Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

Southern United States: An Environment History. by Donald E. Davis, Craig E. Colten, Megan Kate Nelson, Barbara L. Allen, and Mikko Saikku. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC*CLIO, 2006. 1 vol. 409 p. $85.00. ISBN 1-85109-780-5.

To understand how the natural world has been and is being transformed by human intervention, students should study the environmental factors present in this region and the impact, perhaps even on world affairs. Chapters include "Pleistocene: The Big Chill," "Holocene: Meltdown," "Moundville: Enter Zea Mays," "Colony: The Coast Is Cleared," "Plantation: Seeds of Change," "Upland: Growing Pains," "Metropolis: Paradise Lost," and "Paradise Lost?" Case studies include the Okefenokee Swamp, the Making of Cancer Alley in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor, and an essay on extinct and imperiled birds. Ten pages of "Important People, Events, and Concepts, a 5-page chronology, 54 pages of primary documents and a 44-page bibliography complete the book Black and white maps, photographs, and reproductions are scattered through the text. While this would appear to be of more interest to students in the southeast region of the U.S., the environmental issues are national and very useful for all collections.