Book Reviews
BOOK REVIEWS An Environmental An Environmental History of Canada. History of Canada I would heartily recommend it be adopted, and I suspect it will be in high Laurel Sefton MacDowell demand. Vancouver: ubc Press, 2012. 352 pp. After a short, but essential, $49.95 paper. introduction regarding definitions and directions in environmental history, Sterling Evans MacDowell divides the textbook into University of Oklahoma four parts. The first, “Aboriginal Peoples and Settlers,” has a couple of chapters entitled, respectively, o the growing list of books “Encountering a New Land” and Ton Canadian environmental “Settling the Land and Transforming history, University of Toronto historian the ‘Wilderness.’” Part 2 treats various Laurel MacDowell’s new textbook, facets of “Industrialism, Reform, and An Environmental History of Canada, Infrastructure,” which includes topics should take a prominent place. on urban history, conservation, mining, The evolution of this field of study and consumerism. The third part, indicates both a rapidly maturing “Harnessing Nature, Harming Nature,” branch of history and the need for a examines the important topics of energy, solid textbook for undergraduate upper water, and food/agriculture. The final division courses. Along with the first part is entitled “The Environmental book in the field,Consuming Canada: Era.” It has chapters on the Canadian Readings in Environmental History environmental movement, parks and (1995), edited by Chad Gaffield and Pam wildlife, coastal fisheries, and the North Gaffield; David Freeland Duke’s edited and climate change. Each chapter ends volume, Canadian Environmental with an excellent list of important History: Essential Readings (2006), works devoted to the topics covered which is essentially a nicely arranged (and nicely divided into subtopics) – course packet; and Graeme Wynn’s an extremely useful tool for students.
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