Main entry:

Cronon, William, author.

Title & Author:

Changes in the land : Indians, colonists, and the ecology of New England / William Cronon.

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

New York : Hill and Wang, 1983.
©1983.

Description:

x, 241 pages ; 22 cm

Notes:
Includes chapter notes with bibliographical references (pages [171]-206), bibliographical essay with bibliographical references (pages 207-235), and index.
Part I. Looking backward ; The view from Walden -- Part II. The ecological transformation of colonial New England ; Landscape and patchwork -- Seasons of want and plenty -- Bounding the land -- Commodities of the hunt -- Taking the forest -- A world of fields and fences -- Part III. Harvests of change ; That wilderness should turn a mart.
British Library not licensed to copy 0.
Francis Parkman Prize, 1984.

Summary:

Changes in the Land is an exciting and original synthesis of Indian ethnography, scientific ecology, economic and ecological anthropology, and the history of Indian- white relations in colonial New England. Cronon recreates the landscape of 1600, then describes Indian subsistence practices in terms of the available resources and of nature's annual cycle. The arrival of Europeans introduced new diseases, new plants, new animals, new farming techniques, and new concepts such as money and private property in land. Cronon argues that white farmers abused their land by heavy cropping with maize and then failing to take any action to restore nutrients. Where traditional Indian practices had preserved the environment, white practices destroyed it. Space does not permit detailed descriptions of each cog in the complex machine constituting Cronon's argument about the deterioration of the natural environment that ensued after the arrival of the whites. Suffice it to say that the individual elements are sophisticated in their construction and so beautifully articulated together that undergraduates will quickly grasp its design. The logic of the argument and the grace with which it is presented make the book particularly attractive for classroom use.

Resources:
Contributor biographical information
Publisher description

ISBN:

0809034050 (hardcover)
9780809034055 (hardcover)
0809001586 (paperback)
9780809001583 (paperback)

Subject:

Nature Effect of human beings on New England History.
Landscape changes New England History.
Êtres humains Influence sur la nature Nouvelle-Angleterre Histoire.
Paysages Modifications Nouvelle-Angleterre Histoire.
Landscape changes
Nature Effect of human beings on
Kolonisation
Ökologie
Antropologia Cult Social.
Historia Dos Estados Unidos.
Nature Effect of human beings on New England.
Nature Effets de l'homme États-Unis Nouvelle-Angleterre (États-Unis)
New England History Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775.
Nueva Inglaterra Historia Período colonial, ca. 1600 1775.
Nouvelle-Angleterre Histoire ca 1600-1775 (Période coloniale)
New England
Neuengland
New England History Colonial Period, 1600-1775.
Nouvelle-Angleterre (États-Unis) 1600-1775 (Période coloniale)
Geschichte
Landscape changes History New England
Nature Effect of human beings on History New England

Form/genre:

History
Instructional and educational works.
Matériel d'éducation et de formation.

Added entries:

Indians, colonists, and the ecology of New England

Holdings:

Location: Library main 128427
Call No.: PO8169; ID:85-B22540
Status: Available