Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West - Paperback

by Sara Dant (Author), Tom S. Udall (Foreword by)

Historical narratives often concentrate on wars and politics while omitting the central role and influence of the physical stage on which history is carried out. In Losing Eden award-winning historian Sara Dant debunks the myth of the American West as "Eden" and instead embraces a more realistic and complex understanding of a region that has been inhabited and altered by people for tens of thousands of years.

In this lively narrative Dant discusses the key events and topics in the environmental history of the American West, from the Beringia migration, Columbian Exchange, and federal territorial acquisition to post-World War II expansion, resource exploitation, and current climate change issues. Losing Eden is structured around three important themes: balancing economic success and ecological destruction, creating and protecting public lands, and achieving sustainability.

This revised and updated edition incorporates the latest science and thinking. It also features a new chapter on climate change in the American West, a larger reflection on the region's multicultural history, updated current events, expanded and diversified suggested readings, along with new maps and illustrations. Cohesive and compelling, Losing Eden recognizes the central role of the natural world in the history of the American West and provides important analysis on the continually evolving relationship between the land and its inhabitants.

Back Jacket

Historical narratives often concentrate on wars and politics while leaving out the central role and influence of the physical stage on which history is carried out. In Losing Eden, expert scholar and professor, Sara Dant, traces the environmental history and development of the American West and explains how the land has shaped and been shaped by the people who live there.

Author Biography

Sara Dant is a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of history at Weber State University. She is the coauthor of the two-volume Encyclopedia of American National Parks. Tom S. Udall is a former United States senator and representative of New Mexico who has been a strong advocate for renewable energy, the environment, and conservation efforts.