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The story takes place in the early 1800s, in a remote fishing post on the Bonavista peninsula in Newfoundland. The Andrews family, having been evicted from their home in England, bribed the captain of a French merchant ship to drop them off in the northwest Atlantic territories. They are dropped off at a place about 100 miles from St. John's, Newfoundland, a place called Cape Random. The only inhabitants of the cape are the Vincent family and a man named Thomas Hutchings, who keeps the books of account for the St. John's businessman who owns the fishing rights for the cape. A severe winter is approaching and the Andrews are entirely at the mercy of the Vincents and Thomas Hutchings. The story follows the lives of the Andrews, the Vincents and Mr. Hutchings for about twenty years.

We follow the story mainly through the eyes and the journal of young Lavinia Andrews. About two-thirds of the way through the book, Thomas Hutchings becomes the narrator. It is a tale of ice, snow, death and deprivation with little or no hope of escape from this harsh place, isolated from the rest of the world. In the meanwhile, they work hard at salting and curing fish and hunting seals, most of it for the benefit of Caleb Grosse, the St. John's businessman who sends a boat twice each year to pick up the salted fish and to drop off provisions such as flour, salt, molasses and, sometimes, one or two goats. In the spring, some of the men go to St. John's to join the large-scale seal hunting expeditions.

From time to time, the book shifts its focus from one member of the subject families to another, thereby giving the reader an idea of what each of the characters is thinking. It is an engrossing narrative of what life must have been like in these remote places 200 years ago. Over the twenty years of the story, interest is kept alive by many twists and turns involving births, deaths, illness, domestic and economic crises and the ever-present cold.

It is a book that holds your interest. Just when you think you know what to expect, the narrative takes a sharp turn in the other direction. It is easy to read and very entertaining. It helps me understand why my grandmother used to say, that she "t'anked God" the day she left that place.

As I traveled through Newfoundland in June 1999, this book was in the racks of every shop on my route. At first, I thought it must have been Newfoundland's version of "Anne of Green Gables", but I picked it up and discovered that the story of its characters actually had more in common with Jamestown or even the Donner Party than those of Lucy M. Montgomery's children's tale.

Addressing hardships of maritime living, displaced class struggles and faith-based separations, Ms. Morgan progresses her story of the lives of outcast English family members and their fellow re-settlers at the Cape (Random). Once ashore on Newfound Land, their survival, conflicts, and cultural shifts make the reader shiver and shudder with the cold, fear, hunger and pain as felt by the characters. Morgan's story is depicted through a tactile understanding of the topography, climate, flora, fauna and cultural history. This not only leads readers through this fictional account of a past settlement in Newfoundland, but sets up how these characters' challenges and beliefs are still reflected in the culture of present day Newfoundland, as shown in the pride, warmth, persistence and humility of the people of "the Rock". A worthy read.

I enjoyed Random Passage. I couldn't put it down. Only when I read it, it was called Cape Random. What goes? I actually started to read Random Passage but soon realized that I had already perused these pages as Cape Random

I truly enjoyed this book. The author has woven the history of Newfound Land in a story rich with authentic and passionate characters. Bernice Morgan has a way of bringing the characters alive, so that I could not put the book down once I started it. This story is a testament to the endurance of human nature, but also to our capacity to love and to marvel at the world around us. I am ordering the sequel, and once I've read it, I am going to look for the videos. I also want to read more books by this author.
Sincerely, Francine Noiseux

On a visit to Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula, this book's title always surfaced when I quizzed locals on cultural and historical points. It was about a 12-hour read, and I found it very easy to justify putting distractions aside to read this involving book. I felt that having two separate accounts of events, each through the eyes of two of the book's characters, really added to the depth of the story. No wonder why Newfoundlanders are so proud of the heritage that grew from the struggles on "the rock."

No Boundary is a must read for anyone on a spiritual and psychological journey. Not too technical with great references for more indepth study.

This ONE Ken really"F lowed from Within".. I so enjoyed his Clear & Defined "recipe" for Non-Dualism.. He "shines with the "Light"

Ken Wilber has written many books but I think this is my favorite. It is certainly one of the best books to help us understand the dual nature of consciousness. It also does a fine job in organizing various theoretical viewpoints into one general framework. The other book that integrates these things using a more practical approach is Toru Sato's "The Ever-transcending Spirit". It is an excellent book as well! It applies these ideas about consciousness to interpersonal experiences and concrete aspects of development. Both books are really fantastic!

