Reviews
"While rebuffing the idea that North America was a pristine landscape when the Europeans arrived and accepting that America was a vast land that had been modified by its indigenous inhabitants, wildlife documentary filmmaker and entomologist Nicholls argues that 'nature was far more abundant in the past than anyone really credits.' Taking us back in time to a natural world blessed with a mind-boggling abundance of wildlife, Nicholls cites, often using secondary sources, firsthand accounts and descriptions of fish, birds, and mammals that inhabited the regions of the North Atlantic, the East Coast, the Subtropical Caribbean, the West Coast, and the Great Plains. He then pairs those stories with the most current scientific research to explain what has happened to this onetime abundance. Nicholls calls for stewardship of the earth's resources and for today's citizens to learn the lessons of the past. The chapters are arranged chronologically, and the wealth of detail is staggering."-- Library Journal, "Nicholls's vividly detailed ecological history analyzes the mind-sets that validate excessive exploitation, the disastrous victory of economics and politics over nature, and the complex and vulnerable dynamics of ecosystems. Not only does Nicholls present arresting material, he also offers fresh interpretations and connections in this grandly spanning and affecting look to the past for guidance in facing a future of further diminishment."-- Booklist , starred review, One of the best books I have read in years. . . . Mr. Nicholls writes vividly . . . with wit and charm., In an engaging prose style peppered with humor, Nicholls takes readers from Atlantic to Pacific, studying local ecology from historical and personal perspectives, hammering home the warning that, despite appearances, 'Planet Earth is finite.', Finely written and elegantly researched, Paradise Found is a chilling portent of how even today's richness will seem a cornucopia to biologically bereft future generations., Steve Nicholls, in this fine new book, makes an essential point: We should measure the damage to our natural heritage less by counting extinctions, and more by understanding that it is abundance itself that has been drained away. . . . This is a book worth owning., This intensively referenced, well-written book, which is a combination of history and natural history, will give readers new insights into how North America has changed. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of academic, professional, and general readers., "The abundance of nature was what made American independence possible in the first place; our present poverty on so many fronts is a consequence of our maltreatment of that nature. But the knowledge of what we have done, chronicled so carefully in this lucid book, may be the first step toward recovering that squandered wealth."--Gregory McNamee, Washington Post
