Book News : Book News Reviews An altogether fascinating account of the natural and social history of the Amazon rain forest from its pre-European integrity through successive stages of conquest, development and destruction, along with parallel efforts to protect the ecosystem and its indigenous population. The disciplines of botany, ecology, history and political analysis are combined to produce a damning critique of empire and an unabashed advocacy of the forest and its peoples. Impressively annotated, and complete with maps, b&w plates, appendices, and an extensive bibliography. Verso is an imprint of the New Left Press. Acidic paper. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 1990 January #1 The murder of rubber tapper Chico Mendes in December, 1988 drew the world's attention to the struggle for forest reserves, supporting sustained use of resources such as rubber, in the Amazon Basin. This book, by biologist Hecht and writer Cockburn, puts the forest peoples' struggle in economic and historic perspective, describing in detail the settlement of the region, the history of the rubber trade, and the misguided developmental policies of the military and others that have led to the ongoing destruction of the Amazon forest. This is an important work, providing perspectives lacking in other recent books on the topic. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.-- Joseph Hannibal, Cleveland Museum of Natural History Copyright 1990 Cahners Business Information.
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