‘s history of ideas about conservation in North America is an excellent and informative read. Barrow takes us from a time when extinction was not yet accepted philosophically, to when the threat of its widespread occurrence began to inform public policy. The transition from Thomas Jefferson’s belief that mammoths still roamed the Earth to international conventions on biodiversity protection is told in a brisk style, packing in facts, dates and historical insights without ever becoming ponderous.
With histories of fossil hunting, buffalo and coyote exploitation, the heath hen’s demise, the development of the and the conservation of prairies, sea turtles and California condors, Barrow’s focus is unashamedly American. European readers should, nevertheless, appreciate being introduced to key players in 20th century conservation whom they might not otherwise encounter.
University of Chicago Press
