This title is part of a new series, Science and Society, published by ABC‐CLIO. The argument behind this series is that although the history of science is a mature discipline in its own right, it has yet to add its voice to either the historical or sociological discussion of many topics. The divide between the history of science and the history of society is something I am aware in a number of topics of personal interest, so I welcome this series.
This volume covers, from a mainly US perspective, the development of environmental science from natural history through ecology and environment science to environmentalism. The opening chapter explores early attempts to bring order to the understanding of nature from Aristotle through the cataloguers like Ray and Linnaeus to Darwin and then into the New Nation. The middle chapters look at largely the US experience and contribution of the development of environmental science, the involvement of government and the interplay of environmental knowledge and public policy and practise. With radioactive nature a problem of wider implication, but an important US input with the development of nuclear weapons, is addressed. The picture widens further in the last three chapters as environmentalism, global problems and the end of nature are addressed. Of particular significance, is the shift in location of the discussion from experts and governments to the general public, and the problems associated with the expectations the public have of scientific information. The topic of climate change occupies a good part of the chapter on global problems. Genetically modified organisms get a mention in the epilogue; the story is not completed.
There are biographical fact boxes for many of the leading scientists discussed throughout the book and many historical photographs. Each chapter ends with a bibliographical essay in which historic texts and recent accounts of the historical topics are described. There is an eight‐page glossary and, as in many ABC‐Clio books, a section called Documents, with 16 extracts from Gesner (c.551) to E.O. Wilson and D.S. Simberloff (1969). The contents page of this section refers back to the bibliographic fact box for the author. References up to 2004 are found in the chapter bibliographies.
This is a book that can be read from cover‐to‐cover and that might raise a question as to whether it is a reference book. I believe it qualifies as a reference book because you can use it find information on specific topics, and because it leads the reader to other texts. If this book and the series succeed, and I hope they do, in giving historians some grasp of the science that determined and informed social actions, then they will succeed as reference books. There are two other volumes of the series already published Race, Racism and Science and Women and Science. The next three to appear will cover exploration, imperialism and literature. I usually recommend ABC‐Clio books to students and people with an interest, either general or professional, in the topic, and I will certainly do that with this volume and entire series. The series is also recommended to academic historians as a good way of getting some understanding of the scientific theories, knowledge and practice that inform and constrain the actions of individuals and society.
