Items related to The Control of Nature
The Control of Nature is John McPhee's bestselling account of places where people are locked in combat with nature. Taking us deep into these contested territories, McPhee details the strageties and tactics through which people attempt to control nature. Most striking is his depiction of the main contestants: nature in complex and awesome guises, and those attempting to wrest control from her - stubborn, sometimes foolhardy, more often ingenious, and always arresting characters.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Master how-it-works writer John McPhee has instructed his readers in the arcana of how oranges are commercially graded, how mountains form, how canoes are built and oceans crossed. In The Control of Nature he turns his attention once more to geology and the human struggle against nature. In one sketch, he explores the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' unrealized plan to divert the flow of the Mississippi River into a tributary, the Atchafalaya, for flood control; in another, he looks at the ingenious ways in which an Icelandic engineer saved a southern harbor on that island from being destroyed by a lava flow; in a third, he examines a complex scheme to protect Los Angeles from boulders ejected from mountains by compression and tectonic movement. As always, McPhee combines a deep knowledge of his subject with a narrative approach that is wholly accessible; you may not have thought you were interested in earthquakes and flood control, but he gently leads you to take a passionate concern in such matters.
About the Author:
John McPhee was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and was educated at Princeton University and Cambridge University. His writing career began at Time magazine and led to his long association with The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 1965. Also in 1965, he published his first book, A Sense of Where You Are, with Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and in the years since, he has written nearly 30 books, including Oranges (1967), Coming into the Country (1977), The Founding Fish (2002), Uncommon Carriers (2007), and Silk Parachute (2011). Encounters with the Archdruid (1972) and The Curve of Binding Energy (1974) were nominated for National Book Awards in the category of science. McPhee received the Award in Literature from the Academy of Arts and Letters in 1977. In 1999, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Annals of the Former World. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date1990
- ISBN 10 0374522596
- ISBN 13 9780374522599
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages288
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 4.98
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
The Control of Nature
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Softcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00064775324
Buy New
US$ 4.98
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Control of Nature
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Softcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ009M1R_ns
Buy New
US$ 11.81
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Control of Nature
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Softcover
Quantity: 3
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 5AUZZZ0017T5_ns
Buy New
US$ 11.81
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Control of Nature
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # mon0000239627
Buy New
US$ 8.99
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Control of Nature Format: Paperback
Published by
MacMillan Publishers
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Softcover
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 9780374522599
Buy New
US$ 11.46
Convert currency
Seller Image
Control of Nature
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Softcover
Quantity: 5
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 468811-n
Buy New
US$ 14.96
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Control of Nature
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Softcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Feb2215580168481
Buy New
US$ 15.13
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Control of Nature [Paperback] McPhee, John
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Seller Inventory # 10-03957
Buy New
US$ 14.95
Convert currency
Seller Image
The Control of Nature (Paperback)
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The Control of Nature is John McPhee's bestselling account of places where people are locked in combat with nature. Taking us deep into these contested territories, McPhee details the strageties and tactics through which people attempt to control nature. Most striking is his depiction of the main contestants: nature in complex and awesome guises, and those attempting to wrest control from her - stubborn, sometimes foolhardy, more often ingenious, and always arresting characters. "The text of this book originally appeared in the New Yorker"--T.p. verso. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780374522599
Buy New
US$ 20.78
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Control of Nature
Published by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(1990)
ISBN 10: 0374522596
ISBN 13: 9780374522599
New
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0374522596
Buy New
US$ 21.39
Convert currency