Reflections in Bullough's Pond
From the Jacket:
From the vantage point of a nearby
pond in Newton, Massachusetts,
Diana Muir reconstructs an intriguing
interpretation of New England's
natural history and the people who
have lived there since pre-Columbian
times. Taking a radically new way to
illustrate for general readers the vast
interrelationships between natural
ecology and human economics, Muir
weaves together an imaginative and
dramatic account of the changes,
massive and subtle, that successive
generations of humankind and such
animals as sheep and beavers have
worked on the land.
Her compelling narrative takes us to
a New England populated by
individuals struggling to make a living
from a land not generously endowed
by nature. Yankee history, she
argues, was a string of ecological
crises from which the only escape
was to create radical new solutions to
apparently unsolvable problems.
Young men and women coming of
age in the 1790s faced a bleak
Massachusetts Book Award,
Best Non-Fiction Book of 2000
"A masterpiece... History as
literature and something every
New Englander should read."
The Providence Journal
"You may never look at
New England the same way
again."
Maine Sunday Telegram
"This is a beautifully
written scholarly book.
Highly recommended."
Sustainable Population
"Th[e] intricate interweaving of
seemingly unrelated human
activities, ecosystems,
responses, and human
reactions to those responses, is
the strength of Bullough's Pond."
The Women's Reviews of Books
future. In a time when farming was virtually the only occupation, a burgeoning
population meant that there was not enough land to go around. Worse, such land
as there was had been worn out by generations of careless use. WIth no
prospects and no options, young men like Eli Whitney and Thomas Blanchard
might have resigned themselves to a life of poverty. Instead, they set in motion an
industrial revolutions, the power of which astonished the world.
'Reflections in Bullough's Pond' is history on a grand scale. Drawing on
scholarship in fields ranging from archeology to zoology, Muir offers an exhilarating
tour of Paleolithic megafauna, the population crisis faced by New England natives
in the pre-Columbian period, the introduction of indoor plumbing, and the invention
of the shoe peg. At the end of this book we understand ourselves and our world a
little better.
May, 2000: University Press of New England
ISBN: 0874519098
"A unique overview of New
England history during the last
400 years."
Conservation Perspectives
"This is history made palpable
and personal."
Economic History Services
"An altogether wonderful book,
packed with information,
brimming with wisdom and a
delight to read."
Streamer
News:
The story of the author and of the book.
The Newton Tab, July 1, 2000
"A sourcebook for everyone who
cares about landscapes and
technology."
ArtForum
'Reflections' wins the Massachusetts Book Award for the best non-fiction
book published in 2000.
The Boston Globe, December 9, 2001
AND
The Daily News Tribune, December 14, 2001
"A rich romp through New
England's history."
Conservation Matters
David Warsh, the Globe's business columnist, praises 'Reflections' in an
piece encouraging conservation efforts.
The Boston Globe, August 20, 2000
"An intriguing book."
Environmental Practice
"The author has done a
masterly job in turning a wide
range of research findings into
an absorbing narrative."
Cambridge Chronicle