I have read many of Ken Wilber's books and this is one of the better ones. The spotlight reviews do a very good job of pointing out the shortcoming and strengths as well as summarizing Ken's general ideas. I won't repeat what they have said here, but will add my own thoughts.

This book has a different tone and structure than many of Mr. Wilber's other books. There is less repitition and somehow he seems to be more accessible and lyrical in his descriptions and metaphors. If you read later Wilber, you will find it lacks some of the feeling tone of this earlier work.

In this book, Ken talks about boundaries and how they are often mental constructs. For example, the boundary that defines me could be taken arbitrarily as my skin. However, I might say I have a body, rather than that I am a body. This implies perhaps that I am a mind that is associated with a body and that I'm moving the line between self and other to the head. In a similar fashion, it is possible that a may have a transpersonal experience in which case my boundary moves out beyond my skin. The idea is much like the arbitrary division between a tree's roots, limbs and branches. These divisions don't necessarily exist as distinct boundaries on the tree, but arise from the analytical nature of thought.

In general, the book looks at a synthesis of Western and Eastern psychological and spiritual approaches to growth. It challenges tacit assumptions on both sides and tries to get the reader to take a broader perspective on reality while honoring what is good in each particular tradition. It is an extremely thought-provoking work and includes a lot of good scholarship. I find it to be highly complimentary to Wilber's later work and often more eloquent.

If you are looking for the best, most comprehensive and readable introduction to Wilber's work, I recommend A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYTHING. If you are interested in a good developmental psychology book from Wilber's point of view, then the ATMAN PROJECT will not disappoint. It covers development from birth to enlightenment and it quite fascinating. If you own these three books you will have a good overview of Wilber's most important ideas without a lot of overlap. If you are interested primarily in his latest thinking, then INTEGRAL SPIRITUALITY may also be a good choice.

This book is really amazing! It gives readers an excellent introduction to the study of consciousness and transcendence. If you have already read this book and liked it, I also recommend Toru Sato's "The Ever-Transcending Spirit". It's an outstanding book that explains consciousness even better by putting it into the context of interpersonal relationships and human development.

I am the author of this book. It is now officially out of print with Simon and Schuster, so the ones on used books on Amazon are the only place you may buy it. You will really like using this book for daily devotional. I am working on a revised edition.
David Edwards

This book is really cool. My college group is using it for small group study. It is easy to read, but great fun as well. I have learned so much. It is COOL.

I have read the book once, and I am now working through it again. It is great and I would encourage anyone to buy it. I have already learned so much.

I love this book. A great book. Good for all ages.

I bought this book on a chance that I would like it. I was right. It is easy to use,great to make you think and lots of ideas to share with others. You cannot go wrong with this one.

EVERY woman should own a copy. I give it as a gift to any woman I care about.

This is a wonderful guide for all women, of all ages. It answers every possible question that we could have about our bodies, our phychology and every phase of our lives. I purchased 4 copies for me and my friends and I intend to buy some more... I am grateful to the writers for a newly discovered self esteem!

Thank you for writing this book! Every woman should own their own copy. Any home with adolescents should have it to read. This books covers being a woman from A-Z and it does so in a way that makes you feel proud.

I just bought this this book to send to my daughter who is a freshman in college. My mom bought an early edition for me when I went to college, and I bought an inbetween edition as a 30 year old. This is an essential reference for women of all ages. I love that it has informed intelligent women about their bodies since its first publication.

I just got this book and wished I'd had it in my teens, twenties, thirties, but thankfully now in my 40's I do. I bought two copies used. The 1984 edition and the 1998 edition. Now after reading the reviews for the 2005 edition I am going to get that new. The 2005 edition is the 8th edition and in 35 years has never gone out of print.

Truly a wealth of information and a treasure to have found. This is the kind of book you can flip thorough and start reading on any page and find something of interest. They even have their own internet site containing information about this book and related books.

The book is lavishly illustrated with drawings and photographs (including in the 1984 & 1998 editions an iconic one by Tee A. Corinne of a disabled person making love in a wheel chair).

