how even today''s richness will seem a cornucopia to biologically bereft future generations." -- Adrian Barnett "New Scientist"
"One of the best books I have read in years. . . . Mr. Nicholls writes vividly . . . with wit and charm."--Marion Elizabeth Rodgers "Washington Times "
"Finely written and elegantly researched, "Paradise Found" is a chilling portent of how even today's richness will seem a cornucopia to biologically bereft future generations."--Adrian Barnett "New Scientist "
"Steve Nicholls, in this fine new book, makes an essential point: We should measure the damage to our natural heritage less by counting extinctions, and more by understanding that it is abundance itself that has been drained away. . . . This is a book worth owning."--Bill McKibben "Boston Globe "
"The abundance of nature was what made American independence possible in the first place; our present poverty on so many fronts is a consequence of our maltreatment of that nature. But the knowledge of what we have done, chronicled so carefully in this lucid book, may be the first step toward recovering that squandered wealth."--Gregory McNamee, Washington Post--Gregory McNamee "Washington Post "
"Finely written and elegantly researched, Paradise Found is a chilling portent of how even today's richness will seem a cornucopia to biologically bereft future generations."--Adrian Barnett "New Scientist "
The first Europeans to set foot on North America stood in awe of the natural abundance before them. The skies were filled with birds; the seas and rivers teemed with fish; and, the forests and grasslands were a hunter's dream. Fortunately for us, they left a legacy of copious records documenting what they saw, and these observations make it possible to craft a far more detailed evocation of North America before its settlement than any other place on the planet. Drawing on historical narrative and scientific inquiry, Steve Nicholls brings this spectacular environment back to life. But "Paradise Found" is much more than a celebration of what once was: it is also a reminder of how much we have lost along the way and an urgent call to action so future generations will be more responsible stewards of the world around them.
REVIEWS FOR PARADISE FOUND
"While rebuffing the idea that North America was a pristine landscape when the Europeans arrived and accepting that America was a vast land that had been modified by its indigenous inhabitants, wildlife documentary filmmaker and entomologist Nicholls argues that ''nature was far more abundant in the past than anyone really credits.'' Taking us back in time to a natural world blessed with a mind-boggling abundance of wildlife, Nicholls cites, often using secondary sources, firsthand accounts and descriptions of fish, birds, and mammals that inhabited the regions of the North Atlantic, the East Coast, the Subtropical Caribbean, the West Coast, and the Great Plains. He then pairs those stories with the most current scientific research to explain what has happened to this onetime abundance. Nicholls calls for stewardship of the earth''s resources and for today''s citizens to learn the lessons of the past. The chapters are arranged chronologically, and the wealth of detail is staggering." -- Nicholls "Library Journal"
"Finely written and elegantly researched, Paradise Found is a chilling portent of how even today''s richness will seem a cornucopia to biologically bereft future generations." -- Adrian Barnett "New Scientist"
"One of the best books I have read in years. . . . Mr. Nicholls writes vividly . . . with wit and charm."--Marion Elizabeth Rodgers "Washington Times "
"Finely written and elegantly researched, "Paradise Found" is a chilling portent of how even today's richness will seem a cornucopia to biologically bereft future generations."--Adrian Barnett "New Scientist "
"Steve Nicholls, in this fine new book, makes an essential point: We should measure the damage to our natural heritage less by counting extinctions, and more by understanding that it is abundance itself that has been drained away. . . . This is a book worth owning."--Bill McKibben "Boston Globe "
"The abundance of nature was what made American independence possible in the first place; our present poverty on so many fronts is a consequence of our maltreatment of that nature. But the knowledge of what we have done, chronicled so carefully in this lucid book, may be the first step toward recovering that squandered wealth."--Gregory McNamee, Washington Post--Gregory McNamee "Washington Post "
"Finely written and elegantly researched, Paradise Found is a chilling portent of how even today's richness will seem a cornucopia to biologically bereft future generations."--Adrian Barnett "New Scientist "