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Man and Nature
Man and Nature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Man and Nature: Or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action, first published in 1864, was written by American polymath scholar and diplomat George Perkins Marsh[1]. Marsh intended it to show that “whereas [others] think the earth made man, man in fact made the earth”[2]. As a result, he warned that man could destroy himself and the Earth if we don’t restore and sustain global resources and raise awareness about our actions. It is one of the first works to document the effects of human action on the environment and it helped to launch the modern conservation movement.
Man and Nature: Or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action, first published in 1864, was written by American polymath scholar and diplomat George Perkins Marsh[1]. Marsh intended it to show that “whereas [others] think the earth made man, man in fact made the earth”[2]. As a result, he warned that man could destroy himself and the Earth if we don’t restore and sustain global resources and raise awareness about our actions. It is one of the first works to document the effects of human action on the environment and it helped to launch the modern conservation movement.
Marsh is remembered by scholars as a profound and observant student of men, books and nature with a wide range of interests ranging from history to poetry and literature. His wide array of knowledge and great natural powers of mind gave him the ability to speak and write about every topic of inquire with the assertive authority of a genuine investigator. He initially got the idea for “man and Nature” from his observations in his New England home and his foreign travels devoted to similar inquiries[3]. Marsh wrote the book in line with the view that human life and action is a transformative phenomenon, especially in relation to nature, and due to personal economic interests. He felt that men were too quick to lessen their sense of responsibility and he was “unwilling to leave the world worse than he found it”[4].
Marsh is remembered by scholars as a profound and observant student of men, books and nature with a wide range of interests ranging from history to poetry and literature. His wide array of knowledge and great natural powers of mind gave him the ability to speak and write about every topic of inquire with the assertive authority of a genuine investigator. He initially got the idea for “man and Nature” from his observations in his New England home and his foreign travels devoted to similar inquiries[3]. Marsh wrote the book in line with the view that human life and action is a transformative phenomenon, especially in relation to nature, and due to personal economic interests. He felt that men were too quick to lessen their sense of responsibility and he was “unwilling to leave the world worse than he found it”[4].
The book challenges the myth of the inexhaustibly of the earth and the belief that human impact on the environment is negligible by drawing similarities to the ancient civilization of the Mediterranean[5]. Marsh argued that ancient Mediterranean civilizations collapsed through environmental degradation. Deforestation led to eroded soils that led to decreased soil productivity. Additionally, the same trends could be found occurring in the United States. The book was one of the most influential books of its time, next to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, inspiring conservation and reform in the USA since it forebode what happened to an ancient civilization when it depleted and exhausted its natural resources[6]. The book was instrumental in the creation of Adirondack Park in New York and the United States National Forest. Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the United States Forest Service, called it "epoch making" and Stewart Udall wrote that it was "the beginning of land wisdom in this country."
The book challenges the myth of the inexhaustibly of the earth and the belief that human impact on the environment is negligible by drawing similarities to the ancient civilization of the Mediterranean[5]. Marsh argued that ancient Mediterranean civilizations collapsed through environmental degradation. Deforestation led to eroded soils that led to decreased soil productivity. Additionally, the same trends could be found occurring in the United States. The book was one of the most influential books of its time, next to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, inspiring conservation and reform in the USA since it forebode what happened to an ancient civilization when it depleted and exhausted its natural resources[6]. The book was instrumental in the creation of Adirondack Park in New York and the United States National Forest. Gifford Pinchot, first Chief of the United States Forest Service, called it "epoch making" and Stewart Udall wrote that it was "the beginning of land wisdom in this country."
The book is divided into six chapters.
The book is divided into six chapters.
Introductory
Introductory
The Woods
The Woods
The Waters
The Waters
The Sands
The Sands
Projected or Possible Geographical Changes by Man
Projected or Possible Geographical Changes by Man
The Handbook of Nature Study
The Handbook of Nature Study
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anna Botsford was born in Otto, New York, to Marvin and Phebe Irish Botsford. Comstock grew up on her parents' farm, where she and her Quaker mother spent time together examining the wildflowers, birds, and trees.
Anna Botsford was born in Otto, New York, to Marvin and Phebe Irish Botsford. Comstock grew up on her parents' farm, where she and her Quaker mother spent time together examining the wildflowers, birds, and trees.
Comstock attended the Chamberlain Institute and Female College, a Methodist school in Randolph, New York, after which she returned to Otto and taught for a year.
Comstock attended the Chamberlain Institute and Female College, a Methodist school in Randolph, New York, after which she returned to Otto and taught for a year.