The subjects cover every issue that a woman can encounter -

Taking Care of Ourselves
Relationships and Sexuality
Sexual Health
Reproductive Choices
Child-Bearing
Growing Older
Medical Problems and Procedures
Knowledge is Power

1: Body Image
2: Eating Well
3: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Mood-Altering Drugs
4: Our Bodies in Motion
5: Complementary Health Practices
6: Emotional Well-Being
7: Environmental and Occupational Health
8: Violence and Abuse
9: Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
10: Relationships with Men
11: Relationships with Women
12: Sexuality
13: Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction, and the Menstrual Cycle
14: Safer Sex
15: Sexually Transmitted Infections
16: HIV and AIDS
17: Considering Parenting
18: Birth Control
19: Unexpected Pregnancy
20: Abortion
21: Pregnancy
22: Childbirth
23: The First Year of Parenting
24: Child-Bearing Loss
25: Infertility and Assisted Reproduction
26: Midlife and Menopause
27: Our Later Years
28: Unique to Women
29: Special Concerns for Women
30: Navigating the Health Care System
31: The Politics of Women's Health
32: Organizing for Change

From the publisher's website: 2005 - Thirty-five years after Women and Their Bodies revolutionized women's health, a substantially revised Our Bodies, Ourselves is published for a new generation of women.

THE BOOK'S NEW LOOK
Almost all new photographs
More compact size that makes it easier to carry and read
Fresh, modern design
A new, reader-friendly layout with lots of sidebars and bulleted points

NEW CHAPTERS
Navigating the Health Care System
Safer Sex
Considering Parenting
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

HOT TOPICS
The debate over "female sexual dysfunction"
Direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies
Cosmetic surgery and breast implants
Fad diets
Microbicides, which stop sexually transmitted infections
The menstrual suppression debate
Breastfeeding
Anti-depressants

This book is indeed a must-have item as a study tool. I've found it to be very detailed and clearly written. I highly recommend this book to others.

From what I've read and for the purposes that I've had to use it for this book is relevant and very necessary to the spiritually inclined!!!

I think that this book is excellent for people that are called to be prophets and prophetess. This has really helped me to understand my call and why I face some of the things that I have. It also explains the anatomy of it and its origin which makes it excellent.

I bought this book to help me with interpreting types and symbols for visions and dreams and other prophetic revelation. It's not that helpful for the purpose I purchased it for. It's just okay...but I have other tools that are much, much more helpful.

I've always wanted a dictionary that had the definitions of the prophetic words that are used, whenever I prophecies from Pastors, Apostles, Prophets and Leaders at International Conferences. It has helped me to even prophesy with the correct terminology and delivery and understand more in depth about the gift and the office. 5 KUDOS!!!

Lanesa Stubbs

This book is great for beginners being introduced to philosophy and consciousness ideas, as well as seasoned readers of the genre. There is quite a bit of history of Panpsychism (and other world views) given, which the author says could be skipped if you are already familiar with the subject.

The author's writing style is easy to read, and he gives samples of upcoming ideas that keep you motivated to keep on reading. I got the sense that Mr. de Quincey is a talented teacher - I felt like he was giving me a personal lecture (in a good way!) as I was reading.

Although the book is definitely focused and has a point that he is trying to convey, I got the impression that Mr. de Quincey didn't have an agenda that he was trying to push on the reader. While reading the book, I got the impression that the author was taking the reader through the research and thought processes that lead him to his conclusion. It seemed like he came up with this conclusion naturally and rationally, rather than having a the conclusion in mind before starting his own research and gearing his studies towards his opinion.

Because of this, I think this book will appeal to open-minded materialists as well, since Mr. de Quincey presents himself in a very non-New Age manner. He keeps any farther reaching speculation (afterlife ideas, notion of a soul, etc.) to a minimum, which I thought was a refreshing change from the norm in books that propose a more Panpsychic view of the world.

This is the first part of a trilogy, so if you like this one be sure to read the rest.

Christian de Quincey's book "Radical Nature" fell into my hands at just about the right time to heighten that curious sense of synchronicity when things seem to have an underlying harmony and purpose, and I thoroughly enjoyed his body of thought.

