Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900: Amazon.ca: Alfred W. Crosby: Books

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'Crosby argues his case with vigour, authority and panache ... Ecological Imperialism could not ask for a more lucid and stylish exponent.' The Times Literary Supplement

'The biological bases of radically changing historical ecosystems must never be forgotten - and Crosby has made them intelligible as well as memorable.' Natural History

'Required reading for politicians worldwide.' The Guardian

'Crosby has unfolded with great power the wider biopolitics of our civilisation.' Nature

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People of European descent form the bulk of the population in most of the temperate zones of the world - North America, Australia and New Zealand. The military successes of European imperialism are easy to explain; in many cases they were a matter of firearms against spears. But as Alfred Crosby explains in his highly original and fascinating book, the Europeans' displacement and replacement of the native peoples in the temperate zones was more a matter of biology than of military conquest.

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First Sentence
IT IS NECESSARY TO BEGIN at the beginning in considering the Neo-Europe's, and that means not in 1492 or 1788 but about 200 million years ago, when a series of geological events began that brought these lands to their present locations. Read the first page

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13 Reviews

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4.9 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An unexpected treasure, May 5 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (Paperback)

Professor Crosby is both a historian and a student of ecology; I am neither, yet I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It concerns the unintended displacement of the native plants and animals of the New World by European species, which hitchhiked aboard the boats of Columbus (and other explorers). Sound dry? It's anything but. Crosby has no less a story to tell than the biological reshaping of an entire continent. If you think that humans have only lately been responsible for environmental disruption on a global scale, this book will show you otherwise. Our species is an integral part of our environment, and has been shaping and reshaping it for centuries - a colossal process that has determined which food crops we grow, what species of trees shelter us, what diseases we suffer, even what birds we hear sing at dawn...In short, nature itself is largely manmade.

And if an epic, true story isn't enough to lure you to read this book, consider Mr. Crosby's prose - clear, straightforward, even moving. This book changed the way I see the natural world, and was a pleasure to read in the bargain. You can't ask for much more than that.

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5.0 out of 5 stars loved it, strongly recommend it, Feb 23 2003

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joshua steinberg (Syracuse, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (Paperback)

Cogent, thorough, poignant. Masterful expansive work. Enough adjectives -- it was simply a marvellous trip through history of earth and man, both in large strokes and in small detailed case examples.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening, well written, and convincing!, Oct 3 2002

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dragondazd (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 (Paperback)

This is one of the most revealing books I have ever read. Crosby has made me gasp in awe more times in one paragraph than I have reading most entire books. He explains not only how Eureopean plants, animals, and people are in so many places, but how they got into such a position, what advantages they started out with, which ones they developed, and why they failed in other places.

His thesis is convincing because he gives several examples to prove his point, to show how his theory worked in each of these cases. I wish there were more books that were written so clearly and irrefutably. Written with the power of a true historian yet with the thrill of an action movie, it's a rare combination of skill.

If you liked the subject of Guns, Germs, and Steel, you'll find this book to be even more exciting and easier to read.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wide-ranging and intriguing
...A fascinating tale about how and why Eurasian plants and animals were able to out-compete the local fauna in most of the rest of the world--Not just the Americas, but in other... Read more

Published on Sep 16 2002 by M. Broderick

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Alfred Crosby's "Ecological Imperialism" is a provocative, well-written and definitely fascinating book. Read more