In 1874, Comstock entered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She left Cornell after two years. In 1878, at the age of 24, she married John Henry Comstock, a young entomologist on the Cornell faculty who sparked her interest in insect illustration.[1]
In 1874, Comstock entered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She left Cornell after two years. In 1878, at the age of 24, she married John Henry Comstock, a young entomologist on the Cornell faculty who sparked her interest in insect illustration.[1]
Throughout her life, Comstock illustrated her husband's lectures and publications on insects. She had no formal training in this illustration; she would study an insect under a microscope then draw it. While her husband was chief entomologist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1879 to 1881, she prepared the drawings for his 1880 Report of the Entomologist on citrus scale insects. She then reentered Cornell and received a degree in natural history in 1885. She studied wood engraving at Cooper Union, New York City, so she could prepare illustrations for her husband's book Introduction to Entomology in 1888.[2] Also in 1888, she was one of the first four women admitted to Sigma Xi, a national honor society for the sciences.[3]
Throughout her life, Comstock illustrated her husband's lectures and publications on insects. She had no formal training in this illustration; she would study an insect under a microscope then draw it. While her husband was chief entomologist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 1879 to 1881, she prepared the drawings for his 1880 Report of the Entomologist on citrus scale insects. She then reentered Cornell and received a degree in natural history in 1885. She studied wood engraving at Cooper Union, New York City, so she could prepare illustrations for her husband's book Introduction to Entomology in 1888.[2] Also in 1888, she was one of the first four women admitted to Sigma Xi, a national honor society for the sciences.[3]
Comstock made engravings for the more than 600 plates used in the Manual for the Study of Insects (1895), Insect Life (1897), and How to Know the Butterflies (1904),[4] the first written by her husband and the latter two co-authored by them. Her engravings appeared in the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, and in the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1900.[2] She was a member of the Society of American Wood-Engravers, and has been recognized as its most prolific producer of original (as opposed to reproductive) images.[5]
Comstock made engravings for the more than 600 plates used in the Manual for the Study of Insects (1895), Insect Life (1897), and How to Know the Butterflies (1904),[4] the first written by her husband and the latter two co-authored by them. Her engravings appeared in the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, and in the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in 1900.[2] She was a member of the Society of American Wood-Engravers, and has been recognized as its most prolific producer of original (as opposed to reproductive) images.[5]
Anna Botsford Comstock, plate III. Wood engraving. Insect life; an introduction to nature-study and a guide for teachers, students, and others interested in out-of-door life (1897), by John Henry Comstock.
Anna Botsford Comstock, plate III. Wood engraving. Insect life; an introduction to nature-study and a guide for teachers, students, and others interested in out-of-door life (1897), by John Henry Comstock.
Anna Botsford Comstock both wrote and illustrated several books, including Ways of the Six-Footed (1903),[6] How to Keep Bees (1905), The Handbook of Nature Study (1911), The Pet Book (1914),[7] and Trees at Leisure (1916).[8] She also wrote the novel Confessions to a Heathen Idol (1906).[9][10] The horticulturist Liberty Hyde Bailey and her husband both told her they expected The Handbook of Nature Study to lose money, but it became a standard textbook for teachers and was later translated into eight languages, with over twenty printings. It is still in print.[11]
Anna Botsford Comstock both wrote and illustrated several books, including Ways of the Six-Footed (1903),[6] How to Keep Bees (1905), The Handbook of Nature Study (1911), The Pet Book (1914),[7] and Trees at Leisure (1916).[8] She also wrote the novel Confessions to a Heathen Idol (1906).[9][10] The horticulturist Liberty Hyde Bailey and her husband both told her they expected The Handbook of Nature Study to lose money, but it became a standard textbook for teachers and was later translated into eight languages, with over twenty printings. It is still in print.[11]
Comstock is most famous for being one of the first to bring her students and other teachers out-of-doors to study nature. In 1895, she was appointed to the New York State Committee for the Promotion of Agriculture. In this position, she planned and implemented an experimental course of nature study for the public schools. The program was approved for statewide use through the extension service of Cornell. She then wrote and spoke on behalf of the program, helped train teachers, and prepared classroom materials. Starting in 1897, she taught nature study at Cornell. Comstock was the first female professor at Cornell. However, she was denied full professorship for twenty years until 1920. (In 1911, Martha Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose became the first women with full professorship at Cornell.)
Comstock is most famous for being one of the first to bring her students and other teachers out-of-doors to study nature. In 1895, she was appointed to the New York State Committee for the Promotion of Agriculture. In this position, she planned and implemented an experimental course of nature study for the public schools. The program was approved for statewide use through the extension service of Cornell. She then wrote and spoke on behalf of the program, helped train teachers, and prepared classroom materials. Starting in 1897, she taught nature study at Cornell. Comstock was the first female professor at Cornell. However, she was denied full professorship for twenty years until 1920. (In 1911, Martha Van Rensselaer and Flora Rose became the first women with full professorship at Cornell.)
Comstock edited Nature-Study Review from 1917 to 1923, and she was on the staff of Country Life in America.
Comstock edited Nature-Study Review from 1917 to 1923, and she was on the staff of Country Life in America.
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