Perhaps this book arrives at the right time for many people who want to liberate themselves from the clutches of the old materialistic paradigm. It will help them in this endeavor, because Dr. de Quincey respects and appreciates the achievements of all the great thinkers who have come before whether they would have agreed with him or not.

As the great P. Feyerabend has pointed out, philosophers of science often tend to overlook that science itself is a story and not a problem of logic. Dr. de Quincey does not make this mistake. He takes his ideas further and talks of the unfolding story of the cosmos, how it is intelligible to us precisely because we are inseparably connected to it, part and parcel of its essence and its being. We can make sense of it all, because it is sensible; everything, the whole cosmos including its very last spec of matter, is "intrinsically sentient" he declares. Matter and psyche coexist as an inseparable whole.

Dr. de Quincey has labored hard to pull together all the different strands of human knowledge from the fields of science, philosophy and psychology, and he presents them in his beautifully clear understanding. His well argued and carefully outlined thoughts on the nature of matter and consciousness especially the mind/body split are designed to put Humpty Dumpty back together again when nobody thought this could be done. I actually feel liberated and, in some sense vindicated after finishing this book, since it strengthens and validates in strong ways feelings and thoughts I had for quite some time. I learned a lot reading this work, and the best thing is, it actually made me a happier person.

When I read this book, I rushed over to Amazon and bought Christian de Quincey's other book Radical Knowing.

I totally agree with his witty critique of "physics envy" . . . Consciousness is not a sub-atomic virtual energy field although, as he correctly points out, it is the experiencer of energy, of vibrations, of fields, and waves. His slogan "Consciousness knows. Energy flows" says it all.

His thought and writing are so fine and so beautifully intelligent, and I responded with feeling. I particularly want to compliment de Quincey on his amazing explanation of the great philosopher Whitehead. I have heard that he is the hardest philosopher to understand. But Radical Nature does a great job untangling difficult ideas. After reading this, I find Whitehead the easiest philosopher to understand now--particularly the mind-body connection. People should come to this book with a feeling sense . . . reading while listening to our bodies. Dr. de Quincey's teaching has more than a touch of real alchemy. The more I read his books, the more I know I am calibrating a great mind who can communicate in an exciting and profound way. I kept having to put the book down because it inspired cascades of ideas and contexts that made complexity unravel in a life affirming, powerful way. This book, and Radical Knowing perhaps even more, is positively juicy, a term not usually used for top scholarship in consciousness exploration. Dr. de Quincey is particularly adept bringing a grounded, welcoming order to complex, abstract philosophical language. In the end, I landed right where he wanted me to...wanting and able to read and know more. Both books added so much value and richness to my life and merit every bit of attention.

In this book, de Quincey's knowledge, experience, passion and scholarship catapults our understanding of consciousness into a view which dissolves boundries between matter and mind. His clarity and eloquence of expression helps to bridge the gap between pure feeling and the written word.

My favorite quote from the book: "Stories Matter, Matter Stories" (also a chapter heading) says a lot about this book which is chuck-full of wisdom. His ideas are well supported and come across with the simplicity of "common sense."

This book was a valuable addition to my ongoing search to make sense out of my world. I owned it for some time before I read it. Then I bought Radical Knowing and liked it even better. (I reviewed it in July)

De Quincey puts into words deep feelings I have had all my life about my connection to nature. His research seems to be impeccable. I can only read so much and it really helps to read an author who does so much of it for me.

I am not a scientist or a philosopher so some of the arguments between different schools of opinions don't mean a lot to me. What I enjoy are new ideas put in language that is readable and enjoyable. This book fulfilled those requirements.

Nothing has resonated more true to me than this book. It was everything I had been searching for in my journey. It eased my anxieties, gave me hope, as well as a better understanding of how the universe works. It was clearly a divinely inspired work. What a gift you have given to the world in this book! All I can say is Wow!

'Recreating Eden' is a joy to read! Beautifully written, it is a must for anyone who is on the 'spiritual path'. Julia's own story will strike a chord for those who have had fleeting glimpses of a world 'beyond the veil'.

Lovely book, Julia. Loved it. Thank you.

Imelda Duffy, (Esme Conway), Author 'Into Angels', A spiritual journey for people who like to be entertained!

