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The Eternal Frontier An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples by Tim Flannery ISBN: 0-8021-3888-8 / ISBN-13: 978-0-8021-3888-0 US $16.00 - 6 x 9, 432 pp - May 2002 |
"Tim Flannery's account of North America from the end of the dinosaurs to the contemporary ecological crisis makes a thrilling, beautifully written story. It will fascinate Americans and non-Americans alike." —Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
"Flannery has a talent for imagining prehistoric landscapes and bringing them vividly to life. . . . A fascinating, current, and insightful look at our familiar history from a larger perspective."—David Bezanson, Austin-American Statesman
In The Eternal Frontier, world-renowned scientist and historian Tim Flannery tells the unforgettable story of the geological and biological evolution of the North American continent, from the time of the asteroid strike that ended the age of dinosaurs 65 million years ago, to the present day. Flannery describes the development of North America's deciduous forests and other flora, and tracks the immigration and emigration of various animals to and from Europe, Asia, and South America, showing how plant and animal species have either adapted or become extinct. The story takes in the massive changes wrought by the ice ages and the coming of the Indians, and continues right up to the present, covering the deforestation of the Northeast, the decimation of the buffalo, and other facets of the enormous impact of frontier settlement and the development of the industrial might of the United States.
Natural history on a monumental scale, The Eternal Frontier contains an enormous wealth of fascinating scientific details, and Flannery's accessible and dynamic writing makes the book a delight to read. This is science writing at its very best—a riveting page-turner that is simultaneously an accessible and scholarly trove of incredible information that is already being hailed by critics as a classic.
Tim Flannery is the director of the South Australian Museum. He was previously the principal research scientist at the Australian Museum in Sydney and has also been a visiting professor of Australian studies at Harvard University. He is the author of eight books, including The Future Eaters, his award-winning history of Australian ecology.