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| Book Review | Indiana Magazine of History, 101.1 | The History Cooperative
101.1  
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March, 2005
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Reviews

Down to Earth
Nature's Role in American History

By Ted Steinberg
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Pp. xiv, 347. Maps, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $30.00.)

Environmental historian Ted Steinberg concludes his Down to Earth with a warning: "When it comes to the human control of nature, beware: Things rarely turn out the way they are supposed to. The wind shifts, the earth moves, and now and again, when you least expect it, a flock of birds swoops in for a meal" (p. 347). Those few lines summarize Steinberg's argument that a full understanding of American history requires that we portray nature as an active player and not simply as a backdrop in the evolution of human society over time. Social historians argue for writing history from the bottom up; Steinberg contends that history also needs to be written "from the ground up." . . .
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