"Recreating Eden is brilliant and full of sparkly shining light and thirst quenching common sense! It would be well required reading for all humans and we would truly be in Eden by embodying the qualities of our Original Self as outlined in this book! I love Julia's writing style. It has a place on my bookshelf between `A Course in Miracles Manual For Teachers` and `You Can Make It Heaven` Julia King

Recreating Eden helped me to reduce criticism and the urge to fix every body and everything in my life. By reading Julie Hamrick's book I was enabled to rely more and more on God to enlarge my life and make my life easier. I have already had experience with these concepts through 12 step programs, the Secret Movie, and my church. This book takes working with God and making life easier to a new level. I mean that life has gotten a lot easier and more fun since reading Recreating Eden. Thank you so much Julie

I have just finished reading Recreating Eden and I truly loved every bit of it. Perhaps the most significant for me was the explanation of reverse polarity along with the diagrams. I have been a very happy student of the teachings of Abraham for several years now, and of course "The Law of Attraction" is well incorporated into my automatic thinking. However reading about reverse polarity and seeing the diagrams became such a light bulb time of connecting my dots. Julia's writing unleashes a powerfully informative journey into recreating our own eden. I wish I had this book when I was a new parent raising my son. Awareness Is.
My favorite new concept to ponder: "Unconditional Radience." Thank You, Julia.

this kind of book is right up my alley, time period is the most enchanting.

I will keep this short and simple Mrs. Wolf is one of the best writers around. I loved this book it was worth every penny and I plan to keep it and read again one day.

This was a great read -- I could not put it down. It was wonderful to start with the young Arthur and the experiences that made him the man - king -- that he was. The love story between Arthur and Morgan is truly heartbreaking and will bring tears to your eyes. The scene where Arthur comes face to face with the son he didn't know he had is gut wrenching.

I highly recommend this book, as well as the other two that follow in this trilogy, Born of the Sun and The Edge of Light. I wish the author would return to this style and quality of writing as opposed to the light fluffy regencies she is currently writing.

The Road to Avalon is the story of King Arthur written as pure historical fiction with very elements of fantasy. This makes it quite a different story from the one that is normally told. There is no magic, no dragons, no quest for the Holy Grail and such things as are normally incorporated into the story.

Uther Pendragon and Igrane married and three months later had a son. Because Igrane was married to another man when the son was conceived (though it was Uther's child) they thought it best that the child not be Uther's heir. So he was sent away to be raised with peasants. Fast forward nine years and Igrane has had no other living children, so Uther sends his father in law, Merlin, to fetch young Arthur and raise him to be a king. Only when Merlin finds him he discovers the boy has endured years of abuse. He takes him home to his villa, Avalon, and raises him along side his eight year old daughter Morgan. But he never tells Arthur who he is.

Morgan and Arthur grow up together and are in love. But Arthur is reveled to be the next High King when he is 16 and he learns Morgan is his half-aunt and he can never marry her. They end their relationship. Arthur doesn't want to live without Morgan but she knows the country needs him and sends him away.

You can guess the rest. This is a lovely version of the classic Camelot tale and is very romantic and sweet. My only complaint is that Morgan doesn't have much of a personality-she's basically a reflection of Arthur, who is a lovely portrayal of a tortured soul who only exists because of love. And the choice she made about not marrying Arthur because they couldn't have children after her son Mordred was born seems stupid. I don't think that she did it purely so Mordred could have a happy childhood-she could have made him happy with her and Arthur. But other than that she's a great charecter. And it is nice how no one is really evil in this book or wholly unlikable-everyone is portrayed very fairly.

Anyway, good book. Four point five stars.

An incredible version of King Arthur sans Lancelot. This is the story of Arthur, and his more than humble beginnings, until Merlin tells him years after he "adopted" him that he is the heir to the British throne after Uther. He is Uther and Igraine's legitimate son. While Merlin is preparing him to be a leader whilst living in Avalon with his daughter Morgan, the two children develop a lasting friendship that turns into love. He doesn't know for years that Uther is his father, Igraine his mother, Merlin his grandfather and Morgan his aunt until he is to be king. By then it is too late to stop the love between Morgan and Arthur.

