Vestal Fire By Pyne Stephen J
About this book
Stephen Pyne sVestal Fireis an astoundingtour de force even by this writer s demandingly high standards nothing less than a total history of the western conception practice and response to fire through at least three millennia Simon Schama author ofLandscape and Memory This is environmental history at its best a subtle but provocative new blend of the human and the natural of culture and nature of society and environment and a rattling good story Michael Williams Oxford University Vestal Fireis a magisterially comprehensive environmental history of fire in Europe and most of the rest of the world It is a splendidly written capstone of Stephen Pyne s Cycle of Fire a work of more than twenty years duration William H Goetzmann author ofExploration and EmpireStephen J Pyne a noted environmental historian is a professor in the Biology and Society Program at Arizona State University Among his many books are the five volumes comprising the Cycle of Fire of which Vestal Fire is the most recent Stephen Pyne has been described as having a consciousness composed of equal parts historian ecologist philosopher critic poet and sociologist At this time in history when many people are trying to understand their true relationship with the natural environment this book offers a remarkable contribution breathtaking in the scope of its research and exhilarating to read Pyne takes the reader on a journey through time exploring the terrain of Europe and the uses and abuses of its lands as well as through migration and conquest many parts of the rest of the world Whether he is discussing the Mediterranean region Russia Scandinavia the British Isles central Europe or colonized islands whether he is considering the impact of agriculture forestry or Enlightenment thinking the author brings an unmatched insight to his subject Vestal Fire takes its title from Vesta Roman goddess of the hearth and keeper of the sacred fire on Mount Oly