He becomes king but he still wants to marry Morgan. Merlin & Morgan warn him that the threat of incest will impede his reign and tell him it's impossible to marry her. He does eventually marry Gwenhwyfar in a loveless marriage to produce an heir while continuing his relationship with Morgan. Meanwhile, Gwenhwyfar finds comfort with Bedwyr with Arthur's knowledge and unspoken permission. Morgan has been keeping a secret from Arthur for 15 years that also comes out.

Read this book! It's a refreshing storyline that I haven't encountered before. Bedwyr is Gwenhwyfar's lover and there is no Lancelot to fuddle things up as usual. Mordred is portrayed as a very unwordly teen and unsure of himself and others. Agravaine is as obnoxious and cunning as he usually is in other novels. Gwenhwyfar is in love with two men. Finally, the relationship between Arthur and Morgan is not a simple one but a lasting one.

My husband died suddenly in 2005 and I've done a lot of grief work using all tools available-counseling, guided imagery dvd's, bereavement groups, journaling and LOTS of reading. This is by far the best resource and guide for anyone experiencing such a loss. I've recommended it several times and have given it to friends who have lost spouses. Don't hesitate to buy it.

I gave this as a gift to my cousin's husband after she died. He'd read a number of books on the topic and said this book included helpful information that he'd never read before. He gave it to his step daughters to read next since he felt they could benefit from it as well.

Harper Neeld's book is an incredibly detailed compilation of the author's personal experiences in the sudden loss of her young husband, interviews with other widows/widowers, and discussions of phases of the grieving process. I would rate this book highly, along with one of my favorite grief authors, thanatologist Alan Wolfelt (e.g. Understanding Your Grief books). Harper Neeld seamlessly combines her painful, personal story with factual, helpful guidelines to create one of the best written boooks I have read on widowhood. I used the introspective questions with my grief therapist, who liked the book so much that she borrowed it and used it for a class she taught.

My friends keep telling me I should write a book about my grief, but I think that what Elizabeth Harper Neeld has written is better than anything I could produce. This book is so readable and covers every aspect of grief. My husband died four months ago, and I have found this book exceedingly helpful. Elixabeth put the most important step first "To experience and express grief fully." There are hundreds of ways to run away from grief, but it is necessary "to feel it to heal it." I was given the best advice by a friend who said to "lean into the pain." The second choice "To endure with patience," has helped me be more patient and compassionate with myself. Thank you, Elizabeth for this beautiful book. I will buy it for everyone I know who loses someone dear.

After my husband died suddenly, I was beside myself. My aunt insisted on placing this book in my hands. It has been a lifeline to me. I have purchased well over 20 copies of it for friends and continue to haunt my local bookstore when they don't have it on the shelf for immediate purchase. Having read almost every grief book out there, don't waste your money, just buy this one and learn to live again.

This is a must read for people interested in either history, the environment, or people. It is well written and provides an excellent view about the history of the twentieth century that most people do not usually know about. Everyone should read it.

Boom. This is a biggie. Yowzah! If you want a clear view of our specie's impact on our world there is no better place to start than here. J.R. McNeill offers a balanced and comprehensive look at the century which changed everything, and his title, contradicting Ecclesiastes' assertion that nothing is new, says it all. The core idea here is that in the last century humanity moved beyond affect of local systems to dominance of the biosphere. We are everywhere. McNeill covers our impact on all of the life on our planet, from his prologue discussion of economy, population and energy, to his deeper analysis of soil, air, water and the whole of living systems. He offers clear views of the demographic and technologic forces which have shaped our modern world. Most illuminating of all are the complicated ways in which each change we have wrought has brought both destruction and remediation. Oil, the number one eco-villain in recent history, particularly when pumped through internal combustion engines, has also cleaned up city air enormously when it replaced coal and wood for heating and power generation. It also eliminated the need to remove 10-15,000 horse carcasses from average large cities each year and saved the great whales from extinction. Nuclear energy, an utter failure economically and with wastes which will be our generation's longest lasting heirloom, at least doesn't pollute the air. Population growth has had enormous impact on environmental damage, but less than I would have estimated as a percentage, and in some places it has even permitted improvements impossible without many hands. We are, in his words, the "rogue primate" which became smart enough to threaten every other life form on the planet, from smallpox virus to blue whales. Our success has paradoxically been very good for the viruses that cause the common cold and for rabbits. From the general to the specific, whole systems to individual tools (automobile, chain saw) McNeill has achieved a grasp of how and what we did, and tells the story masterfully. For readers who took up my recommendation of A GREEN HISTORY OF THE WORLD (Clive Ponting, St. Martin's Press, 1991), this one is better (and Ponting's work is one of McNeill's sources). Bingo.

I wrote my economics undergraduate thesis on development and environmental management back in 1976-77, and surely I would have enjoyed and valued to have Professor McNeill's book in my hands in those years.

His book is remarkable in many ways. It is a well written book, extraordinarly documented and well supported with eye opening statistical tables and illustrations. His material is useful for graduate and undergraduate students alike, and also for wider audiences interested on reviewing a different approach on history's complexities.

As the book front page indicates, the author centers his work on the 20th century's humankind events, termed by himself as the most influential on the process of ecology's evolution.

The book is very well organized so the reader keeps information organized in a properly way. At the end, Professor McNeill leaves many questions open that will be ample material enough to study in the years to come. Among those questions is the one concerned with society's will to deal seriously with environmental crises that have accumulated on the latest decades. We can have a readily answer to that subject if political leaders continue to privilege the narrow view of economic growth, instead of considering to seriously discuss the implementation of more integral strategies that would deliver environmental friendly sustainable economic development at the end.

Without question I recommend this book.

Sub-titled "An Environmental History of the 20th Century", this is a sober and objective survey of environmental changes over the past 100 years. I was concerned this would be an emotional appeal or judgmental polemic from the left - but not the case, it is academic and professional history from an environmental perspective (the environment, not "environmental movement"). It's encyclopedic in scope and style.

I would not call this an "entertaining" read (although some of the facts really fire the synapses), but it is deeply rewarding as a broad survey of a very large and complex problem. The chapters and sub-sections are arranged in a logical outline making it possible to read the chapters in any order.

The main idea of the title "something new under the sun" is that humans have so fundamentally changed the environment that things really are very different now than they have ever been historically. To regard our current conditions of energy availability, access to water, unending economic growth - as enduring and normal appears to be an interesting gamble given the facts.

Some interesting trivia: humans did not become the dominate primate until about 8,000 BC with the rise of agriculture (baboons outnumbered humans before then). About one-fifth of all humans that ever lived did so in the 20th century. In sheer energy terms, if all modern technology and energy sources were not available, the average American would need about 70 human slaves to maintain the current standard of living (each American "directs" 70 energy-slave equivalents). Each year, humans move more earth and soil than glaciers, wind erosion, mountain building (plate tectonic uplift), and volcanoes combined. Probably the single most damaging biological organism in earths history was the human primate Thomas Midgley Jr from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania born in 1889. He invented Freon (which destroys the Ozone layer), and also leaded gasoline, which has polluted most of the worlds soil lasting thousands of years (all of us carry elevated lead levels because of it and will continue to do so for centuries to come, leading to birth defects, lowered IQs, etc..). Midgley contracted Polio at age 51 and invented a system or ropes and pulleys to move his crippled body off the bed - he became tangled and was strangled to death in 1944 by his own invention, before learning how damaging his inventions were.

This book may be the best historical survey I've ever read. (And with an M.A. in history, I've read a few!) I got this book to complement my hard science slogging on global warming, and found so much more than I hoped for or ever imagined! McNeil's book provides the historical background and the human context for all the graphs and numbers in the science texts. If you're looking for one book to give you a focused overview of just how much human civilization has accomplished, good and bad, in the last 100 years, this is it.

The organization of the book is excellent. McNeil sources everything, ends each chapter with an excellent summary, and wraps it all up with his own thoughtful commentary on climate change. He uses an inspired mix of the small detail (birds dying mid-flight) and the enormous concept (the Aswan dam affected the entire Mediterranean ecosystem). He describes chains of cause and effect and makes connections other historians and scientists seem to miss. The chapters dealing with agriculture are, I think, particularly relevant to our everyday lives; but students in nearly every subject will find this book useful. My husband is a family physician, and has read the sections on public health; my neighbor is a biologist with the USGS, and is reading the chapter on dams and irrigation.